Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?: True Stories and Confessions

by Lisa Scottoline, Francesca Serritella Narrated by Lisa Scottoline, Francesca Serritella

Overview

The unstoppable, irreverent mother-daughter team presents a new collection of funny stories and true confessions that every woman can relate to. From identity theft to the hazards of bicycling to college reunions and eating on the beach, Lisa and Francesca tackle the quirks, absurdities, and wonders of everyday life with wit and warmth.

As Lisa says, "More and more, especially in the summertime when I'm sitting on the beach, I'm learning not to sweat it. To go back to the child that I used to be. To see myself through the loving eyes of my parents. To eat on the beach. And not to worry about whether every little thing makes me look fat. In fact, not to worry at all."

So put aside your worries and join Lisa and Francesca as they navigate their way through the crazy world we live in, laughing along the way.

A Macmillan Audio production.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

05/18/2015
Scottoline, the prolific and bestselling author of two dozen novels, and her daughter, Serritella (with whom she writes a weekly column for the Philadelphia Inquirer), pile plenty of laughs and a few tears into the latest volume in their humor series. Super-organized single parent Scottoline lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her menagerie of pets, not far from her beloved Mother Mary, her sassy mother, who has a couple of marriages under her own belt. Mother Mary, food (especially Mary’s spaghetti sauce), and close friends get a lot of coverage in Scottoline’s writing. Her daughter, another animal lover, calls New York City home, where she deals with issues that will click with a lot of city dwellers: mice, gym membership gouging, and noisy early morning construction. When 90-something Mother Mary suddenly falls ill with advanced lung cancer, the writing takes on a note of sweetness and poignancy without becoming maudlin or treacly. Unable to talk comfortably in her final weeks, Mary uses a dry erase board to curse up a storm, demand that the family not talk about any end-of-life business, and share some hard-earned wisdom. This breezy, thoughtful book offers funny and lovely family moments that mothers and daughters will savor. (July)

From the Publisher

Praise for This Series

“True tales of how we live now from a mother and daughter who are best pals—and a very funny writing team.” –People “Best Beach Book”

“We get to be flies on the wall as the mother-daughter team fights, makes up, and hurls barbs just like you and your mom.” –O, The Oprah Magazine “Perfect Summer Must Read”

"Guaranteed laughs: Short, sharp musings on life from perennially hilarious mom-daughter duo." -Good Housekeeping

“The perfect present for moms, grandmas, and aunts.” —Cosmopolitan

“A funny uplifting read for women of any generation.” –Publishers Weekly

“Mother and daughter give an entertaining, down –to-earth narration as they reflect on various aspects of their lives.” –AudioFile Best Book of the Year

“Readers can count on an ab-toning laugh session, a silly giggle, a sympathetic sigh, and a lump in the throat as life’s moments are rehashed through the keen eyes and wits of this lovable mother-daughter duo.” –Booklist

"Lisa and Francesca, mother and daughter, bring you the laughter of their lives once again and better than ever. You will identify with these tales of guilt and fall in love with them and fierce (grand) Mother Mary." —Delia Ephron, bestselling author

“Lisa and Francesca both have great personal styles that make readers feel that they are being taken into a friend’s confidence —we get drawn in so close that it is easy to believe that what is happening to Lisa and Francesca is happening to us.” –Connecticut Post

"Writer Lisa Scottoline is as skilled at slaying readers with humor as she is at knocking off perps in her best-selling mysteries. She and her daughter Francesca tag-team the laughs about ife and love in their fourth collection of essays." –American Way Magazine

Erma Bombeck for mothers and daughters, with a zesty Italian twist. –Kirkus

"Whether Lisa and Francesca are contemplating mommy guilt, puppy love or baby fever, this fabulous book is that rare mix of LOL wit and exquisite real-world wisdom. –Kate White, bestselling author

"Lisa and Francesca's writing is so fun, funny, warm, sharp, and emotional that I wish I could both adopt and be adopted by them.” –Megan Amram, bestselling author

