Christina Ricci Books

This entire book series and the accompanying television show are a prime example of everything that is wrong with the United States today. I work in a library and I couldn't help but notice that all the teenage girls seem absolutely enraptured with these books. Being in my mid-twenties, I was curious to know what the big deal about them was. I assumed they must be akin to the Sweet Valley High books from my teen years.

I checked out the second book in the Gossip Girl Series "You Know You Love Me" because it was the only one even REMOTELY available--the rest had hold request after hold request after hold request. Anyway, I eagerly opened the book anticipating something special. Instead, I had to read no further than the second page to get the gist of what these books are about.

In the first chapter, we meet, or get reaquainted with (depending on how many of these things a person has read) Blair, one of the main characters. It is immediately apparent that Blair is condencsending and shallow. The first chapter makes it clear to us that her number one priority is to have the best of everything no matter WHAT the cost and to throw her virginity away as fast as possible. I was sickened.

As I read on, I met the other cast of characters and was equally unimpressed. We have the glorified druggie/god that every girl wants but who is boyfriend to Blair, the queen. We have the rival beauty who makes misbehavior her middle name. We have the adolescent who is seduced by the druggie/god because of the size of her breasts.

Basically, this book (and I imagine the rest of the series) glorifies promiscuity, drugs, maliciousness, and selfishness. I kept reading hoping that I would find at least one undertone of disapproval for these characteristics and I couldn't find a single one. Blair the main character is even bulemic and there is no message of "hey but she shouldn't be because that isn't cool." Nothing like that. Instead, all of these vices are completely glamorized and marketed to our youth. As if glamorization of such Hollywood idiots like Paris Hilton and Britany Spears weren't enough, now we have our young girls reading this kind of garbage and absorbing a completely damaging message. The really scary thought for me is that I suspect most parents have no idea what their daughters are reading. This is not some innocent, cute, fun little series but rather something very disturbing to anyone who has a single shred of moral decency. I would encourage any girls who are thinking about trying the Gossip Girl series to look elsewhere. Any parents wondering if this is material appropriate for their teens and preteens, I assure you, it isn't. I wouldn't have even given it ONE star except you were required to give at least that.

I had heard of the series before the tv shows aired, but I'd never bought or read them. I bought the first book when I felt like I didn't have enough with the tv shows, and I loved it. This second book is more of the same thing but it's also very good. I think Serena is a bit dumb but I like how Vanessa is starting to change and Dan is noticing her.

Anyway, it's very easy to read and you do get hooked on it after the first lines.

They say that sequels are always worse than the orginal. This old time saying is not true with that of Gossip Girl. If any thing these books are getting better everytime I read them.

Here is the rundown of the scandalous life of the Upper East Side. Blair has decided that she is finally going to have sex with Nate, but how many times has she said that before? Sorry Blair but your plan is turning towards the worst again. Right as Blair and Nate get close her Mom interrupts and announces that she is engaged to her not so impressive boyfriend Cyrus and they are going to get married on her birthday!

In other news and troubles, all the kids are getting ready for college and preparing for college interviews. How do they do?, well if I told you I would ruin a great story line.

Serena is also getting to know Dan a little more, but she isn't sure if she likes what she sees. You see Dan has this problem with being a little to emotionally affectionate for Serena's taste.

Overall I would definitly recommend this book but I would recommend the whole series because they are definitly page turners.

Cecily von Ziegesar impresses her audience again with the second installment in the Gossip Girl series. In this one, Blairs mother announces that she is going to get married to Cyrus Rose, a stubby, annoying rich man, and only after a 2-month relationship. Blair has to deal with a new family, which includes Cyrus' son, Aaron, who is a vegan, hippie, who smokes herbal cigarettes. She is still mad at Serena, who slept with Blairs boyfriend, Nate, who is "in love" with a freshman named Jenny "Jennifer" Humphrey. Blair and Serena both screw up their interviews for college. Dan Humphrey also gets on Serena's nerves and later falls in love with Vanessa Abrams. In the end Blair and Serena become friends again, when Serena comforts Blair after everything she's done to her. Cecily wrote another great book for this series, which is addicting. This book was really fun to read, and a great summer read!

