Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy Explains Southern Sayings & Gives Recipes for Good Eating

I wasn't sure what to expect from Shellie Rushing Tomlinson's latest book, Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy: The Belle of All Things Southern Dishes on Men, Money, and Not Losing Your Midlife Mind.

Tomlinson was a new-to-me author and one whose website All Things Southern was a place I had never ventured. Julie from Book Hooked Blog recently raved about the book, and comedian Jeff Foxworthy wrote a blurb saying it was "laugh-out-loud funny," so I decided it must be worth my time.

Sue Ellen's Girl is not necessarily a book you have to read from cover to cover; it doesn't tell a story. Rather, it is chock full of Tomlinson's own stories about life in the south (and southern relatives), her readers' stories, definitions of southern sayings, and delicious-sounding recipes. I will admit that I felt a little behind, not having read the author's book Suck Your Stomach In & Put Some Color On! or having visited her website. Tomlinson frequently references things in the book and stories from her book tour.

However, that just means I'll have to go back and read it at some point! I can definitely relate to the title. My whole life first my maternal grandmother and then my mother have encouraged me to "put a little color on" because otherwise I look "peaked." I won't reveal exactly when my mom let me start wearing mascara, but it was well before middle school. After all, I have her eyebrows and eyelashes, meaning when we have no "color" on, we look ill. When people who have never seen me sans makeup see me for the first time, they invariably think something is dreadfully wrong!

My favorite part of the book, hands down, were the absolutely mouth-watering recipes Tomlinson included. Apparently, she regularly includes recipes on her website, so there's no doubt I will be making my way over there frequently! Her daughter Jessica Ann (discussed fairly often in the book), also has a food blog called Kitchen Belleicious, another place I'm sure I will be frequenting. (I mean, seriously -- she recently posted both Spicy Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Mac and Cheese and Nutella Coconut and Caramel Brownies. Can you say YUM?!)

Another fabulous part was the way Tomlinson defines southernisms -- you know, words or phrases that southerners use all the time, that mean absolutely nothing to those outside the region. I'm not going to spoil the book by telling you the definitions, but should you happen to pick up a copy of Sue Ellen's Girl, you will be privy to the following vocabulary:

• weighing heavy (that one is obviously included, given the title, right?)
• the get-go
• six ways to Sunday
• wet your whistle
• broke fellowship
• nekkid as a jaybird (as opposed to just plain "nekkid")

And many more words and phrases unique to the south.

When I finished reading Sue Ellen's Girl, I had a virtual fan of bent-down page corners -- things I wanted to remember to go back and look at again. Most of them are one-liners, things that I just needed to share with you when I reviewed the book, because they spoke so strongly to my own life or
upbringing. Here are some of those excerpts:

"All I'm saying is that there are times -- hormonal times -- in every woman's life when she's just one bad decision away from a Fudge Frenzy" (8-9).

"MSS stands for Male Speaker Syndrome, a condition I identified that causes our men to sweat while ordering at drive-in windows. . . . For all those frustrated females struggling to reach over the console and holler into the sound system because Daddy is sweating over the burger order. . . . " (44).

"Where I come from, making it through the night was obviously much more than a barometer of health. It was also used to assess a family member's concern, or lack thereof, as in 'Why, she hasn't even called to see if I made it through the night.'" (60)

"I have considered marketing a Southern GPS, you know, one with a good double Southern name, some new and improved manners, and a more pleasing personality. . . . Not only would [Mary Elisabeth] be more considerate and understanding when you missed your exit, but she'd help prevent such unfortunate mistakes way ahead of time by saying things like 'Pardon me for interrupting, Sugar, but you need to be getting in the right lane. Ya'll gonna have to turn up the road a piece -- right beside that house where the little boy with the big ears is riding his bicycle in the driveway. Good Lord, I wonder if his mama has ever thought about having those things fixed. You can, you know.'" (133)

And finally (this could go on indefinitely, as many things as I have marked in this book), a story from one of Tomlinson's readers:

"My 4-year-old daughter told her preschool teacher (my co-worker) before our egg hunt last Friday . . . 'Mrs. Shelly, it's a sad, sad day.' Shelly asked her why. She said, 'The Easter bunny isn't real and Michael Jackson is dead.' Shelly, who was trying her best to contain her laughter asked her, 'How do you know this?' Prissy looked  her dead in the eye and said very matter-of-factly, 'Just check out YouTube,' and walked away."

