Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

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Chick Lit Plus Awards
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Chick Lit Plus Awards

And the Chick Lit Plus Award goes to……

BEST LOL NOVEL
Nominees:
Not Ready for Mom Jeans by Maureen Lipinski
Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank
Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Sleeping with Ward Cleaver by Jenny Gardiner
Winner: The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

BEST ROMANCE NOVEL
Nominees:
Summer of Two Wishes by Julia London
Something Blue by Emily Giffin
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Anyone for Seconds? by Fiona Cassidy
Winner: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

BEST BFF NOVEL
Nominees:
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
Hope in a Jar by Beth Harbison
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick
Winner: Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

BEST VILLAIN IN A NOVEL
Nominees:
Miranda, The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Olga, Moonlight in Odessa, by Janet Skeslein Charles
Cici, I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk
Patty, The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross
Valerie, Bulletproof Mascara by Bethany Maines
Winner: Cici, I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk

BEST SCANDAL IN A NOVEL
Nominees:
Perfect Blend by Sue Margolis
Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
Still Thinking of You by Adele Parks
Poor Little Bitch Girl by Jackie Collins
Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell’
Winner: Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

BEST TEAR-JERKER NOVEL
Nominees:
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Promises to Keep by Jane Green
The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen
The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain
On Folly Beach by Karen White
Winner: Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

BEST NOVEL FROM A DEBUT AUTHOR
Nominees:
The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen
I’ll Have Who She’s Having by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
Reunion by JL Penn
Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph
Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane
Winner: I’ll Have Who She’s Having by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

BEST NOVL WRITTEN BY A CELEBRITY
Nominees:
LA Candy by Lauren Conrad
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler
The Truth About Diamonds by Nicole Richie
Sweet Little Lies by Lauren Conrad
Star by Pamela Anderson
Winner: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler

MOST INTRIGUING CONCEPT
Nominees:
The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch
Tuesday Tells it Slant by Holly Christine
The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain
Espressologist by Kristina Springer
Bulletproof Mascara by Bethany Maines
Winner: Espressologist by Kristina Springer

BEST FEMALE
Nominees:
Willa, Montana Sky by Nora Roberts
Darcy, Something Blue by Emily Giffin
Becky, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella
Rachel, Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Sammy, Sammy’s Hill by Kristin Gore
Winner: Becky, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

BEST MALE
Nominees:
Luc, See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson
Ethan, Something Blue by Emily Giffin
Luke, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella
Alex, I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk
Dan, A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff
Winner: Alex, I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk

BEST SERIES
Nominees:
Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich
Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella
Heather Wells Series by Meg Cabot
I Heart Series by Lindsey Kelk
Enchanted Series by Shanna Swendson
Winner: I Heart Series by Lindsey Kelk

NOVEL THAT SHOULD BE A MOVIE
Nominees:
A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenenfelder
I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk
Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph
Winner: I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

BEST NOVEL MADE INTO A MOVIE
Nominees:
Flirty With Forty by Jane Porter
My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Winner: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

CHARACTER WITH THE BEST JOB
Nominees:
Sophie, Sophie Katz Series by Kyra Davis
Lydia, The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
Becky, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella
Heather, Heather Wells Series by Meg Cabot
Marla, Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker by Marla Martenson
Winner: Sophie, Sophie Katz Series by Kyra Davis

BEST WEDDING IN A NOVEL
Nominees:
Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella
Wedding Season by Katie Fforde
Scot on the Rocks by Brenda Janowitz
For Better, For Worse by Carole Matthews
I Do, But I Don’t by Cara Lockwood
Winner: Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella

BEST SUPPORTING CHARACTER IN A NOVEL
Nominees:
Suze, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella
Kelly, Love in Mid Air by Kim Wright
Dot, The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross
Jessica, Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella
Candace, Reunion by JL Penn
Winner: Suze, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

BEST COUGAR NOVEL
Nominees:
Flirting With Forty by Jane Porter
The Cougar Club by Susan McBride
The Infidelity Pact by Carrie Karasyov
Winner: The Cougar Club by Susan McBride

BEST COVER
Nominees:
Fairytale of New York by Miranda Dickinson
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
Misery Loves Cabernet by Kim Gruenenfelder
Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster
Secrets of the Hollywood Girls Club by Maggie Marr
Winner: Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster

BEST SEQUEL
Nominees:
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella
Something Blue by Emily Giffin
The First Assistant by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare
Slightly Settled by Wendy Markham
Killer Cocktails by Sheryl J Anderson
Winner: Something Blue by Emily Giffin

BEST MYSTERY
Nominees:
I Scream, You Scream by Wendy Lyn Watson
Killer Heels by Sheryl J Anderson
Looks to Die For by Janice Kaplan
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Bulletproof Mascara by Bethany Maines
Winner: Bulletproof Mascara by Bethany Maines

September 9, 2010
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Best Job Nominees
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Best Job Nominees

The nominees for Character with the Best Job:

Sophie Katz Sopie Katz series by Kyra Davis
Lydia Hoffman, The Shop On Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
Becky Bloomwood, Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella
Heather Wells, Heather Wells series by Meg Cabot
Marla Martenson, Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker by Marla Martenson

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

September 3, 2010
25 Comments
Best Novel made into a Movie Nominees
Updates

Best Novel made into a Movie Nominees

The nominees for Best Novel made into a Movie:

Flirting with Forty by Jane Porter
My sisters Keeper by Jodi Piccoult
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

September 3, 2010
12 Comments
Novels that should be a Movie Nominees
Updates

Novels that should be a Movie Nominees

The nominees for Novel that should be a Movie:

A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenenfelder
I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk
Size 12 Isn’t Fat by Meg Cabot
Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

September 3, 2010
34 Comments
Best Series Nominees
Updates

Best Series Nominees

The nominees for Best Series:

Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich
Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella
Heather Wells Series by Meg Cabot
I Heart Series by Lindsey Kelk
Enchanted Series by Shanna Swendson

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

September 3, 2010
34 Comments
Guest Post: Smart Chick Lit
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Guest Post: Smart Chick Lit

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.

June 20, 2010
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