Her favorite books
Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan
This is a delightfully jaded romance penned in 1953 by a 17-year-old French girl with a penchant for cute sailors and philosophizing. A pitch-perfect beach read!
The High Window by Raymond Chandler
Quite simply, a dead-cool mystery. Read it once for the story and twice to pick up tips on how to be a charmingingly-cynical private-eye.
The Spoils of Poynton by Henry James
A complicated, finicky book about some relatives fighting over antique furniture. Self-explanatory!
Her favorite blogs
We Love You So is a blog I'm working on with two other writers—Dallas and Graham—and Spike Jonze. It's devoted to Spike's upcoming Where the Wild Things Are, and we get to unearth all sorts of movie-related secrets as well as key influences and important tokens relating to the film.
Colonial Style is a blog with an eye toward clever DIY projects, household tips and sophisticated craftiness.
This Recording is a repository of short pieces written by the smartest and most knee-slappingly funny young men and women operating on the internet. A daily point of reference.
Her favorite spot in the public library
On the second floor of the Seward Park Branch is a corner where you can read SciFi books near a pair of sky-high windows that look out over the park. There are peaceful leafy green views and quiet library sounds, as well as people (often) fighting and having romantic entanglements in the lot below. It's a multisensory entertainment zone.
The best people-watching spots in New York
The Kosciuszko stop of the J train in Brooklyn for lively youth in the latest street fashions.
Chinatown for old ladies carrying parasols and selling rice balls.
The Financial District for men with absurdly wide shoulders eating large sandwiches and yelling about private equity.
Her favorite music
I'm pretty old fashioned and don't really listen to much music produced after the Vietnam War. That said, Chuck Berry is perfect for good moods and impromptu dancing; Albert Ayler works wonders on a rainy night, and the Ronettes are timeless in any situation.
The best snacks in Chinatown
Fried melon balls and taro cakes at Lucky King Bakery on Grand! It's a giant gilded restaurant with plastic seats that are bolted to the ground, grade-school cafeteria-style, and a TV playing nonstop Chinese soap operas.
Her favorite items of clothing
Anything with stripes.