~ Jamie Ainsworth McBride
   Monticello, Arkansas

In short, you want to read this book. It may not be a fine piece of literary fiction, but it will make you shake your head and laugh your tail off.

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson can be found at her website All Things Southern, on her blog For Whom the Belle Blogs, and on the radio Mondays from 5-6pm CST.

Stephanie Plum and Friends Are Back in Sizzling Sixteen

Anyone who has been inside a bookstore within the past decade will remember seeing Janet Evanovich's name splashed all over books. The prolific writer began as a romance author, then began the "Number" series, about bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. Since that series began, she has produced at least three other series: the "Full" series with Charlotte Hughes, the "Metro" series, and this past fall a spin-off of the "Number" series with the first book, Wicked Appetite. Stephanie Plum has always been my favorite Evanovich character, although I have read many of her other novels. Sizzling Sixteen is the latest book in that series.

Sizzling Sixteen begins as Stephanie's cousin Vinnie -- the owner of the bail bondsman business where she works -- is kidnapped. Vinnie is a despicable sort of character who is unfaithful to his wife and gambles his money away recklessly. However, he's saved Stephanie's tail in the past, namely by giving her the job she has now. Besides that, the bondsman shop can't operate without his financial backing, and that would put Stephanie out of a job. So she, sidekick (and former prostitute) Lula, and office manager Connie set out to find Vinnie and bring him home. This time, however, Vinnie has gotten himself involved with some dangerous characters with their hands in the Trenton, New Jersey, mob scene. This mafia involvement ups the ante and makes the rescue efforts all the more difficult.

I thought the last few books in the Stephanie Plum series were very readable, but not as enjoyable as earlier books. She seems to have lost a bit of the spunk that drove the series when it began. Although I enjoyed Sizzling Sixteen much more than the previous book, Finger-Licking Fifteen, I can't list it as a favorite. When Evanovich began with One for the Money and Two For the Dough, she was writing edgy, fast-paced, action-packed novels. They also included a bit of romance (in the characters of longtime steady boyfriend Joe Morelli and the darkly-handsome, yet kind-of-scary Ranger). Evanovich is also a master at injecting humor into situations you wouldn't normally think of as funny (funeral homes, explosions, crime). Somewhere along the way, it seems she's become too focused on the fame and money, churning out one book after another of a lesser quality.

Still, Stephanie Plum is Stephanie Plum (and, more importantly, Grandma Mazur is Grandma Mazur!), so I will continue reading and hope the books are eventually restored to the series's former glory. And if Stephanie never makes a choice between Ranger and Morelli? Well, that's okay with me. According to Evanovich's website, this summer a movie version of One For the Money, starring Katherine Heigl as Stephanie, will be released. For more information, visit the Movie Insider site for the movie; Evanovich sold the rights in 1993 and hasn't been involved in the movie production.

My Fair Lazy Examines Reality Television, Fine Art, & Opera (and Tells Us Why Survivor Isn't All That Bad)

Jen Lancaster is one of my favorite authors, and also one of my favorite bloggers. Her humorous memoirs are based on her life, from her growing up days (Pretty in Plaid) to her fall from CEO to the gutter (Bitter is the New Black) to her issues with neighbors (Bright Lights, Big A**) to her struggle with weight loss (Such a Pretty Fat).

