I Love (reading about) New York

They say "write what you know" and I take that a step further and "read what I know."  Not every book I read is about a female in New York City, but some are.

"A Walker in the City" by Alfred Kazin - After 38 pages, I gave up on this classic memoir of the author's Brownsville (Brooklyn) childhood. Just couldn't get into it.

"Modern Love" by Leslie Glass - I finished all 276 pages, which seemed like more. Slooowwww. Annie deals with various men, her sister's family's move to perfect domesticity in Connecticut, work issues. Yawn.

"Jury Duty" by Laura Van Wormer - It's a good thing I didn't notice that Van Wormer also wrote "West End" or I might not have picked this out of the pile to read. While the other book was forgettable, "Jury Duty" was riveting. Van Wormer got the details of Manhattan jury service exactly right, and both the court case and personal interactions among the jurors were enthralling.

"The Booster" by Jennifer Solow - "Solow steals the show," says People magazine, and they mean that literally. Jillian Siegel lives to shop and to steal, even though she comes from a wealthy family (so wealthy that... well, I won't give away the story but there's a contrived plot point). She comes to the attention of some pros and gets in deep. It's scary, disturbing, and fascinating.

"Lipstick Jungle" by Candace Bushnell - Your female friends aren't CEOs dating billionaires? Forget the implausibility and get lost in the luxe settings. This doesn't pretend to be great literature, and there's enough plot to keep it moving.

"Bicoastal Babe" by Cynthia Langston - Next to New York City, evil Hollywood is my setting of choice, and this book has both. Lindsey gets paid to alternate living in NYC and LA and track and write about trends. The job seems amorphous and BS'y, sort of like the one in "Citizen Girl." She juggles men in each location, and deals with evil co-workers. A sequel is rumored - can't wait!