by Sue Miller |
REVIEWED BY JOANNA POWELL
NOVEL
Always fascinated with the fragility of domestic life, Miller here revisits themes of marital restlessness and betrayal while adding ripped-from-the-headlines plot elements: a womanizing politico and a case of postpartum depression. Delia, the senator's wife of the title, has split from her cheating husband but never divorced him. She creates a sanctuary in Connecticut far from him and the prying eyes of Washington. But when Meri, a much younger newlywed, moves in next door, their lives become entwined, secrets are uncovered, and Delia's veneer begins to crack. Though slow-paced at times, the story leads to a riveting collision even a politician might find shocking.
by Susanna Sonnenberg |
CRITIC'S CHOICE
REVIEWED BY KIM HUBBARD
MEMOIR
Just when you think Tolstoy was wrong—that there's a limit to the permutations of unhappy families, and we've heard about them all—along comes this tale of the fresh hell that was Sonnenberg's childhood. Her parents divorced early, and she and her sister grew up mostly with their glamorous, unstable mother, a compulsive liar who also shoplifted and used cocaine (offering it to Susanna at 12). But it was "Daphne's" intrusive preoccupation with sex—she told Susanna about orgasms when she was 8, bought her Penthouse and later tried to seduce her boyfriends—that did the most damage. "I know everything about you, I always will," Daphne repeatedly, chillingly said. Just not that her daughter would emerge intact enough to write this disturbing, beautifully observed memoir.
by Eric Weiner |
REVIEWED BY JONATHAN DURBIN
MEMOIR
Weiner is a self-confessed grump who took a break from covering grim news for NPR to seek out "unheralded happy places." Visiting high-scorers in the World Database of Happiness (winners include Thailand and Switzerland), he made some fascinating discoveries. The emptiness he felt in a luxury Qatar hotel, for instance, serves as an excellent warning against visiting wealthy countries. In the end, he learns that money can't buy happiness, but it can buy you a ticket out of Moldova, the grim former Soviet republic. And sometimes that's just enough.
by Michael Lee West |
REVIEWED BY CASSIDY STOCKWELL
FICTION
Suffering from writer's block—and rumors that her director beau is cheating on her—screenwriter Renata DeChavannes flees to her grandmother's gulf coast estate. But instead of solace, she finds herself seeking answers to old questions—about her troubled childhood, her estranged father and the dead mother she still longs for. West brings humor and an unerring ear for Southern dialect to the proceedings, making her spirited fifth novel a delightful escape.
The Good Mother (1986) A divorced mom pays a devastating price for sexual liberation. Dated but still gripping.
While I Was Gone (1999) Midlife crises among the former '60s-radical set.
Lost in the Forest (2005) Sudden death, teen sexuality and a family shaken to its core. Improbably, it's uplifting.
MY FAVORITE SELF-HELP BOOK
AMANDA BYNES Why Men Love Bitches [by Sherry Argov]. It has good tips. I don't really need it because I'm overly confident ... but I've been hurt.
CARRIE ANN INABA I have so many! One is Embracing Uncertainty [by Susan Jeffers]. I'm learning not to worry about tomorrow and really enjoy today.
NIKKI BLONSKY My journal. You can learn a lot from other people, but the person you can learn the most from—and change—is yourself.
In a new book, mom and ex-model Lynda Fassa—who started the organic clothing company Green Babies in '94—offers advice on bringing up kids the Earth (and people) friendly way. Some tips:
1 BAN THE BUG SPRAY Studies show insecticides raise kids' chances of childhood cancers. So don't use them inside or out.
2 USE NATURAL CLEANERS You can get green cleaning stuff from Method, Seventh Generation and others. It's not more expensive, and it does clean as well. Or try baking soda and vinegar—it cleans everything. And your kitchen only smells like a Niçoise salad until it dries!
3 REMEMBER THAT WHAT YOU PUT ON, YOU PUT IN Your skin absorbs what you put on it, so avoid synthetic fragrance in lotions and soaps. If you like lavender or lemon you're in luck.
4 OPT FOR CERTIFIED ORGANIC FOOD WHENEVER POSSIBLE It's really expensive, so if you can't afford it all the time choose two or three foods your kid eats the most of and buy organic versions of those.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