Her latest is My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict's Attempt to Discover If Not Being A Dumb A** Is the New Black, or, a Culture-Up Manifesto, with a focus on her quest to raise her intellect level by watching less reality television and attending more cultural events. She sets off across the country (and in her hometown of Chicago) to eat ethnic foods, watch Broadway plays, examine fine art, and listen to classical music. Along the way she learns that being high-class isn't as bad as she thought -- but neither is watching an episode of Survivor every now and then. Turns out both "cultured" events and reality TV have a thing or two to teach us (like, um... don't cheat on your significant other on national television -- Temptation Island, I'm looking at you).

I really liked the book, but I don't think its Lancaster's best effort. I think she really came into her own with Pretty in Plaid and Such a Pretty Fat. I would recommend those two to anyone; My Fair Lazy is a good addition to her canon, and fans should definitely indulge in it. New readers might want to go back to the good stuff and then wait for Lancaster's upcoming novel to be released in May.

Also, a word of caution. I read this book in eBook format, and I wouldn't recommend doing that with Lancaster's books. Some of what makes them so incredibly funny is her footnotes. Each page has footnotes, and they are truly witty and clever. However, in eBook format, the footnotes are clickable rather than on the page. Each time you come to a footnote numeral, you click. Then wait. Then finally (several seconds), it takes you to a footnotes-only page. I often forgot which number I had clicked, then had to click back and forth to make sure the footnote I was reading coincided with the paragraph I was reading. And sometimes another once or twice to make sure I made the connection and got the joke. Not pleasant. (Not to mention I'm reading eBooks on an iPod touch, which means sometimes I clicked on the wrong number on the footnotes page and was sent somewhere else in the book when I tried to return to my reading.) I can't say I recommend reading her books in eBook format for this reason only. Julie at Book Hooked posted about this while I was reading My Fair Lazy and listed this exact annoyance in her review, also.

Overall, Lancaster is hilarious and I highly recommend her writing -- both in books and on her blog Jennsylvania. I can't wait to read her fiction debut in May; If You Were Here promises to be just as good as her previous nonfiction titles.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang Keeps the Zingers Coming

Chelsea Handler is a nut, no doubt about it. If you didn't gather that from her two previous humorous memoir/ essay collections, you'll definitely know it after reading her latest book release, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang. The title reminds me, of course, of the 1968 Roald Dahl film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but the titles are where the similarities begin and end, except for perhaps the ludicracy (word, or not a word?) involved in both.

Famous for her talk show Chelsea Lately on entertainment cable channel E!, Handler dated the CEO of the network for several years. Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang is a collection of stories about Handler's everyday life, many of which involve that former significant other Ted. Much of her life revolves around making him look like a fool with elaborate pranks, imbibing in lots of vodka and illegal substances, and hanging out with unsavory characters.

In fact, Handler seems to be a magnet for odd characters, as evidenced by her sidekick Chuy on the show and by the menagerie of people who she writes about in the book. In this collection, Handler does drugs with her brother on Martha's Vineyard, flies away from a friend's rooftop L.A. wedding in a helicopter (so that she & Ted can make it more quickly to a weekend away in Orange County -- a whole 30 miles to the south), and vacations in the Caribbean with her New York City driver (so that she can help him find love).

Is Handler's book likely to make its way into the literary canon or to change literature as we know it? Definitely not. Is it a fun book to read in bits and pieces? Absolutely. Handler's tales are cringe-worthy at some points, so much so that I had to lay the book down some nights without finishing the particular story I was reading. Her attitude towards her father, especially, had me wincing at times. But if you enjoy her off-brand of humor (and watch her show), you'll laugh out loud at many of her crazy antics.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang clip, apropos nothing (well, except for my brain's insistence that it must have something to do with this book):

Why I Almost Didn't Finish 'You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up: A Love Story' and Why You Should

Midway through comedic team and married couple Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn's book about marriage, I had to put the book down for a break. The book began easily enough; with a meeting, then a courtship (of sorts), a wedding some time later, and finally - a baby. There are books that pack an emotional punch you aren't prepared for; this was one of those.

