top ten.

it's no secret that i'm in love with gossip girl.

so i was pretty excited when a friend of mine sent me

these top ten lists. 

my favorite, 

surprisingly,

isn't chuck's top ten nyc restaurants

but 

dan's top ten books of 2009. 

coincidently,

a lot of these are on amazon's best books of the month lists. 

the list & my comments:

this is where i leave you by jonathan topper

heartfelt family drama/belated coming-of-age story; sounds like dan's life in a book. 

too much happiness: stories by alice munro

short stories; with a theme - who are we? do we change in relationships?

eating animals by jonathan safran foer

i loved foer's everything is illuminated -

this book sounds like a mix of foer & michael pollan (my favorite food writer). 

i've put this one on my list,

although i've never heard any of the gossip girl characters say anything about food.

the believers by zoe heller

you may remember heller from the screenplay notes on a scandal... 

the believers is set in nyc in 2002, 

a comic novel about hypocrisy of all kinds - fitting for the nyc socialites.

the blonde of the joke by bennett madison

"val, friendless and adrift, finds francie and adopts her religious devotion to slutty ensembles and shoplifting." sounds like georgina to me! 

sag harbor by colson whitehead

autobiographical novel about a black student in an elite manhattan private school - 

i can see dan's character relating to feeling out of place... 

nocturnes by kazuo ishiguro

i loved ishiguro's never let me go - 

this a collection of 5 short stories that seems somewhat similar to her other novel. 

await your reply by dan chaon

a thriller - about the "lives of three strangers interconnected in unforeseen ways." 

the help by kathryn stockett

i have heard great things about this book from my stepmom, 

but i find it hard to believe dan's character from gossip girl would read it - 

it's about a black woman and social activist in the age of 

country clubs and the civil rights movement.

changing my mind: occasional essays by zadie smith

short stories on topics including "literature, movies, going to the oscars,

british comedy, family, feminism, obama, katharine hepburn, and anna magnani" 

sounds interesting.

they were fun to research! 

i'm not sure i'll add any to my bookshelf

except maybe eating animals. 

for now

but i am counting down the days

until the next new gossip girl

and my celeb crush

(chuck bass)

and listening to eric's #10 best album of 2009:

bon iver's blood bank ep 

 ( ;

xoxo, me.

confession.

i have a really

REALLY

unhealthy

obsession

with

gossip girl.

don't hate

but my favorite character

is

chuck bass.

he's my celeb crush.

we're allowed those,

right?

for our sanity...

and

if you know me well

you would know

i

LOVE

chic lit

(my favorite book

is pride & prejudice

and i've only read it

about 6 times).

what does chuck bass

have to do with

amazing literature

you ask?

he is in the 2010

film

wuthering heights

as

heathcliff.

eeeeeeek!

childhood memories.

i have fond memories of evenings growing up.

dinners on the grill.

or breakfast for dinner.

watching the simpsons.

listening and practicing piano.

and, as i was recently reminded, playing deer.

(normal kids play house. rural kids play deer).

but mostly,

we got excited for brooklyn bridge.

i loved that show.

i wanted to BE in that show.

it went off the air after only 2 or 3 seasons.

we didn't love another show like we loved brooklyn bridge.

although american dreams and freaks & geeks came close.

both also cancelled.

why do they cancel the good shows?

according to wikipedia & imdb:

brooklyn bridge aired on cbs between 1991 & 1993

about a jewish american family living in brooklyn in the mid-50s

based on childhood of exec producer gary david goldberg

won a golden globe

nominated for an emmy after the first season
(again... why do they cancel the good shows?)

cast of marion ross (happy days), peter friedman, jenny lewis (rilo kiley)

theme song by art garfunkel.

i remember being enamored with alan's life

he had a romance with this irish girl, katie.

just found out that katie was played by rilo kiley.

who i saw in concert open for coldplay in 2006.

small world.

well folks,

good news.

(as far as i know my sister is the only interested party)

allegedly, cbs is set to release brooklyn bridge on

march 16, 2010. 

don't get excited and try to buy the dvds online before then.

the only people who sell them now are scams

(according to internet reviews)

i'm not sure if this date is legit,

but i sure hope it is.

a-rod.

quote from the lunchroom:

me: is that the guy who got steroids from his cousin?
ab: the guy? yea...
kg: what was he taking?
ms: primaboli
kg: like an italian pasta dish? from barilla?

maybe you had to be there...