Literary and Longing in LA

'Some women shop. Some Eat. Dora Cures the blues by bingeing on books.
reading one after another, from Flaubert to bodice rippers, for hours and days on end. In this wickedly funny and sexy literary debut, we meet the beguiling, beautiful Dora, whose unique voice combines a wry wit and vulnerability as she navigates the road between reality and fiction.
Dora, named after Eudora Welty, is an indiscriminate book junkie whose life has fallen apart -- her career, her marriage, and finally her self-esteem. All she has left is her love of literature, and the book benders she relied on as a child.

Joining Dora in her odyssey is an elderly society hair-brusher, a heartbroken young girl, a hilarious off-the-wall female teamster, and Dora’s mother, now on the wagon, trying to make amends...'

I just read a review of this book in The New York Times today that was mainly positive, although the reviewer felt the need to reiterate that chick-lit as we once knew it, in the Bridget Jones, Devil Wears Prada days is dead. After reading the excerpt on the authors' web-site, I'm actually thinking about buying it, which is unusual for me because I try never to buy hardcover books on principle. I either wait for them to become available at the library or I wait for the paperback.

The only books that I buy in hardcover tend to be non-fiction books, mainly history. But this book is about someone who loves to read as much as I do. Anyone who knows me, knows that I"m hardly ever without a book in my hand. In fact, I think I came out of the womb reading. I've had my moments when I've been binged on books too. I should probably not admit to this, but I once actually even shop-lifted a book. There's nothing better when you're in a bad mood or just want to be cheered up, or to celebrate, then reading a book. It even makes taking a bath better.

The authors, Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack, come from the world of journalism and movies. The cover is also pretty cool. The model has a little bit of Angelina Jolie going on. And how can you resist a main character who was named for Eudora Welty with a sister named for Virginia Woolf.

I'll let you know what I think.

Any new books coming out this summer that seem particularly interesting and juicy?