I'm not sure which I did more of while reading this wonderful book: chuckle out loud or wipe away tears. It helps, I suppose, that I was a huge fan of the author's long-running "Cathy" comic strip. Perhaps more important, while I'm older than she is by nine years, I, too, was a champion of the feminist movement (still am, as is she) and was for a time sandwiched in between parents and a daughter, all of whom were growing old, and up, way too fast. Sadly, my parents are gone now - and my daughter has become the "stuff" inside the Oreo of life, caught between a grown daughter of her own and her aging parents (which, Lord help us, means me and my husband).

In any event, oh, how I can relate - and I'm quite sure all but teenybopper females will do so as well. These essays were written, Guisewite says, at a time when she's trying to "declutter" her own life (hmmm, I'm pretty sure that's a word that passed through our daughter's lips last time she popped in for a visit). Feminist though she may be, Guisewite admits to feeling torn between Betty Crocker and Betty Friedan (conjuring up decades-ago memories of whipping up a casserole for my family to eat while I attended a Gloria Steinem lecture). I choked with laughter - and frustration - as she recounted getting "stuck" in a sports bra; as a gym newbie, I can tell you it's not fun (though worse, perhaps, is the embarrassment over having to call someone to your rescue). And before I caved and joined the gym, I, too, resisted the call to exercise, rationalizing that "I exercised yesterday and I don't look any different."

There are far too many other shared feelings and experiences to mention here (especially since I don't want to spoil the fun for other readers). In the end, she sums up the dilemma we're in perfectly: "My whole generation is reeling from the stunning truth - that we, who are way too young and hip to ever look or act old, are not too young to pass away." Aha - maybe that's why I glance proudly at the year-old Aristocat tattoo on the top of my flip-flop clad foot as I open the morning newspaper first to the obituaries pages. Torn indeed!

In short, I love, love, love this book - highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

if you ever read the Cathy cartoon that Guisewite wrote for so many years, you will be completely comfortable with the tone and content of this book of essays. In it, Guisewite writes about what it is like to be a woman during the “sandwich” years, where you are trying to help you children move into their adult lives whild helping your parents navigate the aging process.

It is full of humorous and relatable moments that any woman of similar age will recognize—surprise at how our bodies are becoming like those of “old” people, regret for what we “should” have done when our kids were little and the experience of not being able to cull our closet because there is so much promise in those clothes that never really fit and are long out of fashion, but are so perfect for a moment that we can picture as part of our perfect life.

About halfway through the book I started making a list of friends who I wanted to give it to.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an advanced reading copy.

Flavia de Luce rides again! Flavia is going pro with her mentor Dogger. They have formed the Arthur W. Dogger & Associates detective's agency to make "discreet investigations." Their first case is closer to home than they expected when an embalmed human finger is found in Flavia's sister's wedding cake. The finger points them (if you will excuse the pun) to a grim venture taking place under the noses of the respectable people in Bishop's Lacey. Flavia fans will be glad to know that this story is filled with the unexpected twists and turns, philosophical questions, dark beauty and sly humor we have come to associate with the series. Most mysteries are not good for repeat reads but the Flavia de Luce mysteries are so much more than simple whodunits. There is much to ponder here through many re-readings. But don't expect loose ends to be neatly sewn up for you. Author Alan Bradley leaves them hanging for us to wonder about long after we've closed the book. I would not recommend reading these books out of order. Start with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie if you are new to Flavia's world. If you are already a Flavia fan, you know what you are in for when you begin this book. And you won't be disappointed.