Take One Single Gal, Add a BlackBerry, Lots of Booze

“Chick lit” books have been hot sellers, and now you can enjoy DC entries. Here’s who’s who:

	Dog Days ANA MARIE COX	The Washingtonienne JESSICA CUTLER	Sammy’s Hill KRISTIN GORE
Claim to fame:	Dirty-talking blogger at Wonkette.com	Former Senate staffer fired for her sex blog	Daughter of Al Gore
Prior writing experience:	Suck.com, Reason, Elle	None	Saturday Night Live and Futurama
Literary inspiration:	Dorothy Parker	Jackie Collins	Helen Fielding
Book’s heroine:	Melanie Thornton, a junior press staffer on a John Kerryesque presidential campaign	Jacqueline Turner, a Senate staffer fired for her sex blog	Samantha Joyce, a 26-year-old healthcare adviser to an Ohio senator
Basic plot:	Melanie invents a fake sex-blog scandal to deflect attention from her own affair with a married reporter	Sex-obsessed Jacqueline sleeps her way through Washington, racily detailing dalliances—some of whom pay her rent	Highly neurotic Samantha juggles dysfunctional relationships, Capitol Hill, and a race for the White House
First line:	“The champagne was cold and expensive.”	“Just between us girls, Washington is an easy place to get laid.”	“The party really started to rock when Willie Nelson and Queen Nefertiti began pouring shots.”
Bad-idea love interest:	Rick Stossel, a married political reporter	Turner herself	Senate speechwriter Aaron Driver
Fashion accessories:	BlackBerry, Charles David sandals	BlackBerry, Manolo Blahnik stilettos	BlackBerry, in-line skates
DC hangouts:	Russia House, Local 16	Smith Point, Lounge 201	Oval Room, Kelly’s Irish Times
Vices:	Married men, gin	Cocaine, Law & Order	Drinking
Cameos:	James Carville, Campbell Brown	James Carville, George Stephanopoulos	None readily identifiable.
Klutz moment:	Melanie trips in the middle of a convention party	Besides having a sex blog exposed?	Samantha trips in the middle of a Senate hearing
Fridge contents:	Styrofoam containers of spoiled takeout, Brita water	Fiji water	Pickles, soy sauce, root beer, Cool Whip, vodka
Sample steamy scene:	[Melanie]: “ ‘Did you just quote Karl Rove to me?’ Rick began unbuttoning her shirt: ‘Turns you on, too, does it?’ ”	“So that was my first date with Phillip. He got me a job, so I gave him one in return. And they both sucked.”	“We made our clawing way back inside to his couch, where I spilled the rest of the champagne on my skirt.”
Sample review quote:	“Cox has wit and sense. Occasionally she uses them.”	“Nothing wrong with a narrator this shallow, but she should at least be funny.”	“Fun, fast read.”
How we rate it (out of four):

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Ann Limpert

Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.