hey danielle steel: FUCK YOU!!!

one of the things that makes me angry enough to punch you in the face is the scene that greets me whenever i enter a bookstore. the shelves are lined with trashy romance novels dressed up as literary fiction. sometimes the covers are tricky; they might look slightly artsy and you might be intrigued enough to pick up the novel and read the back. inevitably, the book turns out to be some sort of chick lit-bullshit, a story based on a woman in a big city trying to find love, sex, and the perfect manicure. or else it's a story about a divorced woman trying to find love, sex and someone who will adore her son from her first marriage. basically, it's heaps of bullshit and it really upsets me that there is enough of a demographic in the world that these stories are considered "books" and are even published. and you know what, don't call it "beach reading" either. guess what? i don't start reading R.L. Stine books just because i'm on vacation, so stop reading Danielle Steel and pretending it's just for the week, you whores.

anyway, when i saw the title THIS IS NOT CHICK LIT screaming off of the shelves at me, my fingers were twitching to pick it up. much like a junkie staring at a needle, i could not resist the urge. and it turned out to be an excellent indulgence.

filled with brilliant stories by amazing female authors, this book isn't about feminism in the least, but it does showcase the kind of work women can produce without relying on erotic sex scenes, cliche` plot lines and sub-par themes. every single one of these pieces explodes off of the page and proves that women who spend their days fascinating about their next love affair aren't the norm and shouldn't be published as such. GET INTO THIS, LADIES! THIS ONE IS A GEM!