<blockquote><strong><a href="http://writingtosanity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/this-is-not-chick-lit.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3469" title="Not Chick Lit" src="http://writingtosanity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/this-is-not-chick-lit-194x300.jpg" alt="this is not chick lit book cover" width="194" height="300" /></a>Chick lit: A genre of fiction that often recycles the following plot: Girl in big city desperately searches for Mr. Right in between dieting and shopping for shoes. Girl gets dumped (sometimes repeatedly). Girl finds Prince Charming. </strong>

This Is Not Chick Lit is a celebration of America’s most dynamic literary voices, as well as a much needed reminder that, for every stock protagonist with a designer handbag and three boyfriends, there is a woman writer pushing the envelope of literary fiction with imagination, humor, and depth.

The original short stories in this collection touch on some of the same themes as chick lit–the search for love and identity–but they do so with extraordinary power, creativity, and range; they are also political, provocative, and, at turns, utterly surprising. Featuring marquee names as well as burgeoning talents, This Is Not Chick Lit will nourish your heart, and your mind.

--Random House, <a title="NotChickLit.com" href="http://www.notchicklit.com" target="_blank">www.notchicklit.com</a></blockquote>
I first found <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812975677/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=writingtosanity-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0812975677">This Is Not Chick Lit: Original Stories by America's Best Women Writers</a></strong><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0812975677&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" /> years ago, as I was visiting my local shopping super center.  I was drawn, at first, to the coloring on the cover; then, the title intrigued me.  I didn't know any of the women listed as authors of the short stories, nor did I care about that at the time; this book looked to be the quick read I wanted as a mother of two young children.

One word to describe the stories: BRILLIANT.

One word to describe me after reading the book: BREATHLESS.
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> Do you have a favorite author?</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">What books are on your reading table?</h2>
[box type="note" style="rounded" border="full" icon="none"]I am participating in the August 2011 <a title="NaBloPoMo" href="http://nablopomo.blogher.com/" target="_blank">NaBloPoMo</a> challenge. Books included in this post can be purchased from any major bookseller. <em>This post has affiliate links.</em>[/box]