With chick lit novels popping up on every bestseller list, millions of readers are all thinking the same thing: I could write this stuff and never go back to the office again! And here’s the guide that will show you how. Bestselling novelist Sarah Mlynowski and veteran chick lit editor Farrin Jacobs cover every stage of developing and selling your novel, with chapters on:

• Developing an idea
• Deciding on a point of view
• Making your characters likable
• Learning the basics of plotting, pacing, and conflict
• Finding an agent

This book also features humorous tips and advice from scores of established writers (including Meg Cabot, Melissa Senate, and Sophie Kinsella). If you’ve got stories to tell, See Jane Write will take care of the rest!

I picked this up because my current work-in-progress is ending up to be somewhere between chick lit and a cozy mystery.  Cozy chick lit? I thought this was a fun and informative read, especially since I don’t read a ton of chick lit. When it comes to the actual mechanics of writing, there’s not much here that you won’t get in any other guide, but the tone makes it a super fast read. I especially appreciated the section on clichés, because I was in danger of falling face-first into one. I also liked the "it happened to me" vignettes provided by the authors, and the use of actual examples from published novels. This is definitely a book that will remain on my writing shelf.

Other reviews:

Writing the Chick Lit Novel « The Dark Phantom Review

Page count: 191 | Word count: 40,964

2009: Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Carrie Vaughn)
2008: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Lauren Willig)
2007: Blood Sport (Dick Francis)
2006: Danse Macabre (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: Silent Partner (Jonathan Kellerman)

Used in these Challenges: The Four Month Challenge – Part 4; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Reading From My Shelves Project; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

How do you create a main character readers won’t forget? How do you write a book in multiple-third-person point of view without confusing your readers (or yourself)? How do you plant essential information about a character’s past into a story?

Write Great Fiction: Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by award-winning author Nancy Kress answers all of these questions and more! This accessible book is filled with interactive exercises and valuable advice that teaches you how to: Choose and execute the best point of view for your story, Create three-dimensional and believable characters, Develop your characters’ emotions, Create realistic love, fight, and death scenes, Use frustration to motivate your characters and drive your story. With dozens of excerpts from some of today’s most popular writers, Write Great Fiction: Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint provides you with the techniques you need to create characters and stories sure to linger in the hearts and minds of agents, editors, and readers long after they’ve finished your book.

This book was more textbook-like than most of the writing books I have, but I found it quite useful, even if it was slow reading (But not dry! The writing was entertaining.). The parts I found most useful were about using humor and emotion, and the differences between types of point of view. I often get confused between the various types of third person and omniscient, so it was nice to have it explained and see some examples.  There are also writing exercises at the end of each section.  I haven’t done any of them yet, but I like to know that they’re there in case I need some review in the future.

Page count: 231 | Word count: 78,853

2009: The Black Tower (Louis Bayard)
2008: Plum Lucky (Janet Evanovich)
2007: Grave Peril (Jim Butcher)
2006: Twelve Sharp (Janet Evanovich)
2005: Hot Six (Janet Evanovich)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; TwentyTen Challenge;

A pocket compendium of food wisdom-from the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food

Michael Pollan, our nation’s most trusted resource for food-related issues, offers this indispensible guide for anyone concerned about health and food. Simple, sensible, and easy to use, Food Rules is a set of memorable rules for eating wisely, many drawn from a variety of ethnic or cultural traditions. Whether at the supermarket or an all-you-can-eat-buffet, this handy, pocket-size resource is the perfect guide for anyone who would like to become more mindful of the food we eat.

In my understanding, Food Rules is basically a pocket-version of one of Pollan’s other books, In Defense of Food.  So if you’re read that one, you might not want to bother with this one.  I hadn’t read either, and decided to download this on my Kindle after seeing Pollan on Oprah. Pollan’s rules really boil down to three simple concepts: eat food, not chemicals; eat mostly plants; and don’t eat too much. His 64 food rules are basically ways to help us do this. I’m not sure why there are 64; they probably could have been cut down to 50, because a few of them say the same thing with different words.  Regardless, I’m in favor of Pollan’s philosophy.  I agree that we should focus our eating more on real food and less on whatever has the largest "low-fat", "low-calorie", or "low-sugar" label. Pollan’s rules are definitely something I’ll keep in mind as I’m shopping in the future.

