If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster - Anticipating my favorite author's first foray into fiction, I was estatic when I learned she would be including my local bookstore in Buckhead on her promotion tour to kick off its release. After racing from work to the bookstore, I was among the first to get my golden ticket (allbeit pink if we are getting literal). Jen is an amazingly funny author, and her book discussion and Q & A did not dissappoint. After too many years of following her blog, reading her books, and virtually stalking her brother (more about that later...maybe!), finally getting to meet her and chat for just a moment was a memory I'll never forget. Picture to come later...
Now for the book...
Gangster neighbors and a landlord akin to Paris Hilton force, nay, ENCOURAGE our main characters Mac and Mia (Fletch and Jen?) to flee city life in search of the greener pastures and tiled foyers of Chicago's northern elite suburbs. Mia, a young adult writer of a teenage amish zombie series (yup, you read that correctly) and Fletch, an engineer with WAY too much vacation time. With visions of travertine marble, gabled roofs, and chandeliers, Mia and Mac set out on their quest for the perfect first home for them and their menagerie of animals. After a tireless search they find their dream home, also known as the home used as the set in John Hughes' movie "Sixteen Candles." Whoever said you can't judge a book by its cover is right. But, in this case, you can't choose the cover by the book, either. What looks like a home that will require minor repairs turns into the proverbial money pit, complete with toilets raining from the ceiling, mold, ants, $45 light bulbs, a safe-room with a broken doorknob, and neighbors hell-bent on getting revenge over ornamantal cabbages.
My take on the book:
If I could be objective I'd probably comment upon how this book is just too over-the-top to be believable in any way. From the never-ending supply of money Mia and Mac seem to have to the Moltov cocktails their gangster neighbor attempts (and fails) to chuck at them while they still live in the city, the scenes seem to get more and more out-there. However, THIS IS fiction and THIS IS Jen Lancaster. With a little coaxing I could believe this is non-fiction with her track record. For me, I loved the book, not just because I love Jen and all things Jen, but because it is where I am at in my life now, too. Moving from the city to the suburbs, the right of passage that is buying your first home, the love affair one can maintain with travertine marble tile. I get it. And, in true Jen style, she keeps her snarky footnotes and off-the-cuff attitude in her writing. I don't think this one will win too many literary awards, but it was at #14 on the NYT Bestseller list after week 1. Her fans are ever faithful. Kudos, Jen!
700 Sundays by Billy Crystal - When Billy Crystal was 9, he saw his first stand-up comic. It was in the Catskills, and the guy's material is so-so: "He comes home, finds his best friend in bed with his wife and says, 'Lenny, I have to. But you?' " It was in that moment that the young Billy find his life's calling: "I say to myself, 'I could never play baseball like Mickey Mantle ever, but this I could do.' I memorized his act instantly."
