Have you tried 'mommy lit' books yet?

By Laurel Reisen

Rowan Public Library

Some readers may argue that chick lit is vapid, trashy literature, but I say it is a fun escape — like listening as your best friend confides a story over a cup of coffee.

I particularly enjoy a new sub-genre of chick lit, appropriately named "mommy lit." Not only are you bonding with a new best friend — but that friend is a mommy who can completely relate to the high level antics of your day.

One of the reigning queens of chick lit, Jennifer Weiner, has written fabulous titles such as "Good in Bed" and "In Her Shoes" and she is also the author of great mommy lit titles such as "Goodnight Nobody."

Mommies (and daddies) will surely recognize the title as a quote from the well known classic children's book, "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Brown. In "Goodnight Nobody," former journalist Kate Klein is plunked down in the middle of Connecticut suburbia with her children and no friends. Eventually she is invited to a neighbor's home for a play date but as she enters the front door, she literally stumbles over her neighbor's stabbed body and into a neighborhood mystery!

Curious, she enlists her old friends and embarks on a hilarious caper as an amateur detective. While the "case" unfolds, she uncovers new clues about her own new life.

Another mommy lit title, "Little Earthquakes," is also written by Jennifer Weiner. This tale tracks three women who meet at a prenatal yoga class. In the next year and half they laugh, cry and learn more about themselves as they reflect on the past and move forward to early motherhood and family life.

Both of Weiner's mommy lit titles are also available in audiobook format at Rowan Public Library.

In "The Ivy Chronicles" by Karen Quinn, you will meet Ivy. She is a high powered mom who thought she had it all until she received a pink slip from her slimy boss and caught her equally slimy husband cheating on her. After wallowing a bit in self pity, Ivy resolves to divorce her husband, sell their apartment and change careers. Ivy's adventures are based on the real life trials that author Quinn herself faced as she changed careers and became a consultant for school admissions. You will laugh at Ivy's escapades and nod in understanding as she realizes that changing careers, homes and friends does not mean you have to change your values.

"Amanda.Bright@home" by Danielle Crittendon has its claim to fame as the first serial published in the Wall Street Journal. Now available in a book, it tells the story of stay-at-home mom Amanda Bright. She quit her job at the National Endowment for the Arts and is now staying at home caring for her two young children. She is not happy and feels out of place with the other stay-at-home moms, her own mother and her husband's high-powered friends. Worse, her husband's career is in jeopardy when her oldest and dearest friend snags her into a bad situation filled with hurtful and malicious gossip. What happens next becomes a roller coaster ride full of surprises for the entire family.

Mommy lit is a fun sub- genre of chick lit. Plan your next mommy "escape" with some new books at Rowan Public Library.

Computer classes: Classes are free. Sessions are 90 minutes long. Class size is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis. Dates and times are subject to change without notice.

Headquarters — Jan. 26, 7 p.m., Introduction to E-mail; Jan. 29, 2:30 p.m., Introduction to Open Office.

South — Jan. 27, 11 a.m., Introduction to Online Genealogy.

Teen program: Headquarters, Jan. 26, 5:30-7 p.m.; South, Jan. 27, 3:30-5 p.m.; East, Jan. 22, 5:30-7 p.m. Come to Rowan Public Library for an animated evening. Guests will draw Manga, create shrinky dink keychains and play PS2 Anime games. Bring your favorite Anime/Manga games and drawings with you to share with others.

Tuesday Night at the Movies: All movies are at 6:30 p.m. All movies are rated G, PG or PG 13; some movies are inappropriate for younger audiences. Children should be accompanied by an adult. Free popcorn and lemonade.

Movies feature China this month.

Tuesday, "The Story of Qiu ju"; Jan. 27, "The King of Masks."

Displays: Headquarters — Human Relations Council-Elizabeth Duncan Koontz; South — watercolors by Caroline Marshall; East — scrapbooking by Stacey Shaver.Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.

Web site: For a listing of all library programs at all library locations, www.rowanpubliclibrary.org.