Gurwitch and Kahn's writing is sardonic and witty. The title offers the first glimpse of the humor found throughout the book. Kahn is an actor and writer who caught his break (I say this in Hollywood-speak, as though he put no work into his career, but instead woke one morning with an agent peering at him, saying, "Hey -- You're my guy!" There was a lot of work put into his career, all detailed in the book, but for the sake of time, I say "caught his break".) while working on The Ben Stiller Show on MTV. Gurwitch you may remember from TBS's long-running Dinner and a Movie series. She has also had guest roles on many television shows, from Seinfield to Boston Legal. So, anyway. Funny people. Perhaps darkly funny is a better description. Between chapters, they like to offer readers statistics and quotes, most of which highlight the downsides to marriage. Some examples:

'Forty percent of women say they have hurled footwear at a man.' - Y. Kaufman, How to Survive Your Marriage (38)

75 percent of suicide attempts are due to relationship problems
11 percent of the murders in the United States are killings by intimates (8)

Data in the 2004 National Population and Family Development Board study in Malaysia revealed that "meddlesome in-laws" are the number one reason why Indian couples get divorced. Ironically, most of these marriages were arranged by the same in-laws who later cause conflict with the spouses they once chose. (172)

But back to the break. I had to pause while reading this book because my heartbreak was simply too great. Not for the marriage; the writers are still happily married, couples therapy and all. But this (and if I had read the inside flap of the book cover carefully, I would have known):

The he-said/she-said chronicle of their intense but loving marriage includes an unsentimental account of the medical odyssey that their family embarked upon after their infant son was diagnosed with VACTERL, a very rare series of birth defects. (Front cover flap)

He was, and they talk about it openly and honestly, and I couldn't handle it. Perhaps it was the recent birth of my only nephew, or perhaps it was because I don't have kids yet but hope to someday... Whatever it was, my emotional reaction to their frank discussion of this part of their lives was devastating. But I eventually picked it back up, finished reading not only that section, but the entire book, and I am so glad I did. For those of you who can't stand to read a sad story: Ezra is now a healthy 11-year-old who plays baseball in two different leagues and on a traveling team. So nothing to fear; no death or familial devastation. Just a story of two parents dealing with some difficult issues and a son who overcame great adversity.

You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up: A Love Story is exactly that -- a love story. An imperfect, real-life love story in which a death in the family interrupts their honeymoon on day two, their child is born with a rare disorder, and couples therapy sessions are transcribed for millions to read. Gurwitch and Kahn may seem to have a negative view on marriage, but in actuality theirs is a view with a healthy understanding of what really happens between two people who vow to "have and to hold until death do us part". Despite that, or perhaps because of it, they have a thriving, loving marriage that has lasted more than a decade. And in a world where there are more remarriages than marriages that survive, that's nothing to throw a tomato at.

The lovely couple, for your viewing (and then reading) pleasure:

'Bitter Is The New Black' Prompts Me to Say: O Jen! My Jen!

Get it? In the spirit of "O Captain! My Captain!" from Walt Whitman -- but more importantly, the line from Dead Poets Society (which is from Walt Whitman)? After reading Jen Lancaster's first memoir (which has since been followed by three others and a soon-to-be-published fifth), I just have to say: Jen is my hero. Thus, the reference to "captains" which evokes (I hope) feelings of idolizing someone, which (in the case of Jen Lancaster) I do.

In her first memoir, Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office (no, seriously -- that's the title), Lancaster writes about her fall from grace. Grace being a several-thousand-per-month penthouse apartment in a swanky Chicago neighborhood, and the "fall" landing her and boyfriend Fletch in a $1600 per-month 2 bedroom in a lesser neighborhood which is truly more of a 'hood. And therein lies the loving her/ loathing her conundrum that is found in all of Lancaster's memoirs. She's hilarious (loving her). She is also, however, a "condescending, egomaniacal, self-centered smartass" (loathing her). And seriously -- can I feel sympathy for a person who lives in an apartment that cost (almost ten years ago) almost four times my own rent? Granted, I live in small town America, while Lancaster lives in big city Chicago. But really? I'm expected to believe $1600 = the 'hood, just because the neighbors speak languages other than English? Lancaster needed a second wake-up call -- a second fall, period.

