A little bit of fun

Summer months often bring about a desire to read something a little more light and fun than the more serious books we read the rest of the year. It doesn't always work this way - last year I tackled War and Peace. But this year, I just want shorter, cheerier novels. And the people I have been talking to seem to feel the same.

I've found myself drawn to books both new and old about groups of girlfriends. In Kim Gruenenfelder's latest, There's Cake in My Future, Nicole attempts to shape the destiny of her friends through a cake pull during her bridal shower. Each attendee will get a charm, which holds the key to their fate. And Nic has all the seating figured out, so that each friend will receive the appropriate extra help in love, family, or career. But when things get twisted around, Nic and her friends are forced to wonder what fate really has in store for them.

Another fun group of ladies are "las sucias," the college friends who reconvene twice a year in Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez's The Dirty Girls Social Club. Chapters alternate among the six friends, each of whom is dealing with crises of love, family, and career. (Notice a theme?) They complicate stereotypes about what it means to be a Latina in America, and even what it means to be a good friend. But when the chips are down, they are there for one another.

Spend some time with your friends this summer, but when you can't be with them in person, check out some of these other friends.