Four super-short reviews

I went on a bit of a non-fiction binge last month - the humorous essays were calling to me. Here are two non-fiction, and two fiction books that I can't quite scare up a separate post on.

Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline - Scottoline mostly writes novels, but this collection of essays (first published as newspaper columns) was my introduction to her, and it made me want to check out her fiction. Fun, funny, and makes me confident that I, too, will be a cool chick when in my 50s. (Even without the two divorces, precocious child, and four golden retrievers and psychotic Corgi that Scottoline boasts.)

I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas by Lewis Black - What can be better, and more amusing, than a Christmas chronicle written by a non-observant Jew?  That the non-observant Jew in question be Lewis Black, coiner of the phrase "If you think about it too long, your head will explode."  I absolutely adore Black, and even though this isn't his strongest writing, it was an amusing and fast read.

The Family Man by Elinor Lipman - I almost abandoned this one, and I'm glad I didn't.  Take one Upper-West-Side-dwelling gay man, his recently widowed Fifth-Avenue-dwelling wife, and a long-estranged ex-daughter who is taking on the media con of the decade, and what do you get?  Charm and hilarity. It took awhile to warm up to this one, but it was worth it.

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie - Crusie is a master of snappy dialogue - one can imagine her writing for Hepburn and Tracy- and she usually spins a good story. This one let me down somewhat. Those of you who know me well won't believe I'm saying this, but I really disliked the supernatural bent of her latest book. Her strength is creating fun, believable relationships (albeit much better-scripted than real life) and this was a wild digression.  Didn't hate it, but could've skipped it.