Take all your big plans/ And break 'em.

WEIGHT LOSS
UPAMANYU CHATTERJEE

Hated it as much as I liked English, August. Namely, quite a bit.

IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN
Ed. MAEVE BINCHY, MARIAN KEYES

The two-minute noodle version of chick lit. Short, snappy stories that shine light on the principal problem with (most) chick lit. Namely, you can't draw out a short story into a full-length novel without putting many readers to sleep.

PICTURE PALACE
PAUL THEROUX

Lush, real, vivid, insightful. Loved every minute of it. My first non-travel Theroux, and certainly not my last.

PRIOR BAD ACTS
TAMI HOAG

Trashy (but fulfilling) thriller. Can't believe she used to be a romantic writer for years. Read her Loveswepts way back in college.

LUCKY STARS
JANE HELLER

Looks and feels like regular chick lit, but much nicer. A decent plot/ premise, for starters, even though it kinda falls apart eventually. Like Olivia Joules! But nice, nonetheless.