The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnelln

I've read all of Candace Bushnell's novels and found they were missing that little something that makes me call up my sister in an almost-panic saying "You HAVE to read this!". So when I heard good things about The Carrie Diaries it surprised me. I wanted to read it, but wasn't convinced enough to buy the book full price. The waitlist at the library was years long so I stored the thought away in the back of my mind. Flash forward a year later and I'm on a weekend getaway in Boston, purusing the sale section at Urban Outfitters when I spot the familiar pink and brown cover. I picked it up thinking it must have been mistakenly put there, but when I checked the back the little orange sticker read $2.90! Almost nothing makes me more excited than a good deal...especially when it involves something I wanted to get eventually. If that's not fate, I don't know what is.

The diaries start off with Carrie Bradshaw (from Sex and the City fame) in her last year of high school. There's no Charlotte, Miranda or Samantha, it's just Carrie, a suburban girl in a suburban world, with dreams of becoming a writer. This young Carrie is secure in who she is (or about as secure as you can be when you're 17), smart, non-compromising and funny. Right away I was drawn into her life and found myself delight in all her observations. I couldn't help constantly checking in with TV-Carrie to see if they matched up and I was impressed with how succinctly Candace Bushnell managed to create a true-to-TV younger version of a character millions of people have come to love. I found all of Carrie's thoughts and actions believable and a total joy to experience. For me the whole book carried the same vibe as Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep.

Was it worth the read?
Yes! Not only was it the best book find ever ($2.90 for a new, pretty, hardcover book!), but after an awful movie (the second one, not the first one), it renewed my love for SATC by reminding me what I enjoyedt the show so much in the first place. The ending was FANTASTIC, chills up and down my spine, and I can't wait for the next installment!