Monday, August 24, 2015

Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?: True Stories and Confessions by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

Published July 7, 2015 by St. Martin’s Press

The mother-daughter writing duo that brought us Best Friends, Occasional Enemies and Have a Nice Guilt Trip returns this summer with an all-new collection of funny stories and true confessions.  In DOES THIS BEACH MAKE ME LOOK FAT?  New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author Lisa Scottoline and her daughter Francesca Serritella share tales about life, love, family, food, and of course the beach, guaranteed to strike a chord with every woman.  “While we do write about our bodies,” Lisa says, “we know that weight doesn’t really have any weight with us.”  Instead, they encourage us to enjoy the beach “and not worry about whether every little thing makes me look fat.  In fact, not to worry at all.

This hilarious series has been compared to both Erma Bombeck and Nora Ephron, and Delia Ephron has praised Have a Nice Guilt Trip, saying "You will identify with these tales of guilt and fall in love with them and fierce (grand)Mother Mary." This latest volume hits all the humorous and poignant notes that fans have come to expect from the beloved mother-daughter team, including:

Lisa on her first trip to Vegas:  “I was ready to gamble.  Anyone who knows my marital history knows this already.”
Francesca on her spin class instructor:  “there are always several women loitering after class to ask Philippe a pretend question.  It’s pathetic.  Especially when someone steals my pretend question.”
Lisa on electronic fitness devices:  “You can even buy a Fitbit scale, which will connect to your Fitbit bracelet and a fitness app on your phone, so that all the inanimate objects you own can talk about how fat you are behind your back.”
Francesca on running into your ex’s friend while on a date with someone new:  “all the envy-inducing benefits of seeing your actual ex with none of the pathos.”
Lisa on stating the obvious:  “I’m a mother, and as you know, it’s our job to say things that go without saying.” 

From dieting to dating, and from driving a Porsche to driving on the interstate at night with your mother, Lisa and Francesca open their lives and their hearts to readers, inducing belly laughs and nods of recognition throughout.

My Thoughts…

I always wonder what the real lives of authors are like and this is the perfect glimpse into Lisa Scottoline and her daughter, Francessca, lives.     These mini-essays are great little stories of things that have happen to them and how they reacted.   The thoughts they had in response to different things going on around them matched mine so many times.    I found myself giggling, smiling, cringing, and mostly just turning page after page wanting more.   

The nice thing about a book set up in the format of short essays is that it is easy to pick up and then put back down as needed.    Each essays was only a few pages long.    This would be a fun to book to take to the beach or somewhere where there will be lots of people.  It is easy to read one or two essays and then concentrate on what is happening around you for a little bit.  

This is not a typical Lisa Scottoline book, yet it is just as entertaining.   I recommend checking it out.   It is worth the time to read. 

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