Da-da-DA, da-da-DA-da…*bus splash*
If that immediately summons up an image of Sarah Jessica Parker in a waterlogged tutu, then you probably already know this year is the twentieth anniversary of the iconic series Sex and the City. Two decades later, here’s a reading list that will have you kicking off your Manolos and settling in to celebrate the distinct pleasures of SATC.
Revel in the power of female friendship
Before we had followers or subscribers or "tribes," SATC showed us friendships that were stronger than the bonds of family. This runaway bestseller spawned a raft of knitting novels as well as a whole subgenre of "four friends in a club" books—but not all of them reach the emotional heights of this charming story in which four very different friends discover that, in the most important ways, they are sisters.
Indulge your fashion habit
Half the fun of tuning in every week was the chance to see what insane outfit Carrie Bradshaw would be wearing—it's no surprise that in the movie, Mr. Big wins her heart with a walk-in closet. But even if you're not a fashionista born and bred, this dishy roman à clef reveals the ugly truth behind all that beauty. (And while you're at it, watch Meryl Streep's star turn in the movie!)
Lauren Weisberger’s bestselling novel was a higher-profile literary work than Bushnell’s Sex and the City, and the movie version a closer adaptation. But what an adaptation it is: the book set the bar high, it was smart and fun, but the movie was a romp that brought romantic comedy to new heights. Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci all created unforgettable characters, but Meryl Streep’s performance as the Prada-wearing devil herself, Miranda Priestly, is one for the ages.
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Go behind-the-scenes of the iconic TV series
SEX AND THE CITY AND US is the story of how a columnist, two gay men—Darren Star and fellow executive producer Michael Patrick King—and a writers' room full of women used their own hilarious and humiliating stories to launch a cultural phenomenon, push the boundaries of television, and ignite a national conversation about single women and sex in the process.
Survive a bad breakup
As sure as Sunday brunch meant a table at Coffee Shop, dating in SATC meant being let down by some dude who wasn't good enough for you anyway. (Post-it Note breakup, anyone?) But one moment rang so true, it spawned a book that became a phenomenon of its own. HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU is tough-love self-help that makes you laugh through your tears…and will get you back out on the dating trail, better than ever.
A book before a movie, He’s Just Not That Into You is Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo’s guide to relationships. Reexamining typical mindsets and analyzing common scenarios, the two dole out the tough love so that women can stop making excuses for a person who might not even be interested and go find the one who is.
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Mix an amazing cosmopolitan
Wonder what the bartender was thinking every time Carrie knocked back another of those pink drinks? Now you don't have to—just read this delicious memoir by the man who co-created the cocktail that was inescapable in NYC at the turn of the millennium. If you love people watching, especially when things get messy, this one is for you.
Get all your SATC questions answered
Ever wonder which designer made that outrageous outfit of Carrie's? What real-life stories inspired those shocking episodes? How many dates the fabulous foursome have really been on? Packed with over 750 full-color photographs, this stunning volume will answer all these questions and more with information not available anywhere else. Plus, it's topped off with a introduction by Sarah Jessica Parker.
Read a love letter to New York City
New York City was as much a character in SATC as any of its actors, so you need a book that covers every square mile it can. This seminal novel of adolescent angst reveals New York in all its guises: city of the new, the shiny, the beautiful "phonies," but also a city of decay, of the ordinary, of gritty reality. That heady juxtaposition is what makes New York City, for so many people, the only place they'd dream of living.
Since 1951, the story of Holden Caulfield's coming-of-age has rightfully mesmerized generations of readers - 65 million copies have been sold around the world.
Read the book that started it all
Be warned—SATC the series feels a bit candy coated compared to this collection of original columns. Let's just say the voice is more Samantha than Charlotte…but if you want to read about the original Carrie, Mr. Big, and more, put on your big-girl pants and prepare to enjoy the ride. Bet you'll feel 20 years younger…
I came to the HBO version of Sex and the City before the Candace Bushnell book, binge-watching the series in my friend Alexa’s barn while drinking frozen margaritas. When I bought the book that had inspired the show, I was surprised that it was a collection of essays rather than a fictional narrative. But rather than diminish my appreciation of either work, that only enhanced it. I admired how Darren Star had created the dramatic arc of the series from Bushnell’s meditations on life in New York, and Bushnell’s essays give depth to the HBO adaptation. Coming at the material from both directions, Sex and the City is more than the sum of its parts.
