I might be too old for these.

Since my birthday IS the 30th of this month. And I'll be older than most of the characters in these books. Have I mentioned that? The 30th? My birthday?

But, I loved 'em anyway. And I didn't care much for Editorials, Columns and Reviews in college because it was at NIGHT and I was tired, so this won't be a REVIEW so much as a recommendation, because even years after college I'm STILL tired, but these books made me happy. And I want you to be happy, too.

Before I ever turned to the first page, I loved the covers. and i love the lower case stuff. i just might start blogging in lowercase. so simple. so innocent. so clean.

Books One and Two are kinda connected. Kind of a series. But, thing is, after loving so deeply the characters in Book One ... you might journey into Book Two finding it hard to leave Book One behind ... til you get INTO Book Two ...

THEN, Book Three doesn't appear to connect at all to books one and two ... until it does ... subtly ... and that's so nice ... and smart.

So, you might start each book half-heartily ... the First because it's all new and you don't know what to expect. Chick lit? Bodice ripper? (Just a little of the former. None of the latter. I promise.) The Second and Third, mourning the characters you've left behind and not so sure you're ready to commit to "new" friends, or some you might not have liked so well.

The books are so New York. All post 9/11. Full of references to present-day movies, television, restaurants, fashion ... and music. Music is the part that made me feel old. Unless the characters referred to "oldies," I'm not quite sure I felt their love for certain artists ... songs. And sometimes the "singleness" of the characters -- the dating, the dumping, the cheating, the marrying, the divorcing ... all made me so glad I WASN'T. So happy to have a familyful of skivvies to wash. And school lunches to pack.

The characters are educated. Modern. Savvy. Smart. Funny. They work in tall NY office buildings in cool jobs. They ride the subway, take cabs. They have eccentric families with real stories all their own. Lovely romances. Fabulous clothes. But, not in a "The Devil Wears Prada," kinda way. Very realistically human.

The prose is very adult. Not nasty. Just mature. Sincere. Thoughtful.

Read 'em. Just imagine yourself poolside ... or fireside... get a cold drink, or a steaming mug, and read 'em. if only for the cute little cover print. And because I said so ...