come educate me about chick-lit ....

I was beginning to wonder if I had the definition wrong. I am very fond of Katie Fforde and always assumed she was chick lit, but some fo the definitions of the genre given here didn't seem to fit her all that close. Apart from anything else her heroines are often middle aged.

However, I see at least one other poster includes her.

What about Trisha Ashley anyone? Does she count as chick lit? I quite like most of her stuff but my absolute favourite is "Good Husband Material" which I have read loads of times.

Another I quite like not mentioned so far here is Rowan Coleman.

On the age thing, I've noticed that some chick lit seems to be turning into what I call "hen lit" - same quite easy reading etc but characters are beginning to have babies and face different dilemmas from those of the pure chick lit.

Do Sheila O'Flanagan and Penny Vincenzi count?

I like Jill Mansell, Catherine Alliott, Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella and Jenny Colgan.

Oooooh chick-lit

I like: Katie Fforde, Marion Keyes, Jennifer Weiner (does she count? I think so), Libby Holt, Helen Fielding

I don't like: Lisa Jewel, Jill Mansell, Freya North, Jane Green

Any suggestions for some other authors I might like?

I like Belinda Jones, nice easy reading for the holidays.

Anyone every read Chris Manby?

Cecilia Ahern, hmm, not sure how I feel about her books. I've read If you could see me now, strange, wasnt about what the title would lead me to believe

I like chic-lit, but some of it is good and some of it is so incredibly awful that it's a miracle the writer had the nerve to take it to a publisher.

I think it must be frustrating for the likes of marian keyes and lisa jewell to be categorised with cecilia ahern for example.

I wouldn't trash the chic-lit format, but I no longer identify with that 'happy ever after, the rest of our lives' stuff.

I have looked and see there are lots .

Will get reserving at the library

(Forgot to add; always written by female with previous job history as journalist/ editor/ publishing assistant - suspect ease of contract due to connections as lots of crap published)

Lisa Jewell is rubbish!
Chicklit started with Bridget Jones and then the formula was:
1 x media job + fancying the boss + gay best friend + group of girlfriends x permanently in wine bar where barman always knows names = ending up with annoying man from p.3 dismissed as arrogant.
It now has evolved to Janeite's formula.

Idris - I really think she is excellent. I love Capri sticks out to me as one of her best if you wanted to try one but to be honest they are all great. I am anxiously awaiting her next one.

I read all sorts and occasionally love quite a deep read but I am not ashamed to admit that if I could only read one genre ever again it would be Chick Lit all the way.

Ooh I haven't read any Belinda Jones

Freya North is good for a bit of Chick Lit too. Quite grown up with a smattering of sexy thrown in too.

I LOVE Chick Lit. Easy to read after a busy day without having to give it too much thought and usually a feel good ending. Basically a Chick Flick in writing.

My favourites are Marian Keyes, Jane Green, Sophie Kinsella and another one not mentioned on here is Belinda Jones. If you like all the others I've mentoned you'll like her too.

Think Bridgit Jones

And lots of pink/silver books with similar sounding titles

Where the heroine is unmarried, working for a living in a dippy job, gets drunk a lot and ends up with the bloke at the end of the novel.

Anne Tyler is a proper writer, I think.

I always think of Sophie(?) Kinsella as standard chic lit. Only managed one chapter of a Shopperholic book.

I have enjoyed Erica James and Katie Fforde.....are they officially chic lit?

I have to confess, I had a secret soft-spot for chick lit, used to read quite a lot of it (well not so secret since I'm announcing it on MN ). Like SkaterGrrrl, I used to read one chick-lit book for about every 4 other more 'serious' books. In time, I started to get tired of chick-lit (they tend to be very repetitive). However, Sophie Kinsella still makes me laugh, as does Marian Keyes. I think Marian Keyes is very much chick lit, just quite a nice version of it.

Yama that book is called Rescuing Rose!

I read a lot of chick lit but then I read a lot, full stop. I belong to a library and a book club and probably read one chick lit novel for every 4 serious books. It's fun and light and in between reading Disgrace and Dave Eggers it's nice to chill out with a trashy book!

Some good (funny) chick lit authors to try are:

Lisa Jewel
Jill Mansell
Anna Maxtead
Sophie Kinsella

thing not think on the bookshelf

I have only ever read one chick-lit book. It was on holiday last year and it was the only think on the bookshelf vaguely readable.

Anyway - I liked it.

It was about a woman who's husband left her. She moved next door to a woman in a wheelchair who ended up falling for the man we were meant to think the protagonist was going to fall for. Oh, and she was an agony aunt!! The irony .

Anyone recognise this book?

If so can you tell me who the author is please? I'm going to give chick-lit another bash.

you can usually tell by the cartoonesq cover and sparkley title.

they are mostly pants i think but occasionally i find a gem which is mind numbingly brilliant - a bit like reading a trashy mag- sometimes you can really get into it

Dont get me wrong I have enjoyed all the MK books I have read (watermelon,Rachel's holiday and Anybody out there?). After Watermelon, I think she was crowned the queen of chick lit. However this has'nt stopped her covering subjects such as death, depression and addiction. But she does this with a fair smattering of Jimmy choos, prada and scattiness!

Jane green and catherine alliot are good- slightly more 'grown-up' chick-lit! Green is amazing story teller and quite emotional at times and Alliot is really funny

ah now you see, MK gets put with the chick lit lot but I do think there's a bit more to her than some of the fluff out there. This Charming Man is about an abusive series of relationships and was a very good read: not brain-hurting, but just enjoyable and quite thought-provoking. I read her for a bit of escapism but I think she always writes about crises and quite dark subjects with humour and 'real' characters.

Her one before last 'Is Anybody Out There' had me crying my heart out in places as she dealt with bereavement so realistically, imo.

See I have never read her but she irritates the hell out of me in interviews I've read. AND she stole a Smiths title.

Janeite i think wiki should just use your definition- spot on! must confess a liking for Marion Keyes when on holiday though!

With itchy. Sometimes I like those two who write together as well.

You should be able to read them on a beach having drunk 5 pina coladas and the plot still make sense.