I'm So Happy for You by Lucinda Rosenfeld

Suppose your best friend is from a wealthy, influential family - are you SO happy for her?
What if she is blonde and has cornflower blue eyes and constantly has some sort of man drama - would you be a tad jealous?
What if you're having trouble in your marriage and this best friend tells you that she's engaged to a wealthy attorney - would your jaw clench as you try to spit out the words "Oh, that's wonderful!"
How 'bout if you're trying, without success, to get pregnant and your best friend just accidentally gets knocked up -- would the resentment make your blood boil?
Try tracking through the snow to see the best friend's new gorgeous town house while you live in a tiny efficiency apartment -- how does sincere can you make your "Your house is beautiful" words sound?

Now imagine that you've always felt a tad superior to the best friend because she always seems to be such a screw up and then, all of the sudden, she's got everything you've ever wanted in life.

That's the story of the friendship of Wendy & Daphne in I'm So Happy for You by Lucinda Rosenfeld. Yeah, technically this book is chick lit, but the skillful way the author conveys Wendy's crippling, destructive feelings of jealousy makes it one darn good read. I could feel Wendy's resentment burning a hole through the page. The only bad thing -- I identified with Wendy! ugggghhhhh!

This is a juicy page turner.

Pretty in Plaid - a memoir by Jen Lancaster

The subtitle of Jen Lancaster's newest book, a memoir, is "a life, a witch, and a wardrobe, or the wonder years before the condescending, egomaniacal, self-centered smart-ass phase."

If you've never read a Jen Lancaster book you are missing out. Lancaster is one funny, talented, and witty writer. I guess she'd be considered "chick lit," but don't let that label throw you off.

Lancaster tells the story of her life through the clothes she wore at various milestones. If you are over 30 something, you will have a wonderful time reliving things like "Izod shirts," "Gunne sac" dresses and dressing like Madonna.

My favorite part was the pageant Jen entered when she was 17. Never having been in a pageant myself, I could not really identify, however, reading about it made me laugh until-I-snorted!!

Read this book and laugh through chapters with subtitles such as: Jordache Jeans, Part II or A Variety of Stained Aprons.

All in all this was a great summer read!