I love, love, love these four books and I have read them all more than I should probably admit.
She's Come Undone
by Wally Lamb
I read this book when I was practically a pre-teen. This was the books of all books when I was a kid; the book that showed me the way... I swear.
She's Come Undone got me into reading - Wally Lamb wrote a book about a girl and it is with his capacity to get inside of a girl's mind that he reigned supreme in my books.
I can't even begin to describe what this book is about; no preamble would suffice. If you are a kid, like I was, or a grown woman - READ THIS BOOK... or make your daughter read it.
Valley of the Dolls
by Jaqueline Susann
The mother of all girly books - Valley of the Dolls will swallow you whole by the time you've reached the end of the first sentence. This book is sexy, scandalous, and sickeningly amazing!
This book is dangerous for so many reasons, but most importantly, it is infectious in the best kind of way. You can be just a regular kinda girl with ordinary goals, but while reading this book you will find yourself thinking, 'I want to be a gorgeous model living and working in New York during the 50s and 60s,' or strangely, 'How come I'm not addicted to little sleeping pills, working as a secretary or wearing silk pjs in a gorgeous New York apartment?'
Strange, but true. The whole time I was reading this book I kept having these weird thoughts and I couldn't help myself - I wanted to be a part of their world. Once you've read this book you will understand the allure. I promise.
Summer Sisters
by Judy Blume
It does not get any better than this book! I know I say that about all the books, but sometimes there is just no other way to describe a must-read.
Summer Sisters is like a membership book: if you want to be a girl, you've got to read this book first. Plus, Judy Blume practically invented the girl's club, didn't she?
Well, if reading this books makes you a girl, then I guess that makes me a super-girl or something, because I have read this book front to finish more than a dozen times. I have also recommended it to every single girl that has ever crossed my path, young or old.
This book won't change you, or teach you anything deep, nor will it open your eyes to some profound womanly thing you never knew it existed. It is simply one of the coziest books ever. It isn't powerful or scintillating - it's just perfectly ordinary. One great thing that Summer Sisters offers its readers: it will make you fall in love with reading a hundred times over.
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
What Must-Read Girl's list would be complete without Jane's Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Say what you will, this book might be one of the best books ever written. now, don't get me wrong, I am all for Crime and Punishment, The Fountainhead and Don Quijote (all on my favorite Must-Read-If-You-Are-Human List), but pride and Prejudice is just a masterpiece and I love, love, love it!
One of the most beautiful love stories ever told, but this book offers so much more than just romance. I learned about a society, a time and a culture from this one book alone. Moreover, I learned so much about women and their place in society, what they were allowed to do, what they were expected to do, the choices they had and the freedom they didn't have.
More important than reading books by woman for woman, is reading a book about woman in a time that precedes ours and more or less was the precursor to what we know and live today.
Another great thing about this novel is the fact that it really isn't as hard or complex as most people think it is. It isn't Shakespeare or Milton; it's Austen - the inventor of chick lit.
I read most of this book out loud, because I loved hearing the musicality of Austen's words. I suggest you try it; it's not only fun (in a nerdy kinda way), it also helps make the characters come alive. Try it!
Go to Amazon and check out any one of these novels: www.amazon.ca
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