“This duo’s ponderings on contemporary life and sometimes stormy family ties are always entertaining. Fasten your seat-belts for the good times ahead.” –Mary Kay Andrews, bestselling author

Library Journal

07/01/2015
Scottoline and daughter Serritella bring to the table a new helping of humorous, insightful, and touching vignettes from their lives. The two detail everything from bicycle riding to reentering the dating scene to Scottoline's love of Bradley Cooper. This volume in the collection of mother-daughter memoirs takes a melancholy tone though as it is dedicated to and discusses the passing of Mother Mary, the family matriarch. Through the sadness are messages of familial love and strength. Readers of the previous installments will not be disappointed with the pair's wit and quirkiness. Scottoline's segments about being a middle-aged writer offer a pleasant generational contrast to that of her twentysomething daughter's self-discovery in New York City. It's one of the most satisfying things about the work—it leaps over generational gaps and ultimately mothers and daughters will nod in recognition of feminist values, the oddities of life, and the bonds of family. The brevity of each essay makes this a quick read, perfect for the beach as the title would suggest, yet some pieces end too quickly, leaving readers to feel as though thoughts went unfinished. VERDICT A strong choice for fans of the Scottoline and the series (Have a Nice Guilt Trip; Meet Me at the Emotional Baggage Claim). [See Prepub Alert, 1/12/15.]—Kaitlin Connors, Virginia Beach P.L.

AUGUST 2015 - AudioFile

Looking for a light summertime listen? Lisa Scottoline, a bestselling author of thrillers, and her 20-something daughter, Francesca Serritella, trade off sharing stories of their own lives, with plenty of humor thrown in. The down-to-earth, relatable pair are a lot of fun to listen to as their topics range from family dynamics to surviving the contemporary dating world. Scottoline's Philly accent and expressive speaking style add to the humor of the stories. Serritella also sounds approachable as a young woman who is trying to navigate life, friendship, and love in the city. The stories—by and large light, easy, and fun—are perfect for a relaxed summer day. S.E.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2015-04-14
A mother and daughter team up for another volume of anecdotal stories. There are countless readers for whom a book is akin to a truffle, a small, sweet, delicate treat lacking in anything particularly sustaining. Often, it's as much about having others know you're enjoying it as it is about actually enjoying it. Here, bestselling novelist Scottoline and her daughter Serritella (Have a Nice Guilt Trip, 2014, etc.), both Sunday columnists for the Philadelphia Inquirer, deliver another truffle of a book. It is about nothing but enjoyment, a nudge-nudge, wink-wink narrative about womanhood in all of its messy, wonderful glory (well, "all" from the viewpoint of two well-to-do white women). It is the sixth such book from this mother-and-daughter team, ostensibly in the tradition of humorists like Erma Bombeck. Scottoline and Serritella have yet to reach Bombeck's level of popularity, but it isn't for lack of effort—or perhaps it is: many of the sentences (even paragraphs) consist of only a few words: "We get it." "We rock!" "Like Mensa." One essay notes that, in disagreements with the power company, they always win: "Because they have the power." Elsewhere, "I have a gangrene thumb" describes a comical difficulty with planting "a zillion" perennials. Other examples: "She's like Oprah if Oprah could twerk." "Woot woot!" "LOL." "I'm in love. / With my Fitbit. / I'm smitten, which makes me Smitbit. / Or maybe Fitbitten. / Either way, I'm into it….By the way, my dogs do not have Fitbits. / They don't Fitbite." The topics are mostly the same as in their previous books, many similar to those Bombeck covered far more dynamically in her many bestsellers. There's another, more relevant, definition of a truffle: "a strong-smelling underground fungus that resembles an irregular, rough-skinned potato." A silly, featherweight confection that will only appeal to the authors' many fans.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172184093
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	07/07/2015
Series:	Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman , #6
Edition description:	Unabridged

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