Sushi for beginners

Marian Keyes writes pure chick-lit, but with more substance than most. Her characters are three-dimensional and interested more in shopping and boys. She's my go-to choice for vacation reading. This is one of her lesser works, but it's still easy reading despite that.

Lisa's an ambitious editor at a London fashion magazine who has her sights set on New York, but she's sent to oversee the launch of a new magazine in the fashion hinterlands of Dublin, Ireland. Ashling is hired as her new assistant. Ashling feels compelled to help out wherever she sees a need, from handing a band-aid to her new boss to worrying about the homeless guy who sometimes sleeps in the doorway of her apartment building. Clodaugh has been Ashling's best friend since they started elementary school. She's got the life she wanted; married to a great guy with two kids and a big house, but she's dissatisfied with the pattern of her days.

Sushi for Beginners follows each woman as they find their way through daily life, struggling with failed marriages, depression and the ups and downs of relationships.