I am an educated, intelligent individual. Yet, I so much enjoy "chick lit." This is an internal conflict with which I deal daily.

With full knowledge of their ridiculousness, I gobble up these girly, fluffy, madly humorous books like chocolate before my period. They make me laugh. It's that simple.

So, with my embarrassing authority, I will give all of you novice chick lit-ers some advice. These are my top five picks of the genre. Read them, but you may want to stop there before the addiction progresses.

'Bridget Jones's Diary' by Helen Fielding

Fielding's embarrassingly relateable novel follows a year in the life of neurotic and sympathetically ditzy Bridget Jones, a thirtysomething singleton who tries to shed weight and her cigarette habit while on the prowl for love and self-improvement. The original, the best, the crème de la crème. Read this then lend it to all your friends, even the boys.

'Confessions of a Shopaholic' by Sophie Kinsella

Financial journalist Rebecca Bloomwood is clueless, spacey, scatterbrained and a shopaholic. While this may be a dangerous combination for Becky, it's fantastic for the book's readers. Confessions is full of girlygirl delights — brand name fashion pieces, spanking new excuses for buying absurdly expressive velvet scarves like "It's a good investment," and of course, a drool-worthy romantic interest.

'The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing' by Melissa Bank

One of the more serious of the chick books, The Girl's Guide is nonetheless one of the most amusing. Jane Rosenal, the protagonist, is witty, cynical and clever. Lacking a precise "plot," the book deals with Jane's coming of age and the obstacles she encounters along the way to self-understanding and, obviously, the omnipresent attainment of love.

'Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married' by Marian Keyes

A slightly longer read than its companions, Lucy Sullivan makes the perfect beach book, or better yet, snowed-in-for-a-weekend book. Likeable Lucy is sweet and sympathetic, but she has a penchant for bad boys, a needy and hopelessly flawed father, a dead-end job and exasperating flat-mates. Despite these flaws, Lucy Sullivan is getting married! Find out how . . . The suspense is building.

'Love: A User's Guide' by Clare Naylor

Amy is uses people. I hate her. You'll probably hate her too. But that should not stop you from reading this frothy, stylish chick-lit-fest of a book. An assistant at Vogue, Amy spends her days brushing up against fame. Or more accurately, clothing fame in the latest runway fashions. When she keeps on bumping into dreamy movie star Orlando Rock, selfish Amy finally gets her chance to latch onto greatness and enjoy her own 15 minutes of fame-by-association. The trouble arises when Amy discovers that Orlando may be studly, but that he's a media-shy regular guy.