The following excerpt is from Julie & Julia by Julie Powell, which is quickly getting churned into a “major motion picture” that although looks really cute, will nonetheless ruin the beauty of the novel. Worth the read.

“Sally has never dated a boy for more than six months. This is a state of affairs that cuts both ways. Sometimes she’ll present us with a flurry of boys all at once: Cuban food with one on Wednesday, a Ben Stiller movie with another on Friday, brunch on Sunday with a third. She’ll have a cheerful, leering glint in her eye, and when the boy gets up to use the restroom, she’ll lean across the table with a grin and whisper, ‘What do you think? He’s cute, isn’t he?’ These periodic springtimes of Sally’s erotic lifestyle can sometimes knock me for a loop…But then some high school friend gets pregnant, or Sally’s mother gives her insufferably well-adjusted little sister who’s getting married a homemade family cookbook of well-loved recipes, then refuses to give one to Sally because ‘It’s only for the wives of the family.’ Then Sally starts bringing only one boy around…and this time there’s a slightly desperate appeal in her eye, and when she asks ‘He’s cute, isn’t he?’ it’s more like a plea for reassurance than a prideful acknowledgement of her catch.”