I have been a fan of Chelsea Handler since the beginning of her popular late night show Chelsea Lately on the E! network. When I learned she had books out, of course I had to scoop them up. I started with Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea. And I loved it! The story speeds through Chelsea’s life, ranging from her as a young girl up until she is an adult, highlighting some of the most bizarre and hilarious events that has taken place. From telling her classmates that she is a major movie star with Goldie Hawn, a girl-on-girl stint in jail, and all her crazy family issues in between, this book kept me laughing until the end. Handler’s uninhibited point of view and sarcastic remarks kept me laughing out loud, and even though at times the story line seemed a bit all over, her narrative kept it all flowing together. If you can appreciate cynical, self-deprecating humor and raunchy situations, be sure to check this one out! If you have seen Chelsea Lately and don’t find her funny, or are sensitive to racy content, I would suggest passing.
What will be thought of next? The June edition of Fitness magazine highlights the Yantra Mat- a spiked mat that claims to stimulate blood flow, sooth back pain, and relieve anxiety. You didn’t read wrong- this is a spiked mat. The Yantra (Yan meaning form, tra meaning free) is similar to acupuncture, with the spikes reaching pressure points helping to relieve pain and pressure put on the body. While reading the testimonials, it looks like the majority of people did experience some discomfort the first few times laying on the mat, but eventually they were feeling more pain free! I am always having back pain, and with the Yantra not being too pricey ($59) I think I would want to purchase one and try it out for myself!
Q: Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? I always wrote, but I didn’t really think of writing books until I was in high school. I wrote compulsively, and I still do. It’s a way to express and entertain myself. When I went to college, I thought I wanted to be a poet. Then I learned that I don’t have a good sense of meter. I now limit myself to writing silly poems for fun. Q: What is your favorite aspect of the writing process? Sometimes I write a sentence that I know is absolutely right and I get a wonderful feeling of satisfaction. I can read the sentence ten times in a row and I don’t doubt it or want to change it. I’m also delighted when I get an email from a fan. It’s amazing to me that I can entertain people all over the country and it’s a kick when I get an email from another country. Q: Where did you find the inspiration for your latest book, Nancy’s Theory of Style? I’m also the author of the Casa Dracula series of paranormal romantic comedies under my own name, Marta Acosta. Nancy first appears in my series as the main character’s best friend from a fancy university. I loved writing Nancy’s absurd and amusing dialogue. She was a character I could imagine perfectly, a rich girl you’re prepared to hate, but can’t because she’s so much fun and actually good-hearted. When my editor suggested a book based on Nancy, I jumped at the chance. I’d had girlfriends who lived in chic, very girly Pacific Heights apartments, and I could easily imagine Nancy living there and popping into local boutiques and bistros. Q: How do you respond if someone tells you “chick lit is dead?” I say that it’s trendy to say chick lit is dead, but readers still love stories about young women venturing out into the world looking for a place and love. I think the backlash against chick lit is based on the bad chick lit that flooded the market – and we can blame publishers who were trying to cash in on the popularity – and sexism. You never hear “vacuous military thrillers are dead” or “voyeuristic books about serial murderers who kill strippers and convent girls are dead.” The people who are so appalled at humorous romantic women’s fiction give a pass to any sort of trash written for a male audience. So the idea that they’re maintaining literary standards is patently false. Q: If you look back at your style throughout the years, what is one of the biggest blunders you made? I don’t look at my eccentric choices as blunders, but as individualism. A ‘50s sequined cocktail dress, a man’s sharkskin suit, black leather miniskirts, cowboy boots, rhinestone jewelry, my extensive collection of vintage hats…all of those things were fabulous. I probably shouldn’t have hiked around San Francisco in stilettos, though. My feet have never recovered. Q: If you could choose one celebrity and raid their closet, who would it be and why? I’ve been noticing Sharon Osborne’s clothes lately. I only see her wearing black and white, exquisitely crafted clothes. They’re subtle, but gorgeous, austere, yet extravagant. Prada, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana… She looks like the severe headmistress of the world’s most exclusive academy. It’s a wardrobe for a woman who knows exactly who she is. Q: What are three items you cannot leave the house without? My purse always gets too heavy since I constantly throw in lipsticks, pens, and notepads. That’s not very glamorous, I’m afraid. I also take L’Occitane lemon verbena handwipes because I hate germs and I like the scent. Q: You are from the San Francisco Bay Area, someplace I would love to visit. What sites would you definitely recommend checking out? There are so many places! I always take visitors up the glass elevator at the St. Francis Hotel. It’s the best free ride in the city and there are spectacular views. If you wanted to do the “Nancy” tour, you’d have to visit lively Ferry Plaza, shop along the Fillmore Street boutiques, have dinner at one of the hip South of Market restaurants, and go to Union Square. Nancy also meets her parents at the Top of the Mark on Nob Hill, and she goes to an old time North Beach bar, like the Tosca. She spends afternoons at Alta Plaza Park in Pacific Heights, which has wonderful views to the city and the bay. San Francisco is urban, but geographically small so it’s easy to navigate. Q: What is your advice for aspiring writers? Realize that you can be a better writer and try to be better. Be willing to rewrite. Be willing to listen to advice. You don’t have to take it, but you should set your feelings aside and consider it. Support other writers and they will remember and support you. If you admire a writer, go to her website and you may find good suggestions and advice there. Don’t give up even when you’re discouraged. Q: Where would be your dream vacation? London is my favorite city and I always want to go there. It’s such a beautiful, exciting city, and I love going to the theatre, the opera, the museums. I’ve always wanted to have the time to take a train across the United States and stop whenever I saw something interesting. I have a strong desire to go with my best friend to the World’s Longest Yard Sale, which stretches from Michigan to Alabama, because I love vintage finds. Thanks, Samantha, for having me at Chick Lit Plus! I’m glad you’re carrying the flag for romantic, funny stories by women.
