Trading Up by Candace Bushnell

I did it again last night. I thought, "Oh, I'll just read for a few minutes before bed." And then I stayed up past 4 AM to finish the book. The whole time, I glanced at the clock and knew with a sinking heart that I would be tired and would not get as much work done as normal, but then I would go back to reading and it wouldn't let me sleep. It was as if it had kidnapped me for a few hours against my will.

The book I was reading was "Trading Up" by Candace Bushnell, and is about a model named Janey Wilcox. If you don't recognize the author's name, I will tell you that she is also the woman who wrote "Sex and the City". Not the show, of course, but the book. The only episode that's really even mostly from the book is the very first one, but the whole series is more about the social scene, and that's what the book is about as well. Anyway, my sister gave me "Trading Up" when I was home this past summer, but somehow it ended up in the closet and I forgot about it. But then last week I saw it and knew it was my next book to read.

I know I shouldn't have stayed up. Even G just walked in and said, "Hey! Are you trying to justify staying up until 4AM by writing about it in your blog?" The truth is, I can't justify it. I honestly just couldn't help it! In my opinion, that's the biggest compliment you can really pay to an author. It was a great book. It was the first book I've read in a really long time where I really did not like the main character... until close to the end when the author gives you a peek into where she really has come from. Usually that kind of information comes towards the beginning to make a character sympathetic. Instead, Janey is hardly sympathetic at all at the beginning of the book. You just read about her because you aren't quite sure what crazy thing she'll do next. Then, like a little surprise, you find out something deeply personal about her that reveals a depth you never expected. And instead of dwelling on it and making a fun book serious, the author only gives you a small glimpse, and then goes right back into the story-telling. Honestly, I loved it. And that's all the justification I need.