Tag Archives: Candace Bushnell

“The Carrie Diaries” Casting Update!

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I rarely post twice in one day, but I just had to let you guys know about the highly-anticipated CW show “The Carrie Diaries,” based on the novel by Candace Bushnell. I reviewed this “Sex and the City” prequel in September and discussed potential actresses to cast as the teenage Carrie Bradshaw last month.

Such a “Carrie” outfit! (Image via Foam Magazine)

Well, one of those actresses–AnnaSophia Robb–has just landed the lead role, according to Variety.com. Best known for “Bridge to Terabithia” and “Race to Witch Mountain,” this show will be sure to make Robb popular with older teens.

The novel did not include Carrie’s best friends Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte since they did not meet one another until after Carrie moves to New York, but we’ll see if producers stick to the story.

I’ll keep you updated with the latest developments, but I just wanted to let you know I called it! Who knows? Maybe the head honchos at the CW read my blog! Well, I can dream, can’t I?

PS: I’ve now reached 5,000 views! Thanks so much for reading! Love, Book Club Babe

Weekend Update!

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So I feel bad that I haven’t started off the new year with a bunch of blogging, but that’s because I’m currently reading Ally Condie’s sequel Crossed and listening to Mindy Kaling’s audiobook Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? So far both are going ok, but Mindy’s is definitely more entertaining. Hopefully, I’ll be posting both reviews next week.

I’ve also started my last semester of grad school: I’m taking a class on Media Ethics (no, not an oxymoron!), and I’m also the social media specialist and student grader for a professor in my program. Not to mention, I’m still working as an academic tutor, and preparing for my two-month-long comprehensive exam. Phew! Just typing this paragraph stresses me out! But come May 19, I will be DONE! Watch out real world!

Ok, one more thing about myself and then I promise I’ll bring the discussion back to books. I recently spent a relatively insane amount of money on Rocket Languages Japanese (still cheaper than Rosetta Stone!), a program with dozens of speaking, writing, and cultural lessons. It’s got PDFs I can print out, and mp3s I can transfer to my iPod.

Why did I do this, you ask? Well, it’s not official yet, but for my graduation present, my younger brother and I are going to Tokyo to visit one of my best friends who lives there! We won’t be travelling until the end of June, but I want to learn as much Japanese as I possibly can before we go. It’s a challenge with everything else I have going on, but studying the language has become my favorite extracurricular activity!

Alright, back to the main attraction: this week I read on The Huffington Post that Candace Bushnell’s The Carrie Diaries has been picked up by the CW. Not a huge surprise, since “Sex and the City” was one of the hottest shows ever, and its teenage prequel will be perfect for the CW’s demographic. Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the creators of “Gossip Girl,” will be producing the show. Much like my opinion of the Gossip Girl novels, I have a feeling that The Carrie Diaries may be better on screen than in print–mostly because all that high school melodrama seems more tolerable when you can stare at gorgeous guys like Ed Westwick.

So which actress do you think should play 17-year-old Carrie Bradshaw? Blake Lively’s got the look, but is too mature now to pass for a teenager. Dakota and her sister Elle Fanning are the right age, but look way too innocent to pull off Carrie. After a Google search of “blonde actresses under 20,” I found some worthy choices. These girls all have Disney/Nick backgrounds, so going to the CW will give them that “I’m not a little kid anymore” vibe. Plus, they’re all 18-19 years-old.

AnnaSophia Robb (“Soul Surfer,” “Bridge to Terabithia”) 

Image via DenimBlog

Meagan Martin (“Camp Rock,” “10 Things I Hate About You” TV show)

Image via IMDb

Emily Osment (“Hannah Montana,” “Spy Kids” 2 and 3D)

Image via TeenIdols4You

So who deserves the coveted role of Miss Carrie Bradshaw? One of these young women, someone else, or someone completely unknown? Let me know!

Minna-san sayonara! (Goodbye everybody!)

Book Review: Summer and the City

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Image via HarperTeen

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Hello readers! I’m officially writing my first book review post-LASIK! For those who care, my surgery went well and although my vision’s slightly blurry, that should pass. I have to wear eye shields at night and take a ton of drops during the day for a while, but I’m healing fast and loving life without glasses! It will take some getting used to, but I’m looking forward to starting 2012 with a brand new perspective (literally)!

Ok, for those who don’t care, on to the book review! I just finished Candace Bushnell’s Summer and the City, the sequel to her prequel The Carrie Diaries, which I received as a birthday present last year. This novel follows Carrie Bradshaw (protagonist of the oh-so-popular TV show “Sex and the City”) as she spends the summer in New York before her freshman year at Brown.