I am reading a surprising amount of non-fiction this year.  So unlike me!

Other reviews:

Devourer of Books » Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual – Book Review

Page count: 112 | Approximate word count: 20,000

2009: Can You Keep a Secret? (Sophie Kinsella)
2008: The Friday Night Knitting Club (Kate Jacobs)
2007: From Potter’s Field (Patricia Cornwell)
2006: Divided in Death (J.D. Robb)
2005: Abandoned Prayers (Gregg Olsen)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; E-Book Reading Challenge; New Author Challenge 2010; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; TwentyTen Challenge;

Finally, a modern relationship book for the modern relationship.

What Do We Do Now? is an R-rated, utterly honest Q&A book culled from the best and funniest questions posed by Keith and the Girl devotees, including:

• My boyfriend joined the military and is being shipped off for an unknown amount of time. I’m young and I want to move on. Am I a bad person?
• Why does my boyfriend always adjust himself in public?
• My wife dresses like a slut. How do I make her stop?
• My boyfriend’s number one friend on MySpace is his ex. Should I be concerned?

With he-said, she-said advice that is both raw and honest, What Do We Do Now? is sure to appeal to the podcast’s legion of fans, and attract a brand-new audience tired of the tried-and-not-so-true relationship manuals.

I’m not gonna lie.  If you are easily offended or the slightest bit prudish, don’t read this book.  But if you can look at life with a sense of humor and aren’t afraid of some cuss words and frank talk about sex and relationships, then you should pick up this book. I’ve been listening to Keith and the Girl’s podcasts for almost a year and the chemistry that makes them so good in audio and on-screen makes them just as good on paper. They tackle topics that range from handling money and household issues to inner and outer beauty to sex and kink to marriage, in-laws, and kids. There’s no conventional wisdom here, just straight talk, simple answers, and plenty of laughs.

Other reviews:

Ashley’s Library: What Do We Do Now? – Keith and the Girl

Page count: 256 | Approximate word count: 64,000

2009: Soul Catcher (Michael C. White)
2008: Twilight (Stephenie Meyer)
2007: Full House (Janet Evanovich)
2006: Judgement in Death (J.D. Robb)
2005: The Sigma Protocol (Robert Ludlum)

Used in these Challenges: The Four Month Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Pub Challenge; New Author Challenge 2010; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; TwentyTen Challenge;

EAT THIS, NOT THAT! is jam-packed with secrets the restaurant industry doesn’t want you to know. For example: * Burger King doesn’t want you to know that a BK Big Fish® Sandwich and fries have a whopping 1000 calories–nearly half your daily caloric intake! (Fish is usually healthy, but not this kind. Find out why with this book.) * Pizza Hut doesn’t want you to know that a standard pizza in Italy contains 500 to 800 calories, but the same meal at Pizza Hut can top 2,100 calories! (You’d need to ride a stationary bike for more than three hours to burn off this mistake. Instead, eat all the pizza you want by making smart choices. EAT THIS, NOT THAT! shows you how.) * Macaroni Grill doesn’t want you to know that a single serving of their Grilled Teriyaki Salmon has more than three times your daily allowance of sodium! (Cut your risk of high blood pressure by making smart choices at the same restaurant. You’ll find them inside.)

