Chick literature is more commonly called Chick Lit, and it denotes a genre of fiction that is targeted to the 25-45 year old working, professional woman.

Chick lit is a lighthearted and often humorous look at the struggles, relationships (family, friends and romantic) of usually single 25-45 year old professional working women. Books like The Ivy Chronicles showcase the essence of chick lit, while television shows like Sex and the City provide a audio-visual chick lit connection.

Chick lit is not a subcategory of romance novels, since the romantic elements in a chick lit novel or story are usually secondary to the overall struggles of day to day living with which a young, professional working woman has to attend. In other words, while there are romantic elements to chick lit, the romance is not the main plot or conflict of the story.

When you think of the term 'chick flick' for a particular type of movie, chick lit is the same category, but for literature.