Book Beat: Authors You Might Like To Meet

It's been forever since my last book beat post, and I have been reading and listening up a storm, as per usual. A few of my recent reads fall into the category of "authors I've known and enjoyed for a while now" and "good summer reading." [Please note that I did not use the term "beach book" because I find it kind of rude and dismissive. I understand the concept of a "beach book," but I am uncomfortable with the way people think they need to defend or excuse their reading choices by saying things like "It's just a beach book" or "I just needed some mindless reading." Just read what you please!]

1. Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
Some years ago, I read Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner. I had avoided the book for some time because of its title (kind of yucky), but I loved it. The novel features a plus-size heroine and has more meat to it than other books that get categorized, as Weiner's do (deservedly or not), as "chick lit." I reread the novel a couple of months ago in anticipation of its sequel and loved it all over again, this time really noticing how well Weiner negotiates humor and humanity (though I'm not trying to suggest humor and humanity are opposing forces). Certain Girls, though a bit heavier than its predecessor, was also quite satisfying. I think I've read all of Weiner's offerings thus far and would most heartily recommend Good in Bed, Certain Girls, Little Earthquakes, and her short story collection The Guy Not Taken. I enjoyed In Her Shoes and Goodnight Nobody, but I don't think either of those titles would be the best introduction to Jennifer Weiner. She also has a blog you might be interested in http://www.myspace.com/uncanniegirl

2. Plan B: A Novel by Jonathan Tropper
My friend (and NTB reader/comment-leaver) MSH introduced me to Jonathan Tropper, and I will be forever grateful. The first book I read (and probably my favorite) was The Book of Joe. I also enjoyed How to Talk to a Widower, Everything Changes, and most recently (but actually his first novel), Plan B. Tropper's novels all feature men in the twenties or thirties who are struggling with their careers, their pasts, their friends, and/or their love lives. Like Weiner's novels, Tropper's offer a nice blend of humor and real issues. His pop culture references are right on and very helpful in terms of characterization; he offers the kind of details where you might nod your head and say to yourself, "Yes, this guy is the kind who would watch Baywatch reruns." Plan B was probably my least favorite, but I don't think most readers would be disappointed with any of Tropper's titles.

3. Such A Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster
EFagel, NTB reader and friend of PITA, introduced me to Jen Lancaster. Lancaster is a Chicago author who has now published three memoirs. In the first, Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office, Lancaster takes her readers through the journey of losing her high-paying job and being forced to change her consumer habits and move out of her trendy neighborhood. In her second, Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?, Lancaster tries to de-romanticize city living. You know, it's not all cosmos and brunch with Carrie Bradshaw. Her latest offering, Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest To Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass LookBig, Or Why Pie is Not The Answer, probably my favorite, traces Lancaster's quest to become more physically fit after being confident in her plus-size appearance for years. Her experiences with Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and a personal trainer named Barbie (for real) make for entertaining reading and her story is both humorous and inspiring. It sounds like a cliche to say it, but her goal is health and fitness more than weight loss, and I really liked the ending. I will warn you that Lancaster's style is "in-your-face," and it can be uncomfortable at moments, but I find myself respecting her willingness to call it as she sees it, even if I wouldn't always do it in quite the same way. Also, Jen Lancaster has a blog: http://www.jennsylvania.com

So, there you have it. Some other books I have read (or re-read) and enjoyed of late
you can look up for yourself: The Great Indoors by Sabine Durrant; Pride and Prejudice (for the fifteenth time maybe?)and Sense and Sensibility (damn that Willoughby) by Jane Austen; The Observations by Jane Harris; and The Ten-Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer (damn, this one really deserves its own post I'll have to get back to you).

I'm currently reading I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley and next in line is Of Men and Their Mothers by Mameve Medwed (an author you should meet for sure). I'll keep you posted.

Okay, what are you reading? Any authors you'd like to introduce?