I'm Not Proud

Yeah -- the headline says it all. When it comes to my reading lists, I'm not too proud. As I've said before, I've made an occasional foray into Young Adult books. But now I'm hooked on them. I've entered the world of Gossip Girl, and I don't want to leave.

It started because I was looking forward to the CW television series, which focuses on insanely sophisticated, wealthy and largely unsupervised Upper East Side high schoolers. Which is exactly what I've wanteed to be my whole life. Even now.

So, I decided to read the book that started it all. I read it in a single afternoon. As soon as I turned the last page, I was back in the car to run to Barnes and Noble for the next ones. It's a series of 10 books, and each one is compelling -- when I start one, there's no way I'm putting it down. And if I don't have the next one on hand, I start to get a little panicky.

The characters smoke, drink, use drugs, stay out all night, sleep around, steal things -- but they do it all in Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel, carrying Balenciaga bags and walking in Manolos. They have free run of massive UES apartments, summer homes in the Hamptons, heck the entire city. Do I sound jealous? I totally am.

Yes, the books are completely absorbing, not all that well edited, and definitely inappropriate reading matter for the "Tweens" they are meant for. At the same time, they are sheer genius. The author wrote maybe the first few, but you know the rest were written by underpaid writers toiling in anonymity in a writing factory. So, the woman who invented the concept doesn't even really have to do work as the dollars roll in. How did I not think of this sooner?

So, instead of just being a trashy early-Autumn escape, Gossip Girl has inspired me. To come up with a singluar Young Adult concept, write a couple, have it take off -- and then spend my life sitting back while fresh college grads pump out slim volume after volume with my name on the spine.

Wish me luck -- and to quote the titular Gossip Girl: You know you love me!