Little Children by Tom Perrotta

OK, so I cheated. I saw the movie before I read the book. However, I can't be held at fault, as I would have never known about this book if it wasn't for the movie. Sometimes you have to do things in reverse order.

My review will be short and sweet: Little Children by Tom Perrotta is perfect. And for the record: the movie is a perfect rendition of the book. A rare and delightful occurrence.

More than anything, I feel like this book IS real life. Hundreds of blog prove it. Sarah and Todd-stay at home parents. Both in ho-hum marriages. Both unsure of themselves and the direction they have taken their life. They find solace in each other. Their affair is REAL. Idealistic. Loving. Longing. Obsession. Comfort. A perfect world they have created. Google blog search the word extra-marital affairs and find 9,540 results. This is what people are doing. This is what Sarah and Todd are doing.

The piece de resistance is the end. Because it doesn't end with a pretty little bow. It ends how most affairs in real life end.

And if you don't know what that ending is-Google it.

Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell

We all know I love me some Candace Bushnell. I am a Sex and the City EXPERT. The book is fantastic. Actually, all her books are fantastic. I am not sure what took me so long to get to Lipstick Jungle. It's been out for years.

And it did not disappoint.

Set in New York City (of course), Lipstick Jungle is the story of 3 successful women-Nico, Victory and Wendy. Each equally successful in their chosen field, each with their own set of personal problems.

I am not going to go into each of these women's stories. I am just going to point out some of the highlights of this book.

1) The turned tables. These are women that are kicking ass in their jobs and taking care of business at home. Wendy has a house husband. And Victory-well who the hell needs a man??

2) I LOVED how extremely confidant these woman are. Most woman are not portrayed to perfectly -whether it's Movies, TV or books.

3) Despite their confidence and success-they are real. Real woman, with real problems and lives. These are not characters-they are people we know.

Awesome book. I recommend it to all.

One last little perk for people who regularly read Bushnell's books-I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how there are always appearances by characters from previous books. She ties tiny loose ends together every time you read one of her books. Not anything that you really missed being put together in the last book-but kind of cool to read about in this one. Love it!