As predicted, I read Arm Candy by Jill Kargman before I left for vacation. I finished it less than 24 hours after I cracked it open. It’s that kind of book – a piece of chocolate that melts quickly in your mouth. I read right through dinner and nature calling to get to the last page last night.

Arm Candy is about Eden Clyde, a model and muse, and how she moved from the sticks to the muse of a (fictional) American art icon. I thought this was going to be a modern day Sister Carrie, the way Clyde used men to swing her way higher and higher up the social and financial chain. But that’s only the start of the book. The rest is Clyde dealing with hitting the 40 mark and realizing her social climbing might not have been so smart.

It’s not a serious book. It’s not a life changing book. It’s even a little annoying with the talk of how skinny Eden continues to be (blarg). But it’s a fun book, and one I recommend for your beach bag (it’ll be published in May). It would have been the perfect vacation book if I hadn’t read it so quickly. DAMN IT!

That’s alright. I’m sure there are more like it out there. I haven’t bought anything new to take on the plane, but I do plan to stop in my favorite independent book store once I land tomorrow and see what they suggest I read.

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Jen Miller

Jen Miller

Jen A. Miller is a an author and freelance writer. Her memoir, Running a Love Story, was a Philadelphia Inquirer best book of the year. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, SELF, Buzzfeed and the Guardian, among others.

2 Comments

  1. Leslie on January 26, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    have you heard of http://www.swaptree.com? I wanted to let you know about it – you swap books you have read to get ones you want to read. It's pretty cool, I love it!

    Also, are you on twitter? I am @herlittledogtoo

  2. Jen A. Miller on January 26, 2010 at 3:52 pm

    I have! Though I'm lucky and get most of these books for free and donate to the library. They appreciate it!

    I'm @jerseyshorejen.

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