I've Got Sand In All the Wrong Places

May 9, 2016
Scottoline, a prolific and bestselling thriller author, is joined again by her daughter, Serritella (the two write a column for the Philadelphia Inquirer called “Chick Wit”), for this warm and engaging seventh volume in their series. The duo discuss everything: their many pets, Scottoline’s embracing of the empty nest, and Serritella’s Manhattan doorman, who grades her boyfriends. Scottoline, nearing 60, has learned the joys of having time to get together with her best friend and do girls’ nights with her horse club, and of perfecting the art of saying no: “It took me fifty years to figure out what I was doing wrong and how to fix it.” She is liberated now that her life no longer looks like a to-do list. But not all is light-hearted fun, as when Serritella writes about being mugged and assaulted near her home in the summer of 2015. She’s shaken by trauma but also experiences kindness from strangers who come to her aid and locate her glasses, and from the police who stay with her all night and accompany her afterward when she walks her dog. Family is a perennially popular subject, and Scottoline and Serritella bring wisdom and laughs to make sure it never gets boring. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Agency.

May 15, 2016
More light, bright essays to delight fans of this mother-daughter writing team.For those unfamiliar with Scottoline and Serritella's previous books (Does this Beach Make Me Look Fat?, 2015, etc.), this collection offers a gateway to their humorous, breezy style, featuring rapid-fire paragraphs and plenty of sarcasm. Though the book's title and its July publication date point to this little book being seen on beaches across the country, Scottoline explains that though "you might be reading this book in the summertime...it chronicles a whole year in our lives, both the good and bad, beginning with the holidays, both the naughty and the nice." While Scottoline manages her menagerie of pets and her own life in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Serritella explores life in Manhattan. Scottoline explains the book is the seventh in a series, in which "Francesca and I have written about our lives alone and together, as mother and daughter. We're ordinary and normal, and the more you read about us, the more you'll see your own life and your own families reflected herein." The short, snappy entries--few longer than three to four pages, with most paragraphs featuring only one or two sentences--touch on subjects as varied as dating, aging, pets, Manhattan doormen, panic attacks, and the perils of book tours. Throughout, the authors shine a positive (some may say overly positive) light on life's bumps, surprises, and quandaries. Part of the charm of these essays is the way both women use humor to turn negative topics--e.g., receiving occasional hate mail, surviving a mugging and assault, contemplating the thought of dying--into moments of humorous and sensible reflection. A collection to dip into from time to time, sure to please fans. Harried book-club members will appreciate the brevity.

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June 1, 2016
Crime writer Lisa Scotttoline and daughter Francesca (Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?, 2015) team up for the seventh time in this compilation of brief, entertaining essays. Summer, according to Lisa, is a time to wear mental flip-flops, and this collection is ideal for sampling between slathering on sunscreen and dozing in a beach chair. Once again, topics come from all directions. Lisa muses on pets, a dead mouse in her travel cup, middle age, mother Mary, adult children, Larry David, and, of course, Bradley Cooper. Francesca counters with dating websites, bachelorette parties, torn corneas, and moms. Most of the pieces are deceptively light and witty, but just when the book veers into the fluff territory, Francesca writes of being assaulted. Her frank depiction is frightening, and the strong bonds between mother and daughter are clear in the aftermath. Insightful commentary on aging, relationships, pop culture, and family lies beneath the humor, and the combination of viewpoints (along with Scottoline's popularity and the success of the other volumes) will give this collection wide appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)