If only you knew the industry secrets, you could eat at any of your favorite restaurants–or chow down on everything from the company vending machine to your kids’ Halloween buckets–and know that every decision you made was smart, healthy, and the best possible choice for you. For example, did you know: * At McDonald’s, an Egg McMuffin® is actually a healthy choice, with just 300 calories. (The Hotcakes pack more than double that amount!) * At Krispy Kreme, all you need to do is order the Very Berry Chiller instead of the Mocha Dream Chiller, and you’ll save 500 calories! (Do that once a week and you’ll drop more than 7 pounds this year–without trying!) * At Chipotle, you can cut 570 calories out of your Chicken Burrito just by ordering it as a bowl (without the tortilla) and asking them to hold the rice. (Same great taste, but with 94 fewer carb grams!) * Choosing a cinnamon roll at Au Bon Pain over Cinnabon will save you 463 calories and 20 grams of fat! * In the freezer section of your local supermarket, a turkey pot pie from Swanson’s has 610 fewer calories than a turkey pot pie from Pepperidge Farms. * In the produce aisle, you’ll get twice the vitamin C–and nine times as much vitamin A–simply by picking red bell peppers over green ones. (Who said eating healthy was difficult?)

This was a short read, but informative! There was a lot I already know, but there were also some things that surprised me, like that Chik-Fil-A has some of the healthiest sandwiches and the ranking of what restaurants are considered healthier than others. I also liked the non-restaurant specific section that covered the best options for different types of cuisine, like Mexican and Chinese.  I don’t know that making these swaps is enough alone for someone to lose 30 pounds, but it is a good starter guide for making better choices.

Page count: 304 | Approximate word count: 30,400

2009: All Night Long (Jayne Ann Krentz)
2008: Nineteen Minutes (Jodi Picoult)
2007: The 5th Horseman (James Patterson)
2006: The Lunatic Cafe (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: The Miserable Mill (Lemony Snicket)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Reading From My Shelves Project; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

More and more couples are planning for conception, not only for financial and lifestyle reasons, but in response to recent recommendations from the medical community. In the same fresh, contemporary voice that has made the 4th edition of What to Expect When You’re Expecting so successful, Heidi Murkoff explains the whys and wherefores of getting your body ready for pregnancy, including pregnancy prep for both moms and dads to be. Before You’re Expecting is filled with information on exercise, diet, pinpointing ovulation, lifestyle, workplace, and insurance changes you’ll want to consider, and how to keep your relationship strong when you’re focused on baby making all the time. There are tips for older couples; when to look for help from a fertility specialist–including the latest on fertility drugs and procedures–plus a complete fertility planner.

This isn’t the type of book I normally review here, but what the heck, I’m branching out!  We’ve been trying to have a baby for a couple of years now, and I thought it was time that I made sure that I was as educated as I thought I was about conception. I definitely learned a few things from this book. This is a book you can skip around in easily, because not all of the topics are going to apply to everyone.  It’s informational without being dry and boring.  There is also information here for the man you are trying to conceive with.  I especially appreciated that the book acknowledged that not everyone can get pregnant at the drop of a hat, and addressed different options that are available.  I’ll definitely be holding on to this to refer to from time to time.

Page count: 275 | Approximate word count: 68,750

2009: Claus: A Christmas Incarnation: Vol I (C. John Coombes)
2008: Dead Aim (Iris Johansen)
2007: Maisie Dobbs (Jacqueline Winspear)
2006: K is for Killer (Sue Grafton)
2005: Immortal in Death (J.D. Robb)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’"

Ask anyone who writes what books they would recommend, and this one is sure to be on the list. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed On Writing.  I did think there was some good advice — taking things "bird by bird" and looking at the world through a 1-inch picture frame come to mind — and I appreciated her description of what it’s like to be published, but the rest of it just didn’t speak to me like I expected it to. I still would recommend it to those who want to write, and I’ll keep it on my bookshelf, but I don’t think it is a book I will refer back to over and over again.

Other reviews:

Book Review: *Bird by Bird* by Anne Lamott | She Is Too Fond Of Books

Page count: 239 | Word count: 59,933

2009: Five on a Treasure Island (Enid Blyton)
2008: I Heard That Song Before (Mary Higgins Clark)
2007: Up Island (Anne Rivers Siddons)
2006: The Big Love (Sarah Dunn)
2005: The Reptile Room (Lemony Snicket)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Reading From My Shelves Project; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science’s boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They’ve tested France’s first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.

