Because she can, not

I was sent this book to mention. It’s by a woman who used to work for Judith Regan. To assume that I would like any book debasing Regan just because I don’t like her is absurd.

I will be talking about much more worthy books next week or the week after

I have nothing against chick lit. I read and like much of it. I like Jennifer Belle’s books for one example.

I have to admit that I never liked The Devil Wears..and I did take classes with Weissberger’s teacher.

Because she can is in the same vein only even more poorly written. I actually found myself counting the cliches. At one point the heroine makes a joke about cliches. I don’t think that it was ironic.

I wasn’t going to mention it but since it’s getting much publicity, it does read like a first draft that was written in three months. She said that it was revised heavily and entire parts were redone. One reason that i didn’t mention it was because it was a reviewers copy and I assume, or hope that most of the cliches were taken out.

There’s no love for language, nothing that distinguishes it from a hundred other books. The only time it comes alive is when she’s in scenes with her boss.

I read an interview with Bridie Clark where she said that boss from hell stories resonate so much because women now have so much vested in their careers. Excuse me, but where did the boss from hell come from? They weren’t born bosses. We have all had them.

I once had a cat fight with a boss. Actually we were friends so it was complicated, but a lot easier than having male bosses who would chase me around a room or want to sleep with me, and I couldn’t make a big stink because it wasn’t really illegal yet or I felt that I provoked it someway.

This book was great for me however. When I read it, I could literally see and feel the plot devices. It made me realize that I hadn’t been writing fiction because I thought it was so difficult. That’s when I began to write fiction in short short posts here.

I have been integrating the characters into a larger framework. As I wrote yesterday I have just begun submitting articles. I have reframed my memoir and am almost up to sending it out.

I know how easily this can sound like sour grapes. First I have no idea what a sour grape really means but in the spirit of cliches….

It amazes me that the same kind of book is published over and over again. When I went to Cancun I brought a few books with me. I left the hard covered ones because I didn’t need to reread them.

For the first time I brought a book home from vacation. The Last of Her Kind by Ingrid Nunez, because I wanted to read it and read it again. I doubt that there was a cliche in it. I wouldn’t know as I was too engrossed in the story. That’s a good book to me. One that makes me think, makes me slow down and take in the whole story.

The characters weren’t like me. They did come from that amazing year–1968, where everything and more was possible. It made me realize, all over again, that everybody who survived that time has their own stories, and gave me a logical starting point.

Good books inspire. The Last of her Kind, inspired me greatly.
Not such good books make me want to write better ones. There’s a huge difference.