Posted January 23, 2006
If badly written chick lit pisses you off, but you need a not-hard-to-read, interesting book for a long airplane ride or short subway ride, go right now and buy Lighting Up: How I Stopped Smoking, Drinking, and Everything Else I Loved in Life Except Sex by Susan Shapiro. I admit, I initially grabbed it off the shelf because I had taken a writing class taught by Ms. Shapiro some years ago, and I thought she was really cool. I read this book in two nights, consumed with Shapiro’s detailed shrink sessions. I realized I learned a few things—not just about her but also about myself. (Thankfully, her insurance covers more therapy than mine ever did.) The book makes you smile, but it also makes you think.
$15 at amazon.com.