Shopaholic, and Shopaholic Takes Manhatten

Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Light, Chic Lit, (not really romance, more easy reading and silly)

If you want easy, quick, no-brainer reading, these books are for you. At the suggestion of more than one pal, I took both of these books on a recent vacation. I did read each of them, as well as a couple magazines and Ellen Foster (which I will review next).

Kinsella is a funny writer and even though I can't say I loved these books, if you need a light read go for it.

The main character is Becky and she starts out as a finance journalist at a small publishing company. She doesn't much like her job (the character fakes her writing and her research)and wishes she could work as a fashion writer. And of course there is the problem with her extreme rationalization when it comes to shopping. If it's on sale, she talks herself into buying 5. If she has just saved herself a few bucks on the item, she rationalizes that she deserves a treat, sometimes this is a chocolate and expensive coffee, other times it's a fancy expensive scarf....
Finally about 3/4 of the way into either of the books she does something redeeming, and then the book begins to be worth finishing at least.

Things I liked:
The British-isms in the writing. (Calling another woman a 'cow', dirty things were 'ratty')
Also in the second book the main character finds her true passion, and at least you are happy for her.


Hopefully no one can relate on her level to that kind of shopping addiction, but certainly in my case I can understand some of the rationalization. For me it's about my kids and grocery shopping. Even if we don't need it, but I think we might someday...then I buy it! Kid's clothes a size larger but on sale, yup I buy it. Sale on the exact brand of peanut butter I like, yup 10 cases. But for myself? No, I wait 6 months before I go back to buy the dress I was oogling in Target, and of course by then...it's gone. Oh well, off to read another book!

Have you read these books? Please let me know what you thought.
Or just have a book to suggest? Comment here or email me and I will post suggested reading once a week, happy reading!