As Carrie attends a writing workshop, she lives in Samantha Jones’ apartment, since Samantha is too preoccupied with her fiance Charlie at his place (any SATC viewer knows this engagement won’t last a second). Soon she meets Miranda Hobbes, the romantically disillusioned pro-life activist/feminist. Carrie gets carried away (pun intended) by all that NYC has to offer: shopping, parties, men, and the promise of a brighter future.

Unfortunately, as much as I loved Carrie in the TV show, she’s a pretty obnoxious 17-year-old in this book. She was pretty immature and naive in The Carrie Diaries, but it’s obvious she hasn’t grown a bit. In fact, with a newly stroked ego when it comes to her writing abilities, she’s downright pompous.

She foolishly gets involved with a recently-divorced 30-something playwright named Bernard Singer. Bernard just wants a little sex pet, but Carrie believes he’s “The One” and proceeds to lie about her age, call him every 30 minutes, and make a complete joke out of herself.

There are blatant inconsistencies between the books and the show, mainly about Carrie’s de-virginization story. But when the climax of a novel coincides with a character’s first climax, you know there’s not much substance. Technically, this book’s considered young-adult, but I worry that teenage girls are going to get the wrong ideas about love and life.

Carrie and her friends were horrible role models when they were young (and many would argue, even in their 30′s), so read this story for entertainment, not instructional, purposes. Don’t believe everything people say, don’t have sex out of peer pressure, and DON’T drop out of school for a life in a big city thinking you can rely on sheer willpower. Trust me, get an education and a job–the big city will still be there when you’ve gained some experience.

So unless you’re a hardcore “Sex and the City” fan, pass this book up. Carrie’s just a self-centered, misguided twit, and there’s too many novels out there with more worthy female leads. I’m about to start Crossed, the sequel to Ally Condie’s Matched, so I hope main character Cassia proves stronger and smarter than miss Carrie Bradshaw.

Vote for my 20th (and possibly last) book of the year!

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Ok readers, I have a favor to ask of you! I’ve set a goal for myself that I will read 20 books this year. Actually, this goal wasn’t intended, but looking at my reading pace a few months ago, I figured 20 would be a nice, achievable number (I’m not including any non-fiction I’ve read this year). Many of you probably read 20 books in a month, but alas I have sacrificed most of my potential reading time to grad school.

Anyways, I’m currently reading my 19th novel, A Desirable Residence by Madeleine Wickham (aka Sophie Kinsella), which is a pleasant piece of chick-lit after my run of dsytopian classics. And now I’d like YOU to vote for my 20th book of the year! (Considering how busy I am writing my final paper and preparing for the holidays, it’s quite possible that it might even be my last book of 2011! *cue ominous music* DUN DUN DUN!!!

Here’s your choices:

  1. The Trial by Franz Kafka
  2. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
  3. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
  4. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  5. Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell

So let me know which one I should read and why…My fate is now in your hands!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break, and–of course–thanks for reading!

Love, Book Club Babe

Book Review: The Carrie Diaries

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Image via Wikipedia

Rating: 4 out of 5

This review is thanks to one of my best friends, who gave me this prequel to Sex and the City for my birthday. The book, written by Candace Bushnell and published April of last year, describes the teenage life of Carrie Bradshaw and her friends at Castlebury High in Connecticut.

I love the show “Sex and the City” and frequently get sucked into marathons on TV, so this was the perfect gift. I was a little disappointed that Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte don’t make appearances, but I knew that they didn’t know each other in high school (not to mention, Samantha is much older than the others). Thus, I jumped into the book to learn more about Carrie and her first steps to becoming the sassy sex-columnist in New York whom fans adore.

The story follows Carrie’s struggles with her friends, relatives, and–of course–boys. She falls head over heels for new guy Sebastian Kydd, but unfortunately so does every other girl, including queen bee Donna  LaDonna and bitchy frenemy Lali.

(Yes, one of the book’s weaknesses is its outrageous character names. One of Carrie’s friends is just referred to as ‘The Mouse’ with little explanation as to why. I just tried to ignore it.)

The plot was pretty predictable, but then again, most young adult novels are. But what I loved about this prequel was how realistic it was. Sure, all their smoking, underage drinking, and sleeping around was frustrating–and not reflective of my own high school experiences–but all their antics were believable. And the back-stabbing, rumor-milling, and clique-hopping was exactly how I remembered it when I was a senior myself five years ago.

The shining star, though, is Carrie’s witty insight. She’s actually quite smart and mature for her age, and although she gets fooled by the people around her, she reflects on her life with humor and charm. She still has a lot to learn about dating and making friends, but as the reader, you feel like she’ll catch on pretty quickly. Her determination to become a writer no matter what anyone says is something I can connect to, and I kept cheering her on the entire way because I know exactly where she’ll end up!

This book won’t be as appealing to people unfamiliar with “Sex and the City,” but if you’re a fanatic like me, this is a light-hearted, entertaining read. I’ll definitely buy its sequel Summer and the City soon!