“As a full-time mother, part-time student and a volunteer, I often find myself simultaneously reading a few things. I enjoy both contemporary and historical books about strong, independent women, or their struggle to become such. In the past I read a lot of classics and some cultural driven stories, such as the The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tam).

“I recently completed The Village Bride of Beverly Hills (Kavita Daswani) and The Yoga Mamas (Katherine Stewart). My friend decided I needed to read something a little more “recent” and gave me the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella.

“The main character, Becky Bloomwood is a young and upcoming financial analyst (or so everyone thinks) who has one rather big vice…uncontrollable shopping. The novel and series go through her life as she grows into a more mature and wiser woman while still maintaining a quirky personality, one to which many women (yes, even myself) sometimes relate. I have often found myself laughing aloud to Bloomwood’s little antics. I am not giving up on my classics yet, but I can’t wait to see how the series ends!”