And she gets it. Although I would NEVER (can I say that again? NEVER) say I was hurting for money while having a lavish Vegas wedding at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino (I've never even been to Vegas! Well, okay. I was in their airport once for an hour or two.), Jen gets a bigger reality check when she and Fletch are almost evicted. And she has to sell all her former fashion "prizes" on eBay to keep them in food and electricity. Somewhere along the way, she realizes that her $800 handbags and $600 pairs of shoes were a wee bit much. In other words, things that no one would ever need. She comes to hate the Prada bag she once loved because it represents all that went wrong for them. As she and Feltch scramble to find jobs first at big firms, then at Starbucks and Pottery Barn to no avail, you begin to feel a little bit of sympathy for her. That, and she's really, really funny. And abundantly able to make fun of herself.

Why, you might ask, is Jen Lancaster my hero? She's funny. I get it. She learned an important lesson (maybe). I get that, too. But hero? Well, at the end of the book, Lancaster makes an important decision. She decides to embark on chasing her dreams -- real dreams, based on what she enjoys, not on a quarter of-a-million-dollar salary at a marketing firm. And she succeeds (as evidenced by her now-five published books). That (and the sense of humor) makes her idol-worthy in my opinion.

Pick up a copy of Bitter is the New Black and prepare to have your socks knocked off because you're rolling around on the chair/floor/couch/bed laughing so hard.

For your enjoyment, a video interview with Jen:


(**Note: Remember when I liked but didn't love Jen's second memoir Bright Lights, Big Ass? And I said that she had obviously grown as a writer, making her last two books a bit better than that one? Yeah, forget that. It must have been an off week when I read memoir #2, because this first one rocks just as much as the last two did.)

'High Anxiety' Offers Fun Break From Daily Stress

Kate Holly just can't seem to catch a break. The clinical psychologist from Atlanta, Georgia, endures catastrophe after catastrophe in each book in this series from novelist Charlotte Hughes, and the third (and newest) installment High Anxiety is no exception. Of course, catastrophe is somewhat the business Kate is in; she counsels patients with mental illness at her practice in a multi-business building in Atlanta (You can do your banking AND grab a bite to eat after your therapy session!).

There's the former Marine with gender identity disorder (who currently lives with Kate's own mother and aunt), the man with OCD who feels he has to move anytime he brings dirt into his home, the woman with borderline personality disorder who feels the world revolves around her, and -- of course -- the lady with multiple personality disorder whose personalities change as frequently as other people might change the music on their iPods. Kate tries her best to help her patients live normal lives, but she is always getting caught up in the midst of her own personal problems (and having to deal with the touch of OCD she herself suffers from).

In High Anxiety, Kate and ex-husband Jay are still trying their best to make their relationship work. He's a firefighter with a history of getting hurt on the job; his commitment to his work drives Kate crazy. She'd rather he settle down and find a less accident-prone career. But Jay worries about Kate, as well; the patients Kate sees have a tendency to get violent when unhappy. Her office has been blown up, and she's suffered various maladies in the previous two novels. But both stick to their guns and refuse to give up the work they love. Thus, they've been divorced and now are trying to work through their issues.

As Jay travels to Florida to help fight an outbreak of wildfires, Kate has troubles of her own back in Atlanta. First, she gets involved in a minor shooting incident while managing an anger management group. Then one of her patients goes into crisis and has to be hospitalized. In addition to all of these problems, Kate's best friend and secretary Mona falls ill. When Mona's replacement from a temp agency begins at the office, she brings with her a whole host of new problems.