In the second installment of the Gossip Girl series our favorite spoiled brats are back and at it again, and this time they are trying to get into college. As if the stress of college applications and interviews wasn't enough for Blair, she now also has to deal with the wedding of the year...her mother's (complete with cute but annoying step-brother and all) and the gnawing feeling something between her and Nate just isn't right. Poor Blair.
Serena on the other hand is just as happy go lucky as ever, however, her newfound relationship with Dan appears to be on the rocks already...ah well; there are more fish in the sea!
Lastly there seems to be a new girl catching Nate's eye and you will never guess who it is! You'll have to read to find out.

While I found the first Gossip Girl book to be mildly entertaining, `YOU KNOW YOU LOVE ME' hooked me! I will definitely spend my summer trying to play catch up before the Gossip Girl series airs on the CW this fall! Fun read for teen's and adult's (who like a little scandal) alike!

This book was really good. Even though there are not teens in this world like them, its cool to have an image of them partying and living their life.

The Upper East Side used to be overrun with plastic surgery happy society women, and spoiled tots torturing their high-priced nannies. But times have changed. While these people still occupy a small portion of the sidewalks, they have been pushed aside for a new generation of beautiful people. Teenagers brought up in the lap of luxury, who spend their days buying overpriced La Perla undergarments at Barney's, and indulging in frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity. But spending money isn't all that's on their mind. There's always...gossip.

Ever since the flawless Serena van der Woodsen departed from New York City to take up residence at a boarding school in Connecticut, sixteen-year-old Blair Waldorf has ruled Constance Billard School for Girls. As the daughter of a prominent lawyer turned gay, Blair has always gotten her way. And, with Serena out of the picture, was able to snag the gorgeous, green-eyed Nate Archibald for herself. Unfortunately, as much as Blair would like to deny it, Nate has always had a thing for Serena. A secret passion for the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. And now with Serena back in the picture, Blair doesn't know where their relationship will stand. So she has to take drastic measures...hand Nate her V card and he'll be hers forever. The only problem is that Nate is a stoner who has a very short attention span, and even sacrificing herself to Nate won't let him forget the passion he feels for Serena.

But he's not the only one. Dan Humphrey isn't your typical rich kid. For one, while he attends school with some of New York City's most privileged, he actually resides in an apartment on the Upper West Side with his chesty younger sister, Jenny, and his eccentric writer father, Rufus. Dan is a dark, brooding poet, whose penchant for cigarettes and Folgers coffee crystals leave much to be desired. But, like Nate, Dan is infatuated with Serena. The only difference is that he has never so much as spoken to her before, and she doesn't know he exists. Now that Serena's off the A-List, and treading outcast waters, however, the only thing he can hope is that she'll find her way to him and they can live happily ever after. In his dreams, of course.

Gossip is one of those things you can't help but be enamored with. Sure, you can pretend all you want that you have no interest in who's dating who, or who's wearing what, but you do. And you love it. Cecily von Ziegesar has managed to touch upon the hot commodity of gossip, and turned it into an amazing new series. Blair is so evil and mean at times, and while that may seem like something that would be a turn-off to the reader, she's actually an addicting character. Her ability to turn people against Serena in a snap is impressive; while the fact that she is able to juggle school, extracurricular's, a boyfriend, and ruining people's lives is humorous in a sinful way. Nate is a character who seems to have nothing between the ears. He's intelligent and gorgeous, however, the fact that he spends most of his time stoned makes him slightly bizarre, and a useless addition to the human race. But I still love him. Thus far, Serena is the most appealing character. She is kind, sweet, and selfless. She manages to ignore the nasty things people say about her, and keep a smile on her face no matter what situation she is thrust into. Basically, she's happy-go-lucky, and completely irresistible. Dan is an offbeat character, who reminds you of old, soulful beatnik poets who spent their days lounging around Greenwich Village in the 1960's. While he seems sweet, some of his poems are so serious and creepy that he can freak you out at times. But the kindness that he extends to his younger sister, Jenny, more than makes up for it; and actually leaves you rooting for the Humphrey family, in general. A delicious new series that will definitely give you something to talk about.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Cecily Von Ziegesar must be credited with this much: She never pretends that "Gossip Girl" is anything but vapid, vitriolic fluff with no real plotline and no real end. It is possible to produce books like that that are also funny and even enlightening, but "Gossip Girl" is essentially a plodding, repetitive attempt at a "real" teen book.

