I am an enemy of print. I’ll admit it. Well, maybe not an active enemy, but in the spirit of “If you’re not with us, you’re against us,” I’m an enemy of print. I don’t buy books or magazines. The only thing I read in print on a regular basis is my subscription to The Economist, because it’s the freaking bible of IR/IB…and my Dad renews it each year for my Christmas gift.

This is probably a sad little thing to admit, especially since I work in magazine publishing, but hey, I work on the web side. I like my product digitized and always changing. But, I recognize I can’t only read my google reader. I need to get back to basics, I need to switch my computer off at night and actually read a book, not swear at a stupid commenter on the nth blog I’ve read that night.

So I got a library card! Yup, I’m still too cheap to buy most books, but I’m working on that part. Slowly. Well, maybe not. Less money on books is more money on clothes, and hey, if I can get unlimited books for $12 a year, why wouldn’t I? Let’s face the harsh reality, 90% of books are not worth reading twice.

And speaking of books not worth reading twice, I’ve decided to take on a little project. I’m calling it the “Chick Lit Project,” because I’m that uncreative. It’s miraculous that my job title has the word “Editor” in it, because I am constantly asking my fellow editorial peeps at work to reword stuff for me that my poor, pathetic brain can’t make sound better. (What? You try editing wine tasting notes…)

Anyway, so the Chick Lit Project. Basically, I have a lot of confused love for chick lit movies and books, I love happy endings and cute boys. That being said, I also have a lot of ire for them – I find most of the plots, characters, themes and ideas to be woefully unintelligent, uninspiring and frequently, anti-feminist. But I have hope! I think that there are some gems out there.

So in keeping with my desire to read more books and to work through my muddled feminism about chick lit, I’ve decided to read one a month and analyze it. I’m looking for the creme de la creme, the books that can change what chick lit means. The books that won’t make me feel like a lobotomy or a G&T is in order during consumption.

How I will evaluate* these invaluable contributions to the canon of modern literature:

1. Cover – Gut reaction to the cover. Is it cute? Smart? Suggestive? etc.
2. Protagonist – Would I beat this girl up if I met her?
3. Antagonist – When the antagonist is invariably the guy that the protagonist will fall in love with, how is he as an antagonist? Smart? A sociopath? Creepy-confused-as-romantic, a la Edward Cullen?
4. Major themes/messages – Will my life be incomplete without lots of shoes and the stock broker husband? Can I find true love on marriage #2? Is it okay to still live with your parents at 30?
5. Writing style – Does the vocabulary dare to pass the second grade? Is the British humour deployed in a way that makes me laugh and cry?
6. Ending – It’s obviously going to be happy, but is it right? Or is it tied up too neatly in 6 pages, a sign that even the writer got bored of her own contrived little story?

*Criteria may change at anytime, depending on my mood.

I expect that I’ll read lots of crap, and that most of these reviews won’t be particularly uplifting or helpful. But hey! I’ll have some fun snarking about the books that I will inevitably be convinced I could have written better. (That’s funny.)

Oh, and I’ll be reading more.

Photo: Natalie’s New York

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