More To Think About Than An After School Special

In my attempt to be a more well-rounded person, I've given myself the goal of reading more this year and not always reading the same stuff. The types of books that I am usually drawn to are your basic chick-lit, just as my bio says. I love Jennifer Weiner, Jane Green, Marian Keyes, etc because their books are easy to read, completely entertaining, and always keep my laughing. The only problem with them is that I rarely find myself learning something new or appreciating a new perspective and since my brain is already filled to capacity with mindless crap, it's time to branch out.

I was lucky enough to receive several new books for Christmas and I have read almost all of them and am here to report what I've learned:

• How To Be Good by Nick Hornby. Quite possibly the most annoying book on the planet. It started out fine but I quickly got frustrated with the lead character and often found myself wanting to hit her upside the head. Hornby also wrote About A Boy which I loved so I had high hopes but was sadly disappointed.
• The Girl's Guide To Hunting & Fishing by Melissa Bank. I was expecting some fun chicklishousness from this but also found it completely annoying. The story jumps all over the place, including an entire chapter randomly written in third person, and while there is probably some great name for this literary device, I found it distracting and obnoxious.
• For One More Day by Mitch Albom. Now we're getting somewhere. I have always enjoyed Albom's books although some may say they're predictable and stale, and maybe they are, but it was a poignant read and an uplifting story of possibility. I read it in a few hours and was happy I had.
• Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner. Not surprisingly, I LOVED this book. It's an honest look at early marriage and motherhood and I completely appreciated Weiner's upfront approach to telling it like it is. It was a quick read, like most of her books, but I enjoyed being pulled into someone's elses reality and comparing it to my own.
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire. I'm trying not to let all of the rave reviews of this book and musical cloud my perceptions, but I have to say that although I'm only 25 pages in, I'm struggling. I don't know if I just don't appreciate fantasy writing or if I'm just not in the mood, but it's not coming along as easily as I hoped. I am determined to finish it and I know I'll appreicate it once I'm through it, but so far, so-so.

So it looks like even though my intentions are great, I really am just a fan of mindless literature. Once I finish Wicked I'm hoping to tackle a few classics like Middlemarch and Jane Eyre. Maybe they can help turn my brain into something other than mush.