Chick Lit and Women's Fiction Fans?

[Neekeebee]

I've enjoyed the two Heather Wardell books I've read.  Polar Bear Tattoo I'd say is more Women's fic and 7 Exes are 8 Too Many I'd call Chick Lit. 

Another indie chick lit book that I liked a lot was The Bum Magnet by K. L. Brady.  Really well done.  I could hear the characters in my head.  (I just noticed this is one is now published by Simon and Schuster.)



P.S.  Just noticed Polar Bear Tattoo is currently free.

N

[elenaaitken]

Wow! Excellent suggestions here and my kindle is currently burning up with downloads.

I just read Katherine Owen's 'Not to Us' She's an indie author I discovered and I quite enjoyed this one. Lots of twists, but the characters hooked me right away.

One of my favorites was Susanna Kearsley's 'Sophia's Secret'  I could not put this one down!

Also, anything by Dorothy Koomson. I just love her.
 

[LucieSimone]

Ok, my TBR list is getting' crazy! So many wonderful suggestions!

[Nancy Fulda]

I was very impressed with Karen Cantwell's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Insane-Barbara-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00564HYTA">Citizen Insane</a>.

[Tracy Sharp]

Have you read Janet Evanovich? Lots of books in the series and she is really funny

[mscott9985]

I guess that women's fiction is more like the LifeTime Movie Network and men's would be Scify, lol.

I recently read "City of Shadows" by Ariana Franklin which is a historic romance/mystery.  I guess it would fit under the 'women's fiction' category, but at the same time, it seemed like it might appeal to male readers as well.  I highly recommend it.

[Karen Wojcik Berner]

I'm a women's fiction writer, and although I haven't read it myself, Big Al gave 5 stars to A Whisper to a Scream by Karen Wojcik.

Hey, that's me!  

Thanks for the mention, Ginger.

Some of my favorite women's fiction authors are Maeve Binchy, Anita Shreve and Anne Tyler, along with some of the other previously mentioned writers.

[mscott9985]

Anne Tyler

Forgot about her!  Although, since she writes a lot of male main characters (like the ones in the "Accidental Tourist" and "Noah's Compass"), I'm not sure I'd call her 100% women's fiction.  "Saint Maybe" was my favorite.

[Neekeebee]

  "Saint Maybe" was my favorite.

Mine too!

N

[Karen Wojcik Berner]

^^I was thinking more along the lines of "Back When We Were Grownups" or "The Amateur Marriage," but you are probably right, mscott.

[Ruth Harris]

I keep trying—and so far failing—to come up with another term for what is referred to as "women's fiction." It seems to turn off some readers who tend to think of WF as "heavy" and/or "depressing."

Anne Tyler (and  other writers of WF) often write about men. Why wouldn't we? Our relationships with men—fathers, husbands, brothers, friends, lovers, bosses, employees, mentors, teachers—are central to our lives & experience. Just as their relationships with us are central to their lives (not that they always ready to admit it). lol

[mscott9985]

^^I was thinking more along the lines of "Back When We Were Grownups" or "The Amateur Marriage," but you are probably right, mscott.

Actually, I would consider those two books as women's fiction, especially "Back When We were Grownups" (which I liked a great deal as well.)

Anne Tyler (and  other writers of WF) often write about men. Why wouldn't we? Our relationships with men—fathers, husbands, brothers, friends, lovers, bosses, employees, mentors, teachers—are central to our lives & experience. Just as their relationships with us are central to their lives (not that they always ready to admit it). lol

So true!  I guess when I think of women's fiction, I think of the central character being a woman (and not a man).  Maybe I'll have to broaden my definition!

[Ruth Harris]

I guess when I think of women's fiction, I think of the central character being a woman (and not a man).  Maybe I'll have to broaden my definition!

I do think WF usually implies a woman as the main character but  Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary (both have female main characters & would qualify as WF by our definition) are read by both male & female readers whereas today's WF is generally written by female authors & seems geared almost exclusively to female readers.  Is the difference due to the fact that AK and MB were written by male writers? Other than Nicolas Sparks, are there any men today writing about female experience? Just occurs to me, too, that LOVE STORY, a huge hit as book & movie in 1970, was written by a man.

