Summary
Critics and readers loved Lisa Scottoline's first collection of true-life stories, which only encouraged her--now she's back with these all-new, exciting adventures. She's farther down the road now, and the scenery has changed--ex-husbands Thing One and Thing Two are in her rear-view mirror, daughter Francesca has moved into an apartment, and Lisa's finding the silver lining in her empty nest, which has lots more room for her shoes. And some things have stayed the same--Mother Mary is still the feistiest octogenarian on the planet, who won't part with her recipe for tomato sauce or her thirty-year old bra.In this book Lisa and Francesca spill all their family secrets--which sound a lot like yours, if you understand that three generations of women is the formula for spontaneous combustion.Inspired by her weekly column entitled, "Chick Wit" for The Philadelphia Inquirer, this is a book you'll have to put down--just to stop laughing.
Author Notes
Lisa Scottoline was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 1, 1955. She received a B.A. in English with a concentration in the contemporary American novel from the University of Pennsylvania in 1976 and graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1981. Before becoming an author, she worked as a trial lawyer.
Her first novel, Everywhere That Mary Went, was published in 1994. Her other books include Come Home, Keep Quiet, Every Fifteen Minutes, and Most Wanted. She also writes the Rosato and Associates series and the Rosato and Dinunzio Novel series.
Lisa's title, Daddy's Girl, is a April 2016 New York Times bestseller.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Scottoline, a single mom and author of 17 New York Times bestselling novels, also writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where her "Chick Wit" column appears on Sundays and is occasionally written by her daughter Francesca. It has also served as fodder for two books, last year's Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog, and this one, which contains 70 more essays that are by turns rueful, uplifting, sweet, kooky-and always amusing. Fans of her mystery and suspense fare will enjoy the opportunity for another warts-and-all peek into the author's daily life, including musings on what it's like to live (and sleep) with five dogs, an addiction to sunflower seeds, and fruitless yet hilarious attempts to communicate with her non sequitur-loving mother. Mother Mary, a spirited octogenarian, gets lots of ink, and rightly so: she's been an important role model for Scottoline and granddaughter. Francesca's writing complements her mother's, particularly in essays like "I Don't" and "Deadhead," in which the former reveals her fascination with the weddings section of the newspaper, the latter, the obituaries. Family photos add to the fun, as does the authors' focus on enjoying life, whether via the delights of a newly empty nest or remembering that, when it comes to women, "Our strength, our wit, and our hearts are more powerful than anybody ever could have imagined." It's a funny, uplifting read for women of any generation. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Popular mystery writer and author of Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog (2009) (an amusing collection drawn from her weekly newspaper column, Chick Lit ), Scottoline stirs up even more sassy fun this time bringing her daughter, Francesca, into the mix as cowriter. Building from the stories in her first collection, Scottoline teaches the art of choosing the perfect purse, how to survive deadlines (not to mention dirty dishwashers), and what to do (or not do) when visiting your adult child's apartment. All the usual suspects are in tow, including four loyal canines, two quirky cats, and one feisty Mother Mary with a few family photographs to boot. Echoing her mother's wit and charm, daughter Francesca muses on the life of a twentysomething and tackles apartment decor, first dates, finding the perfect gal pal, and starting out as a single girl in New York City. A clever compilation from two generations of women reflecting on family, love, dessert, and everything in between. Here's one for librarians to promote as book-club material (especially for girls-only clubs).--McCormick, Annie Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Edgar Award-winning novelist Scottoline (scottoline.com), whose previous nonfiction work, Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog (2009), was informed by her weekly "Chick Wit" column for the Philadelphia Inquirer, here teams up with daughter Francesca in a sequel brimming with Scottoline's trademark humor, frankness, and self-deprecation. The brief vignettes are well paced and touch on universal themes that will resonate with audiences of all ages. Whether the topic is aging, dogs, house cleaning, family secrets, or buying a larger TV, listening to the book is like sitting with an old friend telling stories-you don't want the night to end and you want to be invited back again. Highly recommended for all audiences. [Includes a bonus interview with the author; see Prepub Exploded, BookSmack! 6/3/10.-Ed.]-Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space Chapter 1 A Woman At The Wheel It all begins with Nancy Drew. And it might end there, too. I grew up with a girl crush on Nancy Drew, and it came back to me recently, when I was organizing my books at home. I found a few of the Nancy Drew books I had as a child, among them the blue-thatched copy of The Mystery at the Ski Jump. It's even older than I am, copyrighted in 1952. My copyright is 1955. As a girl, I not only read the Nancy Drew books, I memorized them. I identified with her, although we had nothing in common. She was rich, I wasn't. She was slim, I wasn't. She had a distant father and no mother. I was close to my father, and I had Mother Mary. Who's enough mother for both of us. Nevertheless I loved her and I still do, even in my fifties. Could there be two times in a woman's life during which she feels like Nancy Drew--pre-puberty and post-menopause? Possible. But why, for me? For starters, Nancy's blond, and I'm blond in my mind. She has a dog, and I have five dogs. She drives a convertible roadster, and I drive an SUV. Well, they're both cars. Plus we both have a boyfriend. Hers is Ned Nickerson, and mine is George Clooney. Finally, we're both on our own, which enables us to have all manner of adventures. And kidding aside, that's at the heart of Nancy Drew. That she's free, and in charge of her own fate. No one is telling her what to do. No mom, dad, or hubby. No one can. She doesn't ask permission. She hops into that convertible and drives. Fast. Nancy Drew was an ordinary girl, who was extraordinary in so many ways, and because of her, I started to write novels in which ordinary women were the heroes, because we're all extraordinary in so many ways. I'm talking teachers, lawyers, journalists, at-home moms, secretaries, painters, accountants, and nurses. In other words, you and me. The novels became bestsellers, thanks to you, and the trademark Scottoline heroine is Nancy Drew with a mortgage, or how I feel on a good hair day. It seemed only natural to segue from writing about fictional extraordinary women to writing about the real extraordinary women in my life, though it's a new experience for me, in some ways. In a novel, I have 100,000 words to tell a story. In one of these vignettes, I have 700. I can barely say hello in 700 words. I'm Italian. Also, in a novel, I'm writing fiction, and here, it's real life. The characters in this book are my family and friends. Even though they're still total characters. Inside you'll meet Daughter Francesca, who writes on her own in these pages, spilling all our family secrets, like when she tells me what to wear on a blind date. Hint: Show the wares. And you'll read about Mother Mary, the feistiest octogenarian on the planet, who lives with Brother Frank in Miami. And my late father, Frank. Sadly, he has passed, but he's here, too. That's how it is when we lose our parents, or anyone we love. They're passed, but always present. As for my pals, I'm closer than ever to best friend Franca, and as you will read, I spend Christmas Day with her and Meryl Streep. And you'll meet assistant Laura, who sets me straight on having 700 people to my house for a book club party. You'll even get to know my array of two cats and five dogs, including a new puppy that makes me wonder if I'm becoming an animal hoarder. Answer: Possibly. By the way, I'm divorced twice, from Thing One and Thing Two, and they hardly appear at all in this book. Why? They're farther and farther away in my rear-view mirror. They're so small, they hardly matter anymore. This happens when we drive, and it tells you I'm moving ahead. Finally. There was a previous book about all of these people, but you don't have to read it to enjoy this one. You'll catch on soon enough. I bet because they remind you of the people in your own family. And your life. And yourself. Because I think that women are basically the same, under the hood. That's why Nancy Drew lives on. Her life is still all of our lives, as ordinary extraordinary women. Even if we have hubbies and kids and moms and dads, at bottom, we're on our own. Each of us lives her own life, at the end of the day. Each of us has her own adventures, and each of us solves her own mysteries, of all sorts. Parenthood is only one of the adventures in our lives. Childbirth is another. Love remains one of our greatest mysteries. Marriage, a mystery I have yet to solve. Nancy may find The Hidden Staircase, but we find The Hidden Calories. We may not solve The Case of the Missing Clock, but we've all solved The Case of the Missing Sock. We drive along in our girl convertibles, and we never know where the road will lead us. At every fork, we choose our way, right or left, north or south, not only for us, but for the people we love, in the backseat. We steer a way through this life, for us and our families. We have a better sense of direction than we think. Our strength, our wit, and our hearts are more powerful than anybody could ever have imagined. And even greater than we ever believed. We are, all of us, women at the wheel. Hit the gas. MY NEST ISN'T EMPTY, IT JUST HAS MORE CLOSET SPACE. Copyright (c) 2010 by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Scottoline Serritella. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010. Excerpted from My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman by Lisa Scottoline All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