In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors’ conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

This book, about dead people and the sorts of things that are done to them in the name of science and mourning, completes our own personal Mary Roach trifecta.  It was an interesting book… I didn’t realize all the different things that can happen to your body if you donate it to science. She even travels to China in search of a crematorium that allegedly used cadavers for dumplings in a family restaurant. It is definitely on the gory side, so if hearing about guts and bugs and unpleasant biological functions isn’t your bag, you might want to skip it.  But if you’re curious, Roach does an excellent job of making non-fiction interesting and entertaining.

Other reviews:

Stiff by Mary Roach: A Change Your Life (or Rather, Death) Book
Review: Stiff
Stiff by Mary Roach | Letters On Pages
Stiff « reading comes from writing
books i done read: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers – Mary Roach

Audiobook length: 7hrs 48min | Word count: 79,321

2007: Mallory’s Oracle (Carol O’Connell)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2010

From one of America’s iconic writers, a stunning book of electric honesty and passion. Joan Didion explores an intensely personal yet universal experience: a portrait of a marriage – and a life, in good times and bad – that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a husband or wife or child.

Several days before Christmas 2003, John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion saw their only daughter, Quintana, fall ill with what seemed at first flu, then pneumonia, then complete septic shock. She was put into an induced coma and placed on life support. Days later – the night before New Year’s Eve – the Dunnes were just sitting down to dinner after visiting the hospital when John Gregory Dunne suffered a massive and fatal coronary. In a second, this close, symbiotic partnership of forty years was over. Four weeks later, their daughter pulled through. Two months after that, arriving at LAX, she collapsed and underwent six hours of brain surgery at UCLA Medical Center to relieve a massive hematoma.

This powerful book is Didion’s attempt to make sense of the “weeks and then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death, about illness . . . about marriage and children and memory . . . about the shallowness of sanity, about life itself.”

I didn’t dislike this book, but I didn’t really get anything out of it either.  It is a difficult subject matter – no one wants to think about their closest loved ones dying – but what makes Didion’s grief any different than anyone else’s?  There isn’t even any sort of insight into how one should deal with their grief and move on (or at least forward), because Didion didn’t deal with it, she wallowed in it, using it as an excuse to essentially check out of life. The only thing I found even a little insightful was at the beginning, when she talks about grief being a mental illness rather than some temporary condition. I think the book might have been more interesting if it had been written later and was about both the death of her husband and her daughter (who did eventually pass away in 2005).

As a side note, this was the selection for my book club this month, and it was universally disliked. Most of the women in the group are over 50, and I think their general thought was "Oh, just get over it already!"

Other reviews:

Review: The Year of Magical Thinking
The Year of Magical Thinking (reread) « Shelf Love
Joan Didion: The Year of Magical Thinking « Asylum

Page count: 227 | Approximate word count: 56,750

2007: Step on a Crack (James Patterson)

Used in these Challenges: A-Z 2009 Challenge; Read Your Own Books Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010;

"Here is a book that is a pleasure to recommend. . . . A collection to be dipped into time and time again."Los Angeles Times "Raging, satiric, devastatingly caustic and witty." – Publishers Weekly

It’s been several years since I’ve read anything by Twain, and I’d forgotten what a captivating writer he is.  Once you start reading, it’s difficult to not be sucked in to what he is saying.  Twain was no wallflower.  He had opinions, and he wasn’t afraid to let you know them.  Most of his commentary here is centered on U.S. actions in the Philippines during the Spanish-American war, and on religion and the human condition.  The most amazing thing to me about this was that you could take what he says about war and put it in the New York Times two years ago and it would be completely relevant. It really illustrates the adage, "the more things change, the more they stay the same".

Page count: 211 | Approximate word count: 63,300

2008: Matrimony (Joshua Henkin)
2007: Split Second (Alex Kava)
2006: Ruby (V.C. Andrews)

Used in these Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; A-Z Challenge 2009;