I’m a nerd. There I said it. Lounging around with a great book is my idea of a fun day. Don’t forget the glasses. My town librarians knew me by name and library card number by the time I was in the second grade, so needless to say, I’ve read some great books. My favorite genre is chick-lit (but of course), and I’ve read all the classics multiple times. Here is the list of my five favorite books that I recommend to any smart, sophisticated, fun UMaine girl:
1. “Something Borrowed,” by Emily Giffin. This book follows Rachel, a New York City girl who is always playing second fiddle to her arrogant, self-centered, and beautiful best friend Darcy. Rachel falls in love with Darcy’s fiancé, Dex, and the two embark on a genuine love-filled affair. They are a match made in heaven, barring the fact that Dex is set to marry her best friend. Giffin is a brilliant author who tells the tale of what happens when “the one” is the one person you’re not supposed to fall for. Although we should brand her as a home wrecker, it’s hard not to root for kind, caring, and smart Rachel, who always puts everyone else first, and you want her to have the love she deserves.
2. “Something Blue,” by Emily Giffin. This is the follow up to “Something Borrowed,” only it tells the same story through the other prospective, from Darcy’s eyes. Darcy does a little wandering of her own, meanwhile continuing to plan her seemingly picture-perfect wedding to Dex. Once she catches Rachel and Dex, and gets pregnant by another man, her world (in which she is the center of the solar system) falls apart, and she learns to stand on her own, cope, and take responsibility for her actions for the first time in her life. “Something Blue” is the story of a misguided woman whose world gets turned upside down, and we watch as she puts the pieces back together on her road to becoming a better person.
3. “The Devil Wears Prada,” by Lauren Weisberger. Sure, we’ve all seen the movie, but the book is SO much better. Andrea lands herself the job “a million girls would die for,” and has to put up with the boss from hell, Miranda Priestly. Where the book differs from the movies is the trying relationships Andrea has with her boyfriend and friend, which subsequently fall apart the longer she works at her new job. The book is much more vivid and detailed, and Weisberger smartly paints a vivid picture of life in the fashion industry.
4. “Everyone Worth Knowing,” by Lauren Weisberger. Plain Jane Bette is a cubicle monkey living in New York City, working at a banking firm. After spontaneously quitting, her fabulous Uncle gets her a job at a Public Relations firm; a fast-paced, socialite-filled world Bette doesn’t fit in with. The book follows Bette’s struggles at her new job, and trying to fit in with the polished, perfect, Bungalow-8 going, world. You watch as Better looses her sense of identity, and gets caught up in fake people, but still root for her to remain true to herself.
5. “To Have and To Hold,” by Jane Green. Green tells the story of Alice and Joe, a London couple who are living a less-than-perfect life. Alice loves her husband, and is ignorant about his cheating ways and playboy status. After they relocate across the pond to New York, Joe’s ways only get worse and Alice is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Alice tries to rediscover herself, stand on her own two feet, and get the strength to stand up to her cheating husband.
These five books are perfect traveling-reads, if you’re going somewhere for Spring Break. What could be better than lounging by the pool with an Emily Giffin book? If you’re spending your two week break at home, then check these out of Fogler, and spend time relaxing with these great reads.