The beautiful Serena has returned from a sojourn in a ritzy private school and some time in France. Pretty bulimic Blair is dismayed by this, as Serena has unconsciously usurped the position that Blair had been occupying. Even worse, Blair's boyfriend Nate once slept with Serena and is still interested in her, but Serena is not really interested in Nate. Dan is besotted with her, and Jenny looks up to her.

Rumors begin to fly about Serena -- that she's slutty, that she has a variety of STDs, that she had a baby in France, that she was thrown out of her boarding school, that she's had several abortions, and just about every other kind of vicious rumor. And presiding over all of this is Gossip Girl, a mysterious omniscient observer who reports online about the tangled lives of her friends and peers.

It seems that readers will never tire of the antics of too-rich Manhattanites, especially if they live empty lives that they believe are significant. Like Nick McDonell's "Twelve," this book is filled with shallow, obnoxious characters who do drugs, sex, alcohol, and mourn the problems of their privileged lives. The drugs, sex, alcohol, bulimia and angst serve no actual purpose in the plot; they are merely attempts to shock.

The problem is that they are handled in such a haphazard manner that they don't shock at all -- they are merely diversions to spice up the lack of plot. Strip them away, and there's pretty much nothing left. Von Ziegesar never makes an attempt to get the readers interested. We are never given a reason to react to anyone in this book, either to be interested or repelled by them -- only bored.

Those characters are stereotypes, in a fictional world where the elite rich are all gorgeous: the scheming insecure girl, the mystery beauty, the shy naive girl, the weak handsome guy, the promiscuous guy, and dozens of others are devoid of any originality. They are part of the stereotype that teenagers are intrinsically shallow and can't be bothered with anyone who is not of interest to them.

Admittedly, the "Gossip Girl" website extracts are amusing. There's a certain wit to them, and they are also the only parts of the book that show some genuine originality. I only wish there had been more of them, and fewer repetitive rumors about Serena's past. The writing style lacks detail or any sort of wit or spiciness. And, like, the dialogue is so, you know, like, stupid, right?

Perhaps the worst part of the book is the finale, which fails to produce a climax or wrap up any loose threads. The book simply stops. Perhaps this is an effort to get readers to read the sequel, if they aren't too disgusted by the plodding storyline and grating characters. Von Ziegesar, take a writing class.

Meet GOSSIP GIRL, an anonymous New York teen who posts all of the latest news about her peers at her website. Readers are introduced to a variety of high schoolers whose days and nights are filled with money, cars, boyfriends/girlfriends, cell phones, agendas, parties, and more. If you're in, you're in; if you're out, you're definitely out - unless you are dating or are related to one of the cool kids.

The character with the most mystery surrounding her is Serena, a blonde beauty whose return to Manhattan sparks controversy galore as her classmates wonder why she has come back to her all-girl private high school after a year-long absence and travels overseas. Serena's estranged best friend Blair, who was just getting accustomed to being THE most popular girl, now must take a step back and share the spotlight. Not only is her popularity at stake, but so is her love life, as she worries that her boyfriend Nate only has eyes . . . for Serena.

If GOSSIP GIRL was a TV show, HBO, FOX and THE WB would all fight over the rights to it. GOSSIP GIRL takes 90210 and moves it to Manhattan. The teens are trashy and classy at all once; while they know the difference between Prada and Gucci, they don't always know the difference between right and wrong. The book is more melodrama than drama, and delightfully so. It's a beach read mixed with martinis.

This book is one of those that you can't put down. It's full of the drama that surrounds the upper east side of Manhattan. I would recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a good read that is just fun. This book leaves you with a burning question in your head: Just who is Gossip Girl?