Chick lit—one step above romance novels and one step (OK…maybe a few steps) below Jane Austen on the Ladder of Lit.

I love chick lit, mainly because it gives me great comfort to know that there are people out there whose dating mishaps and embarrassing moments are even worse than mine…even if those people are fictional.

If you have the impression that most chick lit is just about as brainless as a pile of sawdust, well, then you’d be right. The cream of the crop, though, has both good writing and great laughs. Try these awesome titles to start:

First of all, if you’ve never read Bridget Jones’s Diary (check out that bargain price on Amazon), you have committed a serious sin against your sex (and no, seeing the movie does not count). This book is the groundbreaking work of the chick lit genre, and for good reason. Guaranteed to be one of the funniest novels you’ll ever read.

Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series is a blast to read, even if you don’t like shopping. The main character, Becky, is incredibly easy to identify with and has the added bonus of possessing a brain that actually works.

Finally, for a touch of the exotic, pick up one of Anjali Banerjee’s books. I recommend Imaginary Men, in which the protagonist invents a fiancé for herself, tells all her family and friends she’s getting married, then somehow has to deal with the fact that there actually is no fiancé.

Even I haven’t been in that desperate of a situation.

Got any other good C. Lit reads? Let us know!