Wednesday, September 7

'Chick lit' and other crap they tell you

Yesterday hubby and I went to MPH MidValley. It was already 9.45 when we got there so it was about to close. I saw that they had Grisham’s The Broker out in paperback already. Can’t wait to get that. Also want to buy Cecilia Ahern’s second novel. MPH was having this promotion for female readers I guess, since it was called A Female Affaire (or something to that effect).

Seems that you can get a 20% discount from buying books in the ‘chick lit’ genre. I was a bit taken aback, as the term ‘chick lit’ is used in a bookstore. I mean, it would sound ok if it were in an informal setting, but a bookstore?

‘Chick lit’ is derogatory to me. Plain gender biased. In this era of equality and political correctness, how can we allow such a term to be used? And in a bookstore for goodness sakes! This is where we congregate to gain knowledge, to broaden horizons, to learn to be colour blind and impartial to race, religion, creed and nationality. And yet, right there in the middle of store, smack! An unfavourable term clearly used to disparage female readers.

I know that I have been guilty of being a book snob and have sometimes considered certain books ‘fluffy’. However, remember that that’s just me and my weird expectations from myself (which I am trying to overcome, even as we speak). But for the-powers-that-be to lump all books by female authors, more so those books done up with colourful covers with a comic feel, into one big dumping ground and bestowing the title ‘chick lit’ really makes smoke come out of my ears.

Do you mean to say that if women were to read, these were the only kinds of books that were suitable for them? Are you saying that we women do not have enough gray matter to be able to read other books? You mean the other books are for the ‘big boys’ only? For serious mature readers? What crap!

And to the bookstores, could you please stop using this term. It not only ridicules; it also deters female readers from buying the books. Readers who wish to be taken seriously might not want to purchase books that are considered frivolous and brainless.

I understand that bookstores may use the term to describe the type of subjects or messages that the books may convey, but seriously - ‘chick lit’?

What next? Geek lit? Black books? White trash? Pulp fiction?

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