A BOOK TO CURL UP WITH

Last night I finished THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER by Jojo  Moyes and knew I needed to recommend it to anyone looking for a lovely read over the upcoming holiday weekend.

The story follows two “heroines” forty years apart. Jennifer is the wife of a wealthy London businessman in 1960 who falls in love with a journalist while summering on the French Riviera. Ellie is a high-powered journalist in 2003’s London who is having an affair with a famous and very married author. Their paths intersect when Ellie finds a heart-breaking love letter and sets out to discover the story behind it.

The contrast between Jennifer’s world and its oppressive restrictions on women and Ellie’s world where her social freedom creates its own emotional barriers is one of the themes that lifts this story beyond the typical love story and makes it memorable. And the writing is good! Go to your nearest independent bookstore today (plug for the indies who support us!) and get a copy!

Girl-Night-In Indulgences

My husband went out of town for a few days last month, and I held a girl-night-in party every evening of his trip. Neither men nor martinis were harmed during his time away: I watched movies, read books, and got hooked on a television show recommended by Younger Daughter.

Movies with too much pondering and not enough plot put my guy to sleep. He doesn’t find romantic comedies particularly funny, and he’s bitter that I put Black Swan into our Netflix queue.

While the Swan-hater wasn’t around, I re-watched Love Actually and The Holiday, and saw Eat, Pray, Love, all thanks to Netflix. The three movies proved a fun, zesty treat-- the zero-calorie equivalent of Key Lime pie.( Love Actually might be more like Sticky Toffee Pudding, a dessert I adore. Look for it at the menu at Feast in Houston.)

My night-time reading included Jojo Moyes’ The Last Letter from Your Lover, a touching, heart-breaking read. The letters from fictional Anthony O’Hare made me swoon, but neither lamps nor small breakables were harmed.

When Younger Daughter told me I had to watch TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress, I thought she was hinting at an upcoming wedding. Wrong. She thought I’d like the internal and external conflicts brides-to-be and their families and friends take to the bridal shop when hunting for dream wedding dresses.

Thanks to Younger Daughter, I’ve gotten half a ream of ideas from the show. Some moms chip, chip, chip away a their daughters’ self-esteem, some bridesmaids hijack attention from the bride-to-be, and for every Bridezilla, there’s a girl who’s reluctant to claim as much as five minutes of limelight for herself. The program’s a mother lode for writers of women’s fiction.

After a few days of girl time, I was ready for ESPN. Marriage is about compromise, a shared remote control, and separate lights for reading in bed.

What movies, books, TV shows are your favorite indulgences?