When I think of the literary genre often referred to as ‘Chick Lit,’ I immediately think Bridget Jones’ Diary. They are all built on the same platform…Meet our protagonist, X. She is thirty-something, possibly 20-something. X speaks to her audience in the first person, obviously, and tends to be quick-witted and sarcastic. She is trying to make it in the corporate world. Her parents paid a fortune for her education and yet, what do you know, she hates her job. X is hopeless when it comes to relationships. Also, shenanigans ensue for poor, poor X, until she realizes that the man of her dreams may have been right under her nose the entire time.
Lather, rinse, repeat, right?
But here’s the thing. I think that there are some books that fit this platform. Let’s call them The Beach Reads. These are the Good in Beds and the Sex and the Citys and the Devil Wears Pradas and the Can You Keep a Secrets and the Something Borroweds. But, I think Chick Lit gets a bad rap, mostly because of its name.
A Chick Lit book, really, by nature, is meant to be a book that is written for a female reader. And I am here today to give you a top ten of sorts; Ten Books I Think Every Woman Should Read. Now, I could probably sit here and spit out about 100 books I think every woman I know should read…but these are the first ten that came to mind, and if you haven’t read them, HOP TO IT:
1. Love Walked In
2. The Poisonwood Bible
3. The History of Love: A Novel
4. The White Queen (The Cousins’ War)
5. In the Time of the Butterflies
6. The Postmistress
7. The Secret Life of Bees
8. Pride and Prejudice
9. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
10. Love in the Time of Cholera (Oprah’s Book Club)
So…what do you think should be on this list too?
Ali Martell, is the managing editor of Canada’s Premier Parenting Site, The Yummy Mummy Club. She is also a writer, an ellipticizer, a mother, a wife, a lion-tamer, a diet coke quitter, a juggler, a getter-of-drinks. She is Canada’s Emma Pillsbury and her three children tell her that she is a DOF (destroyer of fun). She is learning to use her camera better and love her thighs more. You can read more from Ali on her blog, Cheaper Than Therapy.
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I stumbled upon this page and I am so excited to read all these books! I must add Janet Evanovich! All her books are amazing. I lovelove the Stephanie Plum series. The seventeenth book just came out. And she has a long list of great romance novels.
http://www.evanovich.com
Chick Lit is actually, by definition, referred to as exactly what you have described “beach reads” to be. Chick Lit refers to the plight of a female protagonist in a career driven world, that throughout history has often been run by men, and the struggle and successes that these women (who are often highly relatable to the demographic indulging in said novels) face.
The books listed here are not all categorically fitting as “Chick Lit”. A classic such as Pride and Prejudice, and even Love in the Time of Cholera are both love stories of arguably epic proportions, that not only women, but men, can take away from.
The beauty of Chick Lit is that it does indeed have a formulaic plot, something that is indulgent, yet different everytime. Who are we to say that a book has an aimed gender? That being said, however, these are all wonderful books.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, both classics and both beautiful love stories. Amazing chiclit that i recommend for all of my female customers, along with Pride and Prejudice (I work in a bookstore).
Just finished Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. An absolute
MUST read. Not chicklit, though.
I loved everyone’s comments and I have some awesome books now to catch up on. I just wanted to share that Eat,Pray,Love got alot of promotion and was maybe talked about too much..but that boom truly changed my life. Her writing was refreshing like listening to a friends stories..I got a bunch of friends who also cringed at the idea to read it and it changed their prospective on things as well. I’m well aware that it’s not for everyone as previously stated, but please don’t over look it. It’s fantastic.
Fear of Flying by Erica Jong
Leaning towards infinity, by Sue Woolfe
The Stone diaries, by Carol Shields
The transit of Venus, by Shirley Hazzard
The Children’s Bach, by Helen Garner
All these books sound so great!! I cannot wait to get some more summer reading done!!!
One book that is really great is: A Great and Terrible Beauty.. actually all the books in the Gamma Doyle Tril are great. all by Libba Bray. Very memorizing.
and all of the Janet Evanovich books are a great read! Especially if your lookin for a good laugh!!!
‘Walking in circles before lying down’ should definitely be on this list.
twilight saga sucks. your not going to marry a vampire. neither a werewolf is going to fall in love with you. in a few years you are going to feel embarassment because you liked it at all.
