Reading Again

Over the weekend, I read Hot Flash Club by Nancy Thayer.  It was a fast and funny read, highly entertaining even if it did remind me of First Wives Club. The most interesting thing about it from a writer's point of view, however, is that someone in the publishing industry has been paying attention to population demographics which show that there are lots of ladies with hot flashes these days, ladies who buy books.  The publisher not only contracted for the story but brought it out with enough fanfare to make it a best seller.  That speaks well for the industry.

 

I also read Puttin' on the Grits (Girls Raised in the South,) a primer about the Southern way of entertaining.  What a hoot!  So many rules, customs and half-forgotten habits that are stunningly recognizable to those of us brought up in the South.  But beneath the frou-frou, funnies and nostalgia, the book carries lots of great ideas for saving your sanity while making people comfortable in your home--and a really serious look at why Southern hospitality is so famous the world over.  It goes on my keeper shelf.