Like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and the "Full" series that Hughes and Evanovich pen together, Hughes inserts plenty of humor into the Kate Holly series, as well. Kate's mother and aunt provide much of it, with their twin overalls and big pick-up truck for junk-finding. Kate's patients also provide comic relief at times, mixed in with their actual problems. (As we often say in the social work business, 'You have to laugh, or you'd cry.') Romance comes into the series through both the relationship between Kate and Jay, as well as the constant badgering Kate endures from her old beau and colleague Thad. And, of course, Hughes includes a bit of suspense as the reader wonders what will result from Kate's new hire.

High Anxiety is good southern fun. As I mentioned above, Hughes has partnered with Janet Evanovich in the past. Her Kate Holly series is the latest solo project she's done. In addition to the "Full" series with Evanovich and the Kate Holly series, she has written dozens of romance, romance-suspence, and "soft" horror novels. Visit her website for more info on other books, tour information, and her blog.

Just Another Jennsylvania Memoir

I have this little OCD issue -- when I do something, I do it all the way. I mean ALL the way. Therefore, if I start reading an author & I find that I like that author immensely, I will read all of his or her books (see multiple previous posts about Michael Connelly). Even if it kills me to find those books in used book stores, Targets, and Barnes & Nobles across the land -- or Amazon.com.

Why am I rambling on about OCD & reading all of the books written by an author & searching for difficult-to-find titles? Well, I finished Jen Lancaster's second book this week (after stumbling upon it in Target's excellent book department). It has a doozie of a title -- Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? You really can't find better titles & subtitles than on Lancaster's memoirs. Actually, I'm not sure longer titles exist anywhere in the history of book titles.

In reading my way backwards through Lancaster's works I have learned something: she became a better writer over time. Her last two books were hilarious and genius and entertaining. This second book was funny and insightful and relate-able. But I'm not sure it was quite as good as those that follow. It chronicles Lancaster's life as she finishes her first novel and readies it for publishing. While that is a theme throughout the book, the memoir lacks direction and often reads as a series of essays rather than one continuous story. Complaints though they may be, I still enjoyed the book enough to complete it and even recommend it.

Lancaster still has some of the funniest email inclusions, one-liners, and comedic situations that I've ever read. One particular favorite was the story of her (only) friendly neighbor who has a friend come stay with her to detox. Said neighbor has to leave on an extended business trip, leaving the A&D-treatment-needing houseguest to terrorize the neighborhood with her loan inquiries and drunken (and once naked) escapades. Lancaster is also the master of making you laugh out loud with ordinary moments. Here's an outtake from the book:

"Hold on, let me check with my wife -- Jen, how about a noon appointment with the apartment brokers on Sunday?"
We haven't found anything yet, the rain's coming down harder in the kitchen, Tracy [neighbor's addict houseguest] has yet to be carted off to proper rehab, and I'm starting to feel desperate. "Sounds good."
Five minutes pass as we both quietly work on our laptops. The icon blinks telling me I have mail, so I log on. "Hey, Fletch, I got an email from you."
"Uh-huh, I know."
I open the email and scan it's contents. "Whoa, is this a meeting request to look at apartments on Sunday?"
"Yes."
"Are you trying to be funny?"
"No. I used the Yahoo Scheduler. Now you can add this to your Yahoo Calendar so you can manage your personal affairs."
"But I don't have a Yahoo Calendar an I was sitting ten feet away from you when you made the call. And as eager as I am to move out of Melrose freakin' Place, chances are good I won't forget this appointment."
"Au contraire. You do have a Yahoo Calendar. I set it up for you."
I'm getting agitated. "You're missing the point -- I don't need a Yahoo Calendar to manage my personal affairs, nor do I want to receive meeting requests from you."
He is resolute. "It's very handy."
"That may be, but when you email your wife to schedule an appointment, you set an ugly precedent. What's next, sending me a request to clean the bathroom on the third floor?"
"Now that you mention it..."
"Sweetie, I love you, but I promise that I will smother you in your sleep if you ever assign me a chore via email."
Five more minutes go by while we both quietly work on our computers, and then Fletch asks me, "So, are you going to respond to that request?"
"Fletch? This? Right here? Is exactly why you used to get beat up in junior high school." (p. 272-273)

Lancaster has a blog which you can follow if you're interested in her life & public appearances. She also has a new book coming out sometime soon (I hope!). And yes, although I have found that quality somewhat diminishes as you go back in time with an author, I will be searching for a copy of Lancaster's first book so that my reading will be complete (and so that my OCD will be appeased).

