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I'VE GOT SAND IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES by Lisa Scottoline

I'VE GOT SAND IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES

by Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella

Pub Date: July 12th, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-250-05995-6
Publisher: St. Martin's

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.