Chaotic Ninja

  I wrote the first part of this 2-part Chick Lit review three months ago for International Women's Day .  I didn't provide an explanation on what brought this on, so, let me just do that now. Chick Lit is a much-derided literary genre and yet it's embraced by millions of readers, largely the female kind. I don't pretend to know how the genre came into existence, but I vaguely remember the genre gaining prominence at the time of the publication of Helen Fielding's "Bridget Jones Diary" . Since then, there were a multitude of writers who went the chick lit route; some were successful, while others disappeared into obscurity. The genre continues to be criticized for the perceived superficiality of the topics and themes.   After reading these books (7 of them), I can safely say that, yes, there are recurring themes and situations that are common in these books. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's what makes chick lit book a chi...

Real Ninjas read Chick Lit. Read the Reviews Part 1 I'M STILL HERE by Kathryn Biel  ★★★ ★ ★ 5/5 Let me start with a warning: Author Kathryn Biel pushes you into the abyss of mental illness and gives you Ho-Hos and Fritos to break your fall. It’s dark. It’s disturbing. It’s depressing. But it’s also hysterical and uproariously funny. If that doesn’t mess with your mind, I don’t know what will. The Comely clan is so dysfunctional, they make the Bluths and the Tenenbaums look so boringly normal. Esther Comely-Cox is quirky in a charming sort of way, but can also be totally unpredictable and can exhibit a combustible personality when provoked. But she is completely disarming. How can a hopelessly flawed character be so likeable? This is a story that touches on the serious issue of mental illness. And when it is correlated with dysfunctionality and parental neglect, it can become downright unsettling. But the author has injected a healthy dose of wi...