Men May Come and Men May Go, but I've Still got my Little Pink Raincoat

Men May Come and Men May Go ... But I've Still Got My Little Pink Raincoat: Life and Love In and Out of My Wardrobe
by Gigi Anders
Published by Rayo
March 2007

Ever had a girlfriend or sister or really any female who talks at you instead of to you, and although she's funny and even interesting, she doesn't expect you to add anything to the conversation? Now for fun let's say that she is also fashion-minded, addicted to TAB, treats her shoes like children and appreciates a good meal.

Well if you enjoy that kind of person I'm sure you will enjoy Gigi Anders's trip down ex-boyfriend memory lane in Men May Come and Men May Go, but I've Still Got my Little Pink Raincoat. Anders takes the reader through several relationships, each associated with an article of clothing, a perfume or a lipstick shade. She is charmingly pathetic as she searches for relationship "cures" through shopping, because who wouldn't want to propose to a woman who wore an adorable pink raincoat?

Fortunately for those less fashion-friendly, Anders also captivates her readers with mouth-watering descriptions of food. Don't read this book hungry or right before grocery shopping, but do be tempted to try one of the few recipes she slips in.

Ultimately, Gigi Anders wrote a book about friendship and self-discovery that everyone can appreciate with a few embarrassing stories thrown in to keep us chuckling. If nothing else, you can take away this important lesson: "Lose the guy, keep the lipstick."

My Sister's Keeper

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Published by Simon & Schuster Trade
2005

Upon finishing this book, you will be either angry or deeply touched. That, I believe may be the author's precise intention.

What the Dead Know

What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
Published by William Morrow, Harper Collins
March 2007


Though this is my first time reading Laura Lippman, she kept what good reputation I knew of with What the Dead Know, a novel and quasi-mystery. More a good tale than a who-done-it, I never regretted picking this based on reviews of previous Lippman successes (No Good Deeds, By a Spider's Thread, etc).

Based in Baltimore, a woman who claims to be one of two sisters who disappeared over 30 years ago is involved in a hit-and-run accident. This Jane Doe's story, as well as her family's, unfolds slowly as Lippman weaves the narrative back and forth in time. The police are baffled as there is no possibility of DNA testing nor any record of the girls from the day they went missing.

What the Dead Know has just the right amount of twists and turns and character building to deliver a book that is both readable and enjoyable, though maybe a bit slow at times. Recommended, but check it out from the library before you but it.