Catching up on the Gossip

Hello readers,

On a whim a couple days ago I decided to dive headfirst into the popular phenomenon that is the "Gossip Girl" series, starting with Season 1. I'd seen a few shows at random, but always found it unsatisfying because I liked the books better, though they can hardly be classified as high quality literature. I'll admit it: When I'm not reading fantasy or regular old fiction, I'm reading chick lit. And, let me tell you, that's the majority of the time, especially in the summer.

I love the story of how I first came to start reading the series. I was in middle school, and my sister was buying the books as they came out. She was, as my parents decided, of the appropriate age to read such scandalous books, and I, quite simply, was not.

That's why I snuck them from the shelves when my sister wasn't around. I did a great job of it, too, getting through six or seven of them before I risked smuggling them out into the daylight, reading them on the floor of our shared room. My sister walked in, and, needless to say, the books were hidden from sight.

Perhaps a year or two later, after searching unsuccessfully, my mother finally uncovered the hiding place. I was still probably too young to be reading the books according to my parents' previous views, but at that point, as long as I was reading something it was okay with them.

So I was able to continue the series, finish it, and even read the prequel. It's all very light and fluffy stuff, purely indulgent and not the best of chick lit, but the descriptions are great. I think that's what I love about the show, the plot gets annoying and the characters are frustrating to say the least, but the costumes and design, the familiarity and consistency of the characters, provide quite a bit of frothy fun.

I was definitely disappointed that Jenny went from the novels' sweet, smart, rather top-heavy brunette to an immediately power-hungry and tiny blonde, but I've gotten over that. You can't enjoy a show like this if you can't let go of the books.

I absolutely love the clothes in this show. There's a great mix of preppy, classy, and bohemian depending on the characters. Beautiful!

Do you watch "Gossip Girl"?

I really feel like saying "You know you love me xoxo," but I figure that's been done.

xEsther