February 6, 2013

The Carrie Diaries Read-Along: Update 3


Welcome back YET AGAIN to Queen Ella Bee Reads and Harley Bear Book Blog's first ever read-along! It's time to discuss the first 5 chapters of The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell. I hope you're all read up. There's no quiz at the end, but there IS a giveaway!

Also, if this is the first time I'm welcoming you to this read-along, be sure to check out the previous posts associated with this exciting event:

The Carrie Diaries Read-Along
~ The Carrie Diaries Read-Along: Update 1
~ The Carrie Diaries Read-Along: Update 2

And now, onto what you came here for!

Queen Ella Bee: Thoughts?

Harley Bear: So I see what you mean about Carrie melting when she's around Subastain like she did at the restaurant. And then she has this perfect date with George, but still doesn't like him. It's very frustrating.

QEB: George. GEORGE. Please. Carrie. Stop it. I hope there's a George in the show. Sebastian is the worst.

HB: Ya me too. Not to get sidetracked, but I just watched last weeks episode and I was like =O when her and Subastain fought. That was so random. But ya maybe now George will be in the show too.

QEB: Please.
I don't know, I think I'd be mad if someone read my personal file. But I think the same flakiness that is Sebastian exists in the book and in the show. Like, they used the same base for him.

HB: Ya def. So back to the book, are Carrie and Subsatian techincally bf and gf yet? Because she's upset Donna Ladonna is stalking him, yet she's going on dates with George

QEB: I have no idea. It's so shady. That dinner with Carrie and Sebastian was really disturbing.
It really was like the meal of a disgruntled couple. And she was like "let's not figure out what the what is up here." And I was like "giiiiiiiiiiiiirl this is gonna be troubs."

HB: Hahaha, ya it was. But I could kind of see why he was annoyed bc she kept nagging him, but at the same time they just started going out so they should still be in the honeymoon phase lol

QEB: It didn't even seem so naggy to me. I think Sebastian just wants to make Carrie feel crazy.

HB: Ya probably.

QEB: Which makes me feel like he doesn't actually care about her.

HB: He's one of those smooth talking one liners who'll leave you when they've got what they want - Mr. Big!

QEB: Ugh. Big. But he works for her, in the end, like 25 years later.

HB: Haha ya.

QEB: Would you say George and Aiden are kind of similar? I want to say maybe. But I'm not sure.

HB: Aiden? Oooo ya they're more the "safe" choice.

QEB: I don't know if it's safe, but maybe less mysterious. Like, sweet, kind, loving... fewer surprises.

HB: Ya exactly. I feel like we're halfway through the book and she hasn't even gone to NY yet. I hope she goes soon though

QEB: Well. I think the second book is the summer in the city, isn't it? Maybe I'm wrong. But I think it's okay if this book is more about the writing.

HB: Ya

QEB: The show kind of does the whole city thing first, which is okay, but it's a different order of priorities. So I think the book wants to get the writing and Carrie's basic character down before moving into the city, so we can really get to know the roots of Carrie Bradshaw.

HB: That's true.

QEB: We already know her ending, so now let's get a little foundation down. (Not that the last Sex and the City movie was her ENDING, but kinda).
Is it weird that I sometimes think of Carrie as a REAL PERSON??? Like her character on the show and in the book. She just seems like someone I would know IRL.

HB: She seems very real. Especially because S&TC was on for years. She's very relatable.

QEB: I dunno. Sometimes I really forget SJP isn't Carrie. Like, they're one in the same. Which is great and terrible all at once.

HB: Ya everytime I'd see her in another movie I'd be like that's Carrie.

QEB: I know a lot of people don't like SJP, but even though I sometimes agree, at the same time I kind of love her even through all the things I don't love because they're just so her. And Carrie.

HB: Lol ya

QEB: Anyway, back to the book.

HB: Lali was being annoying again. She just can't accept that Sebastain likes Carrie

QEB: Because Lali is one of those "look at me, look at me" girls. We all know them. I would even argue that we all have at least one friend like this and we either love them or hate to love them.

HB: Yup def. There's always one in the group.

QEB: They do serve a purpose and can be wonderful people, don't get me wrong. It's like, y'know when you have a problem with a friend and you go to a third party observer for advice? And the third person's like: "This chick sounds awful - dump her!" And you're like "Okay, I know she sounds awful now, and that story from last week was also pretty bad, but hey, she can be awesome too!" But the third person totally doesn't understand because when everything's great and hunky dory you're not talking about that person. You don't complain about good things. I feel like we're that third person. I'm sure there's a ton of stuff that makes Lali a good friend.

HB: Haha ya. That's so true. We didn't hear about all the great times they've had in the past. Like maybe Lali was really there for her when her mom died

QEB: Right, SO true. There's for sure a reason why they're friends, even if we don't know it.

