4 books to read with a bottle of wine

It’s been a hellish work week, overtime has been piling up, your hair is unwashed and it’s finally Friday night. Typically you opt for a couple glasses of wine, some bar-side shots at a ritzy club or a beer in front of the game with your friends, but tonight you’re not feeling particularly glamourous or social and you just want some time to rejuvenate alone. Sure, you could spend the next seven hours shamefully binge-watching Netflix and sucking back Somersby ciders, but the mental image is enough to send you back into a state of nail-biting angst.

What is a tightly-wound, couch potato with no desire for external communication to do?

Well, you could read. Have a couple, get cozy and crack the spine of an easy-to-follow, no nonsense novel.

As an English major and self-professed lover of literature, I will admit that these books are the ones I bury deep beneath my Shakespeare anthologies and Sylvia Plath works, but even I can swallow my pride and admit that sometimes all we need is a little alcohol-induced chill time. Who would have thought an easy read packed with romance, humour and cliches is the perfect complementary pairing to that cheap bottle of wine.

Below are four guilty pleasure books you MUST give a try after a couple cocktails:

1. Good in Bed - Jennifer Weiner

Follow humourous, confident Cannie as she attempts to find the meaning of life and regain her self-confidence after an article about her body written by a jack ass ex-boyfriend goes viral. While the plot is simple, the humour is light-hearted and witty and you’ll be drunkenly cheering for Cannie every step of the way.

2. Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) - Mindy Kaling

You all love her on T.V., and I can promise she’s just as quirky and cute on paper. She’s the likable, funny girl-next-door you wish was your best friend in R.L. Reading her book is like having an honest chat with your BFF, the prose is fresh, funny and super relatable.

3. 50 Shades of Grey - E.L James

Loaded with cheesy cliches, steamy sex scenes and hilariously awful dialogue; this novel cannot possibly disappoint your cloudy senses. It’s equal parts comedy as it is raunchy romance. Need I say more?

4. White Girl Problems - Babe Walker

You’ll likely hate Babe Walker as much as you love her. This self-indulgent, over-the-top memoir about a rich girl’s life-trials and tribulations is an easy-read that will make you feel satisfied that you have bigger worries in life than whether or not you met your personal weekly quota for organic carrot juice intake.