NOT A BOOK

“Chick lit” is loosely defined as literature that features a stylish, hip, female protagonist in her twenties or early thirties that’s set in an urban environment and that focuses on her lifestyle, career, and relationships. And it’s become a cultural phenomenon: In 2003, this fiction category racked up $71 million in sales. Each page of the “Chick Lit 2007 Calendar” features a hilarious and witty passage from a popular chick lit book, including those by authors such as Jennifer Weiner, Candace Bushnell, Sophie Kinsella, and Helen Fielding. Many publishers have developed imprints devoted to chick lit including Red Dress Ink, Strapless, and Downtown Press. There are a number of popular websites dedicated to chick lit. Many recent hit movies, such as “Bridget Jones’s Diary, In Her Shoes,” and “Must Love Dogs,” as well as television shows, such as “Sex and the City,” are based on chick lit novels.