I’ve been asked in the past why I read chick lit, as if it isn’t “real” fiction. I get that it isn’t the genre for everyone, but I like it. But, why do I like it? Why do any of us read what we read? I thought about it, and polled friends who read chick lit to see what they thought. What makes you like it, I asked them? Overwhelmingly, we all said it is the heroine that draws us to the genre. When we read women’s fiction, we want to feel like we’re having coffee with a girl friend. More than that, we want someone who isn’t perfect, because we know we certainly are not perfect. But we don’t want our heroine to be an idiot. As my friend Katherine said “You like a heroine who has faults, but you don’t want one who makes the same mistakes over and over again.” We want a heroine with gumption, who can find the happy ending but who can also get through things without relying on her man. We want clever, witty heroines who may get themselves into a mess, but also have the ability to also get themselves out of it, preferably with an appropriately acerbic comeback. We want a heroine who lives in the real world. My friend Lisa, a working mother of three, said “One of my biggest pet peeves in books is when the heroine has kids and she's out every night, never the mention of having to get a babysitter or fix dinner - makes me think what the heck am I doing wrong?” I like heroines who struggle with the same mundane things my girl friends and I all talk about, like wanting to lose weight, wondering if that perfect guy really exists, fearing we’re not quite a good enough mother/wife/daughter/sister/friend/employee. I look for complex characters, perhaps who are facing fallout from their unpopular or unconventional choices. Mostly, I want to root for my heroine, that whatever her happiness is, she is able to find it. We like heroines who aren’t a cliche. Unique heroines are so much more interesting and believable. In fact, it is when we recognize so much of ourselves in our heroines that we are completely drawn in to a novel. It is what brings us to laughter or tears, what really makes us cheer for her. After all, when we like our heroine that much, we feel like we’re cheering for ourselves, too. So who writes the heroines we like the most? Jennifer Weiner is brilliant at writing a real, identifiable character, placing her in realistic situations, and providing the right amount of drama and humor as the heroine figures out her life. Emily Giffin gives us very well drawn, complex heroines who may take an unconventional path, but still have us rooting for them. Meg Cabot and Jane Green write heroines we like to read. I also love Marian Keyes. Ireland, and Irish heroines are at the heart of most of her novels, but I adore them. The heroines are quirky yet endearing, and Keyes is great at slipping in an unexpected plot twist. Smart Chick Lit, that’s what I think most of us are looking for, and the plucky, clever heroines written by these fabulous authors keep us coming back for more.
I was waiting anxiously to read Emily Giffin’s fifth novel, Heart of the Matter, as I have yet to be disappointed by this talented author. And sure enough, the opening scene is enough to draw me in and start rooting for the characters. The novel is narrated in turn by both Tessa, the wife of pediatric plastic surgeon Nick Russo, and Valerie, mother to Charlie who is burned badly while at a sleepover. Nick starts to dangerously cross the professional line with his patient Charlie and mother Valerie, and Tessa begins to suspect Nick is having an affair. With both women telling their side of the story, it is impossible to be unsympathetic to either, and my heart was literally aching for each family. The emotions this story brought out of me were intense: at one point I actually threw the book away from me I was so distraught and crying! I can fully say that is the first time I have really let me emotions get the best of me during a reading. It’s no question that Heart of the Matter will be going under my ‘favorites’ section. Giffin fans will be delighted that yet again her past characters are making cameos, as Tessa is the sister to Dex from Something Borrowed. Dex and Rachel appear multiple times throughout the story, and it was great fun meeting up with them again and seeing where they are in their respective lives. Once I got to the last three chapters, there was no chance of putting it down. This layered novel will pull readers in from the beginning, and keep them wanting more after the last page is turned.
Jennifer Weiner’s seventh novel, Best Friends Forever, may fool readers into thinking this is some lovey-dovey over the top story about friendship, but don’t fall for that. The story begins with a possible homicide at a ten year high school reunion, when the beautiful Valerie tries seeking revenge on Dan Swansea but possibly goes too far. When Valerie realizes she may need help, she seeks out childhood best friend, Addie Downs, to bail her out of the sticky situation. Addie is shocked to find Valerie on her doorstep, especially after the major falling out the girls had in high school. It doesn’t take much for Valerie to apologize for her previous actions and rope Addie into her off the wall schemes in trying to elude the police, turning this novel into a Thelma and Louise type plot. I did enjoy reading about how the girls were able to mend a once broken friendship, but at times it was too over the top for me. With a police officer that conveniently falls for Addie after one glance, a harebrained scheme of robbing a bank, and a religious intervention taking place at the end, I found myself shaking my head in disbelief on more than one occasion. But underneath that, the focus on ugly duckling Addie as she struggles with her weight, a slew of disastrous blind dates, and caring for her troubled brother kept me happily occupied during my reading. I think chick lit fans will appreciate the differences in these friends and the backgrounds they have come from, and of course- the underlying romantic plot between Addie and the officer. Best Friends Forever wasn’t my favorite Jennifer Weiner novel, but I still recommend it for a good beach read. Rating: 4/5