Serious Laughs in 'Book Club' Disguise

I must admit something... I am a Kathy Griffin fan. She's crude, I know. Vulgar, yes. Profane even. But she is so funny! I'm not a huge fan of reality television (with the exception of Project Runway and all those Housewives of... shows), but I started watching her My Life on the D-List last season. It's real, it's funny, it's fun. It's everything you want in light, fluffy entertainment.

When she started talking about her new book coming out towards the end of the season, I was excited. Griffin did not disappoint in Official Book Club Selection. She wanted to put Oprah's name in there somewhere, but was afraid lawsuits would follow. Still a funny title, similar to her comedy CD For Your Consideration (which was nominated for a Grammy, by the way, but lost after George Carlin's death -- of course the deceased have to win all awards for which they've been nominated).

After two Emmy awards, a long list of award show hosting gigs, four years on the NBC '90s sitcom Suddenly Susan, many stand-up shows, and a marriage and divorce, Kathy Griffin has come into her own. She even snagged Paris Hilton for an episode of her show this season! (Awesome beyond words, I know.)

Seriously, she kept me laughing and entertained in her memoir, and in a celebrity-style biography, that's difficult to accomplish. Perhaps the best stories are from her early childhood. She spends much of the book telling us what we already know as fans -- awards, shows worked on, etc. But the early childhood parts and the juicy relationship bits are the best morsels from this entertainment industry tell-all. Her brother was an (alleged) child molester. She dated Quentin Tarantino. Enough said?

"Pretty" Memoirs

I finished Jennifer Lancaster's Such a Pretty Fat in the wee hours of morning today. Let me just say "aahhhhh". It was so refreshing and so well-written and just darn good! It is the opposite of what I go looking for on a library or bookstore shelf (my go-to musts are southern/ female author/ modern fiction), but I am so glad I have discovered her.

I read her newest book Pretty in Plaid a week or so ago because it was on the "new book" shelf at my local library; well, that and it was so cute with it's pink and green argyle tights on the cover. It was hilarious and fantastically written. I placed a hold on Such a Pretty Fat the day I turned Pretty in Plaid back in.

Such a Pretty Fat was so captivating I found myself sneaking glances at red lights and straight stretches of long roads... Don't call the highway patrol, please. I pay attention to the roadway, and I'm an excellent driver. I just need some entertainment every now and again during those boring parts of driving. Lancaster's escapades definitely offer her readers entertainment. From tales of her personal trainer Barbie (yes, that is her name... and don't think Barbie dolls & ball gowns... think Jillian from The Biggest Loser) to tales of the mole on her Jenny Craig counselor's chin, Lancaster hits the nail on the head each time. I laughed uproariously (even when other people in the room looked at me strangely), but she isn't outrageous. She's the girl-next-door, your best friend from the office, saying all the things you wish you could say.

As she writes in her footnotes (a personal-writing-style plus, in my opinion, because they often deliver the funniest lines in the book), all these books and more "are available now at your local booksellers. Purchase your copy today!" Now having read Pretty in Plaid and Such a Pretty Fat, I'll have to purchase the other two: Bitter is the New Black and Bright Lights, Big Ass.

If you finish all the books and you're left feeling utterly Jen-less, you can always visit her blog Jennsylvania for continuous updates and humorous stories.

Just to brighten your day, here's a look at Jen herself talking about the book (and you get a glimpse of the real-world trainer Barbie!):