I agree with a previous post about these books not being Chick Lit. I have read most of these books, my favorite is Snow Flower, Secret Fan (the movie strays far from the book, I was dissappointed in the movie). One book that I don’t see on this list that I believe every woman should read is “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden. “Falling Leaves” by Adeline Yen Mah is another very good book.
Wally Lamb’s book- I’ve Come Undone. Brutally honest, yet somehow written by a man…
The Secret Life of Bees was an amazing read along with Love in the Time of Cholera. But I will be adding a couple more of these to my reading list
Catch-22
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Taming of the Shrew
A Confederacy of Dunces
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Books are either good or tedious. Who cares if you’re a woman or a man?
i don’t think anyone’s mentioned anne of green gables yet. other than that omission, i’d have to agree with time traveler’s wife, atlas shrugged, a wrinkle in time, the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy trilogy and pride and prejudice. i’ve never tried the red tent. i’ll add it to my kindle. thanks for the interesting post.
What about “Atonement” by Ian McEwan
I still love my George R R Martin
It will be hard to find another author that has a similar style. I’ve loved every single one of his books, even if he kills off characters a lot 
I still haven’t even been able to see the show to judge whether or not it’s any good. Oh well, ignorance is bliss I suppose heehee.
These suggestions are wonderful– Anna Karenina –Tolstoy , is my all time favorite! But A Map of the World, Jane Hamilton-is a must read not on the list-so poignant! also Tracey Kidder’s, Mountains Beyond Mountains is an unforgettable life changer!
Great list, am certainly add them to my read-list. I loved LOVED Time in the love of Cholera (as I love all of Marquez’s books)
I highly recommend The Zahir – Paulo Coelho
Aunt Julia and the scriptwriter – Mario Vargas Llosa
Princess – Jane Sasson
And chicklit.. Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert. I didnt wanna read it for a long time thinking it was just another buaa story but i have to say after reading it, I did allow myself to be positively influenced by it.
Good reads, thanks!!!
Ahh I’d like to add.. there are a lot of comments on the latest Vampire saga.. I do agree that is well.. for teenagers and not really serious reading, but when I started reading as a kid my favorites were The little Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg and thats what hooked me on reading when I was 6 years old. As a teenager one of my favorite serious writers was (and is) Umberto Eco – the name of the rose, amazing! But at that same time Anne Rice drove me crazy with the Vampire Chronicles and I still like those books (but her writing is amazing!). The point being (sorry) is that as long as we read is already a positive, educating our reading goes with time. For the people that already like those books is a step away to start moving into more serious writers.
Just because I didn’t see them:
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende (Also, Eva Luna! And Zorro!)
Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawai
Slouching Towards Bethlehem (A collection of essays) by Joan Didion
Daisy,
You’ve got the list, girl. All excellent books that you mentioned!
Jane Eyre.
Hey.
I have just finished reading Little Gods by Anna Richards.. Absolutely amazing.. if anyone scrolls down this far I would completely suggest reading it.
A week in December by Sebastian Faulks and On Beauty Zadie Smith I would also reccomend
Also you ladies should start a book club.
Why are these books all about love? Is the female obsession with stories of love not the reason that destroyer of hope books like Bridget Jones exist? Being female, i think we need to get over the fact that all of life isn’t about love. there is so much more.
Anything by Jodi Picoult is really spectacular. I always think I know the ending, but she surprises me every time! Definitely worth reading any of her work.
One book that all girls should read is A Room With a View by E.M Foster. Me and a few of my friends feel that high school doesn’t have us read good literature so we started a book club this was the first. another great book is the bell jar by Sylvia Plath
I think A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is definitely a must-read for any woman.
I love me a good book, but I don’t like smut. Are there arny of these books I should avoid to avoid smut? otherwise I am so putting them on my must read list
I honestly an thankful for all the demanding effort that
you’ve put into keeping this site around for everyone. I seriously hope this remains for a long time.
This is a great list and the comments are wonderful too.
I’ll add these that I haven’t seen:
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Penny Necklace by Kathrine Grey
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Diary by Chuck Palahniuk
Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link (short stories)
Other than that I’ll second Jane Eyre, Gone With the Wind, Audrey Niffenegger, and oh jeez almost all of them. Lol.
Don’t know if it’s already been said but
THE BRONZE HORSEMAN by Paullina Simons is the best book I have ever read!! Highly recommended for all women to read
I recommend “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern. It is one of the best books I’ve read in more than 10 years. It’s a fairy tale of romance and magic and set in the Edwardian era.
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