Another novel I recently read, from the ever-increasing category "Chick Lit", was Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl by author Tracey Quan. It's entertaining. It's summer beach reading, but it goes into interesting issues of sexual politics, attitudes about sex, attitudes about feminity, fetishes and power more than you might expect it to. The basic premise is that protagonist Nancy is a highly paid prosititute living in New York City and juggling a fiance who thinks she's a part time copywriter. The protagonist is Chinese American, which is unusual, because the novel had mass appeal and did so well that it's becoming a film! Even more unusual--the protagonist's family is from Trinidad. Like that other beloved Manhattan girl, Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City, Nancy can't save money, and though she earns plenty, she spends it all on shoes, purses and very expensive underwear. Also, like Carrie Bradshaw, the subplots involve a gaggle of archetypal women friends and archetypal men.

Several years old already, the book now has two sequels.

In a nutshell, I could have skipped it, but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Also, if you choose to read this novel, it will only take you a few days, max.