Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe

On a whim one day I bought "Riding With the Queen" by Jennie Shortridge. Loved It. Followed through by purchasing "Eating Heaven." Loved it. When I saw she had a new one, I snatched it right up and am I ever grateful that I did. Mira is a middle-aged women who lives on the coastline of Oregon where she has dutifully taken care of her husband, daughter, father, grandmother and several relatives from her huge Italian family while also teaching 6th grade science. She faces menopause with a daughter, Thea, 22, and so rebellious she breaks Mira's heart. Mira's hubby has found a new woman, opineing he is unhappy and has a "friend;" she is helping him feel better in many ways. Mira breaks; Mira hits the highway north! Not knowing where she will end up Mira settles for where her radiator breaks.....downtown Seattle. She finds a job managing a coffee shop and a rat-trap apartment above it to live in. All the upheaval that is her new life is shared with us in so many amusing, touching, down-right heartbreaking details that the book can not be put aside. The prose is smart; the characters so believable, the plot always surprising. I LOVED this book. It is my favorite of all. If you get the chance to purchase this book then do!!! Soon. Women will see so much of themselves between the pages. I laughed; I cried; I mused. It is sublime. Thank-you Ms. Shortridge for making my reading life just that much more pleasant!!!!

Okay, 1st confession - I am not a woman. 2nd confession - I am not middle-aged (although I can see it from here). What can I say, 40 is the new 20, right? One last confession - I have never had a husband cheat on me - which would be a great surprise to me and an even greater one to my wife. So, it is easy to see I am not the target market. That being said, I truly enjoyed this book. Jennie has written characters so vibrant, so real and so familiar that I swear I have been to the Serafino Family Christmas party. The interactions between the characters are real. Reading this book brought up memories of my family and some of their antics - in a good way. By the way, if you do not have a friend like Lannie then go find one. Everyone deserves to have a 'Lannie' in their life. Mira's coming-of-(middle)age struggles kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next - all the way to the last page. As the story unfolded, I found myself alternately saying "You go girl!" when Mira takes a step forward; and "Oh! Mira, Mira, Mira - what were you thinking?" when she finds herself going back a step. Jennie's dialogue (both internal and external) are masterfully written and engaging. She has skillfully back-dropped the story in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Having visited the Oregon Coast on several occasions and being a resident of the Seattle area, I was able to visualize all the locations in the book easily. She uncannily brings out the legendary Seattle coffee fetish with good humor. I think we have all stood in line behind some of the customers we see at The Center of the Universe. Yet, Jennie does all this with a light touch. She weaves the world around the characters in such a way that it adds to the story rather than detract from it. In short, you do not have to be a perimenopausal woman who has had a bad relationship to enjoy this book. A good story is still a good story.

I have to admit that I bought this book by its cover...I had never read any of Jennie's books before this one! I bought the book on Friday evening after work and finished it on Saturday evening! I truly felt as if I was reading about my life! After twenty two years of marriage, I woke up not knowing who I was or what I was suppose to do with my life! My ex was having an affair and my world was turned upside down. Jennie thank you for bringing to life a very painful, but "growing" life experience for many of us! I will read any book that you write and can't wait to purchase more of this one for some of my friends!!!

I had the good fortune to attend Jennie's book launch party at Queen Anne Avenue Books last week - it was thoroughly enjoyable! I walked out with my autographed copy of the book on Thursday night, and tucked my reading time in between family committments, etc. finally finishing it (lingering in the bathroom so as not to be disturbed) on Sunday. What an entertaining story! Jennie's characters are drawn with such depth, I couldn't wait to see what they were going to do next. Mira was scarily familiar as she navigated her perimenopausal way through her life changes, and the supporting cast, from family members to coffee shop clientele, all rang so true. Jennie has an obvious talent for character development and dialogue. I'm excited to read her other 2 books as well. Treat yourself to this rollicking good book!

In Mira, Jennie has created a character so many of us can relate to. Her happy, stable life is turned upside down and she does what many would like to be able to do and runs away. Finding herself in Fremont, she reconnects with who she is and discovers some new things about herself. Mira is strong but vulnerable, smart but sometimes does stupid things, and trying to find ways to connect with a life that is changing around her. For me this story was a good reminder that we all have to take some time to check where we are and make sure we haven't lost our way. This is my favorite of Jennie's books and a terrific read!