HB: That's really true

QEB: Granted, almost every time this happens to me (where a third party tells me the person I'm venting about is awful), a friendship has just about run it's course. But that doesn't mean there weren't good times.

HB: Ya otherwise you wouldn't have put up with the bad stuff for so long lol.

QEB: I feel like high school is this giant transition. And, I don't know about you, but I would never say my best friends come from there. I feel like we were all deluded into thinking that's a thing. Or at least I was.

HB: I'm only friend with one girl from high school still lol

QEB: The people I still speak to from HS are either people who I knew from before that and happened to go HS with me also, and some people who I ended up in university with after.

HB: Ya people just grow apart. Especially when you're not together every single day.

QEB: Ugh. High school's the freaking worst.

HB: Haha it really is.

QEB: I'm not even a little jealous of Carrie right now.

HB: Me either

QEB: Well enough of my self-administered psych eval.

HB: Haha this was a deep analysis today.

QEB: I blame high school. It always brings out the crazy in me.

HB: Ya I think it did for all of us.

QEB: Oh! We never spoke about the purse!!! When that scene happened in the book I was like, oh good, at least something that happens in the show happens in the book too.

HB: Ya that was almost exactly the same. It was more dramatic in the show though lol.
When Sebastian was like "screw the purse" I was "Oh no he didn't!?" haha and then George compliments it.

QEB: George is a genius. Carrie is so going to break him. And it makes me so mad. Even though it hasn't even happened yet.

HB: Ya I keep hoping it won't end like that but we both know it will.

QEB: Oh Carrie.
The truth is you never like the guy that's good for you at first, especially as a teen. I don't think I've ever met anyone who was like "I chose the good guy instead of chasing after the bad boy." Especially not someone like Carrie who's never really had the option before. Even though I think she kind of knows that she's making a mistake.

HB: Haha ya I think we've all done that at some point. I blame romantic comedies because in real life the bad guy usually doesn't change and become the perfect bf.
Haha

QEB: It NEVER happens. Ever. I really think I blame Beauty and the Beast. It's still my favorite princess movie, though.

HB: Haha brainwashing us as kids.
Me too.

QEB: But even though I don't want Belle with Gaston because he's an uber jerk, I also don't think falling in love with a literal beast is the smartest idea ever.

HB: Hahahaha. So true. It was probably bc he had such a bangin library

QEB: So true. If not for that library, I would say she should have gotten on the next carriage to France and hooked up with some writer/philosopher/artist.

HB: Definitely.

QEB: Yeah, she would have been starving, but it would have actually been what would realistically happen.

HB: They should do retellings of those fairytales, but realistic ones like that.

QEB: Ugh, it would be so depressing. Rapunzel would be a coma victim, Belle would probably be dead in a ditch somewhere, Cinderella would be sold into slavery. My cynicism knows no bounds.
These girls really have fairy godmothers because in the real world, upsetting things like what happen to Carrie are the norm.

HB: Haha ya

QEB: Ok. Is there anything else we should cover? Maybe Dorrit?

HB: Oh ya forgot about her.

QEB: I think I get why Missy's not important. She kind of doesn't do anything. It's like Candace Bushnell mentioned her in passing in the Sex in the City books and now has to insert her to avoid discrepancies.

HB: Ya

QEB: But Dorrit. Wow. I feel like she seems a lot more... precious in the show, but in the book you're just like GO AWAY.

HB: She's only 13 right?

QEB: Yeah

HB: Ya in the book she's not vulnerable at all. Just annoying.

QEB: But that's kind of how older siblings view annoying younger siblings, I think. I have a younger sister and for as long as she doesn't portray herself as vulnerable, she's just annoying. Ultimately other characters in the book are only as annoying or awesome or whatever else how the protagonist views them, I think. Obviously the protagonist has to be a sympathetic character, like Carrie. We have to be squarely on her team.

HB: Ya that's true. Like if it was Dorrit's book we'd be saying wow Carrie is so insensitive. Why is she mad she stole the purse when she just wants something of her moms lol.

QEB: Totally

This update got a little lengthy. There were High School and Disney related tangents (don't lie, you guys KNOW those are you favorite kinds of tangents) but mostly there was a lot more of me swooning over George while Melissa connected the dots between who Carrie is now and who she becomes as she grows up and becomes THE Carrie Bradshaw from the beloved, yet somewhat raunchy show that spawned 6 seasons and 2 movies (one debatable more fabulous than the other).

Either way, it's clear that the last 5 chapters were WAY more eventful. Both Melissa and I are VERY excited about where this is going, especially considering the more we read, the closer were get to The City portion of all of this!


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