Chick-lit danger gets me all hot and bothered

I don't typically like to gush, but today I must. But it's only to bring good literature to you, my pretties! I'm a huge fan of Diana Peterfreund's Secret Society Girl book series and just recently completed the third installment Rites of Spring (Break). The series follows Amy Haskel, an Ivy League student at a fictitious college who is among the first group of women to be inducted into the school's most exclusive and elusive secret society Rose & Grave.

The books can best be described as equal parts Harry Potter and Gossip Girl. A high level of suspense is created equally from the dangerous and mysterious society happenings as well as Amy's personal encounters with the opposite sex. Though the sexual descriptions stay mostly at a PG13 level, Peterfreund's powerful emotional connection between character and reader and ability to place the characters in the right scenario at the right time make for an almost porn-like level of enjoyment. Combined with dramatic plots of society misdoings which, all sex aside, would still create a highly intriguing and suspenseful novel, Peterfreund creates the perfect blend of chick-lit with a dark edge. Minus the ditz factor...after all we are in the Ivies dahlings.

So it probably won't come as a surprise when I rave about the extreme level of hotness of the scenes between Amy and Poe in Rights of Spring (Break). For those who aren't familiar with the books (b-t-dubs, rectify that), Amy and Poe have basically hated each other for the first two installments of this series. Which makes it all the more heated when they end up secretly making out in the lagoon, and in the shower, and...well you get the picture. Hate sex is way hot. I totes approve of this relationship in the way that I approve of Carrie and Big being together: being with the guy who's "easy" never leaves you fully satisfied and there will never be that same level of passion. After seeing so many crappy chick-lit books actually being made into movies I INSIST that the Secret Society Girl series follows suit, if for no other reason than to watch these scenes acted out, and to see who they'd even be able to cast in the difficult role of Poe (I vote Ed Westwick).

I know this book isn't exactly a new release and I'm a little behind on my Secret Society Girl reading, which thus makes me a terrible person. Don't hate me though, I've already made sure to put Peterfreund's conclusion to the series (Tap & Gown, released May 19) on pre-order so I can be the first to know what happens to my favorite chick-lit heroine...because I NEED to know right now dammit! Consider it my literary redemption.

I smell new HBO series

Having never actually experienced any of her works in their original book form, I figured I should read Candace Bushnell's latest release One Fifth Avenue before it became the TV show or movie du jour. Ya know, so I could have some street cred. This novel chronicles the stories of the residents of a prestigious Manhattan apartment building and explores how their lives are unavoidably woven, in and out of the co-op.

Though One Fifth Avenue is undeniably chick-lit, don't expect all romance, fluff and Louis Vuitton bags. This novel has several qualities a-typical of the genre such as the lack of a mid-twenties girl posse as the focal characters. On the contrary, the only character who fits this description is the beautiful and conniving Lola Fabrikant who instead of dining with girlfriends at Butter and fervently working on her PR career spends the entire book heartlessly chasing after multiple wealthy men and avoiding work at all costs, thus making her easily the book's least likeable character.

The focus on the ensemble cast, most of who are in their forties and above, gives the book a mature and more intelligent feel than one may expect. One of the most likeable characters is art enthusiast/guru to all things fabulous Billy Litchfield, who sits uncomfortably in the middle class while befriending One Fifth's wealthy residents. Billy's charm and genuine affection for the high-society females is endearing, and though obviously homosexual, the fact that Bushnell doesn't feel the need to constantly shove Billy's gayness down the reader's throat and turn him into a stereotype is refreshing.

Though this novel has the hooking power to keep me awake late at night trying to squeeze in just one more chapter, my main criticism is that in one way or another most of the main characters (save for possibly hedge-funder Paul Rice) seem to be in a good place at the close of the story. Though one character tragically suffers an early death, they were at their most carefree and completely in their element at the time of passing. Even Lola and the persnickety and dull Mindy Gooch eventually get what they want, though not necessarily through the means they expected. One Fifth Avenue may not have the sass of Sex and the City, but it certainly hooks the reader, tells an intricate and enjoyable story, and smartly leaves the door open for further projects dealing with these interesting and diverse characters.

Emotional Menstrual Musings

So, let it be known that I do love this city. But as can probably be deduced from a few previous posts, I did not grow up here and lived in a completely different environment until I was almost 19 years old. Being a native Mid-Westerner (well, at least that's what I consider Pittsburgh, PA) in Manhattan can be at times very interesting. And every now and then you have a night where you really, really miss home and your family.

Tonight it was spurred by menstruation and chick-lit. I've been an emotional PMS-er for many years, and in these states anything can spur the waterworks. Notable instances include everything from a baby throwing her toy out of the stroller to basically any country song. But tonight on a lazy, frigid night in, I'm reaching the climax of Nadine Haobsh's new release, "Confessions of a Beauty Addict." Not exactly Pulitzer Prize winning literature, but every now and then chick-lit manges to hit a little too close to home. Haobsh's heroine, Bella (whom, let's face it, is most likely an autobiographical character), is a successful beauty editor living in New York City (shocker), but has humble roots in a small town in Ohio. Bella makes a trip home to be the maid-of-honor at a wedding and emotionally explores her connection to her hometown, family, the house she grew up in, her childhood stuffed animal, etc. Cue the tears right about...here. In a month I will also be making a trip to Pittsburgh to appear as a bridesmaid in a wedding and see my family whom I miss more and more every day. In the novel, everyone in Ohio is fascinated by Bella's "exciting" big city life and proud that she did something "daring" and different with her life, not the norm in her hometown. By this point I have the day's purple Sue Devitt metallic eye crayon streaked all over my face.

I'm happy with my life in New York City despite the obvious struggles, but there are absolutely times when wonder what life would have been like out in the "real world". Let's face it, New York is NOT the real world. I love NYC and have a genuine connection with the city, but I have a genuine connection with very few (if any) people here and often feel like I don't have that emotional support system that runs rampant in middle America. So of course the next emotion is the urge to call Mommy, but the clock tells me that it's 11:19pm and aging parents in middle America are probably falling asleep, even on a Friday night.

*New York I love you, but you're bringing me down...* Do all Mid-West transplants into Manhattan feel this way?