Don't know where I'm going with this but it's a fascinating subject.

[T.M.souders, author]

Ruth

I keep trying—and so far failing—to come up with another term for what is referred to as "women's fiction." It seems to turn off some readers who tend to think of WF as "heavy" and/or "depressing."

My novel is WF and that's depressing.  I hope people don't think like that, but they pobably do.  One of my fav. WF author's is Jodi Picoult and her novels are a little heaver.  The topic in mine is slightly heavy too, but a lot of WF are uplifting aren't they?

[Ruth Harris]

I suspect that when readers call WF "depressing" they really mean serious or at least somewhat serious. Maybe I'm wrong. Am I?

I like fiction with a bit of substance. To me substantial doesn't equal "depressing."  It means interesting and thought-provoking.

[Karen Wojcik Berner]

I like fiction with a bit of substance. To me substantial doesn't equal "depressing."  It means interesting and thought-provoking.

Yes!

[Ruth Harris]

I can't believe we're the only ones, either! Fiction can illuminate experience in ways nothing else can & I'm convinced there's a large female readership looking for this kind of fiction.

[LucieSimone]

I have no way of knowing for sure but I would suspect that few men read fiction by even such successful female writers as Nora Ephron, Danielle Steele and Janet Evanovich.  I just don't see a guy reading the newest Stephanie Plum!

This is so funny because one of my closest friends, who is a heterosexual man, is a HUGE Stephanie Plum fan. In fact, we were just talking about how much he adores the series. Of course, I realize he is not the norm. ;-)

[Ruth Harris]

lol....at least I was smart enough to say "few men" instead of no men, not one, would ever—even if hell froze over—be caught dead reading SPlum...whew!  ;-)

[mscott9985]

Other than Nicolas Sparks, are there any men today writing about female experience?

Wally Lamb in "She's Come Undone."  That book was so amazing that my friends and I kept checking the back cover to make sure that it had actually been written by a man!  I got to hear Mr. Lamb speak at a writing conference, and he said many people asked him how he was able to write so convincingly as a women.  (I think he didn't really have an answer for that, lol.)

[Ruth Harris]

Ooooh! Good one! Thanks!

[Kathleen Valentine]

I liked chick-lit for awhile but then it all started seeming the same. I get bored when I know what is going to happen too soon in a book.

But I love good women's fiction. Right now I'm in love with Carol Goodman because her books have a deliciously gothic atmosphere to them even though they are in contemporary settings. I also like Anita Shreve, Kate Morton, and I LOVE Megan Chance -- her books also have that dark, gothic atmosphere.

Of course, Daphne DuMaurier is my literary goddess!

[EGranfors]

Women and their families type women's lit = Nancy Thayer, Rosamund Lipton, Emma Donoghue, Gwen Gross, and early Anne Rivers Siddons.  Her recent books don't measure up.

Some of Anita Shreve's work is still women's lit though the last few have disappointed.

I'm not too much for chick lit like "Sex and the City" and the "Shopoholic" series. The difference between women's fiction and chick lit is the age of the characters and the dynamics of their problems (generational, parenting versus finding a guy, finding a job, finding the right dress and shoes and frenemies).

I do love Carol Goodman too--to me, Goodman is more across-the-board mystery, not so much women's lit.

Michelle Richmond and Ann Packer sort of a good, young women's lit without being goofy about life.

[lynnemurray]

One of my favorite women's fiction writers is Irish--Marion Keyes. Her books always have some serious elements (like Rachel's Holiday, where the heroine lands in rehab) but they're also funny, heartfelt and most of them have love interest, though not all of them end in permanent pairing off.

Re male readers and the "chick lit" label, a fellow author who shall remain anonymous suggested that a lot of the action-action-action, thrillers constitute a "starts with a D, rhymes with Chick" Lit.

[HeidiHall]

Re male readers and the "chick lit" label, a fellow author who shall remain anonymous suggested that a lot of the action-action-action, thrillers constitute a "starts with a D, rhymes with Chick" Lit.

LOL! I love that .