Chick lit I cannot stand either! I know it disguises itself as a pro-sisterhood genre for anyone who suffered broken dates and broken nails, but I think it trivializes women as obsessed with relationships, brand labels and female competition.
I've been reading so much non-fiction as of late that I unfortunately have few pop fiction suggestions. But I can think of a couple..."The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" is a quick, fun read, but you come away from it with a lot. It is written from the perspective of an autistic teenager and after reading it, I completely understood autistic behavior (something I had not grasped the "whys" of before, and afterwards it became totally clear to me how the world must appear to somebody autistic). His issues are very difficult, but the book has a humor and overall sweetness.
Also, I love anything by Kate Atkinson--she is hilarious, a verbal magician, and can weave seemingly unrelated stories and characters together like nobody's business...and when you least expect it.
In fact I have read "Curious Incident" - last summer I think! - and I too really enjoyed it. I have an aquaintence who at one point thought he had a touch of autism (if you met him, you'd understand) and he told me that there was a lot of controversy over that book (i.e. the author acting as if he knew far more about the condition than he actually did, etc.). But I found the book interesting and instructive, like you, and am glad it was written!
I will check out Kate Atkinson's work. I picked up "The Memory-Keeper's Daughter" at the library yesterday; hopefully it will be good!
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I've been reading so much non-fiction as of late that I unfortunately have few pop fiction suggestions. But I can think of a couple..."The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" is a quick, fun read, but you come away from it with a lot. It is written from the perspective of an autistic teenager and after reading it, I completely understood autistic behavior (something I had not grasped the "whys" of before, and afterwards it became totally clear to me how the world must appear to somebody autistic). His issues are very difficult, but the book has a humor and overall sweetness.
Also, I love anything by Kate Atkinson--she is hilarious, a verbal magician, and can weave seemingly unrelated stories and characters together like nobody's business...and when you least expect it.
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I will check out Kate Atkinson's work. I picked up "The Memory-Keeper's Daughter" at the library yesterday; hopefully it will be good!
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