Canadian Gift Guide

And one more beachy read for the cheap seats in the back! I’m kidding, but I’m rounding off this summer’s roundup of beach bag-friendly books with an easygoing nonfiction tome that’s a worthy ready any time of year.

What’s The Buzz?: Lisa Scottoline has buckets of books under her belt, in the mass market field. However, as of late, Lisa has been swapping out her legal dramas for a series of nonfiction tomes co-written with her twenty-something daughter Francesca Serritella, earning the twosome rave reviews for their wholly relatable, bite-sized tales of life as mother, daughter, and independent women.

What’s The Plot?: Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat? is a series of tons of little nonfiction essays. I’d put emphasis on little and not essays – most of them are but a few pages long, making this an easily digestible book for even the shortest of stopovers (like waiting for your bus to arrive or the doctor to see you, for example). While the book vaguely touches on the themes of summers past and today’s preoccupation with body image on the beach, it’s ultimately about the things women of all ages and all walks of life deal with on a daily basis – from not wearing a bra when a construction worker is on the scaffolding outside your window to bumping into someone from your ex’s life while on a date, the pint-sized tales here are relatable yet engaging.

What’s The Vibe?: The good news? This isn’t a slog. Some nonfiction books based on essays can be…tiresome…to read. But Scottoline and Serritella are both brimming with humour and wit, seeing the world in a very real, grounded way. The stories are a little inspirational, but they rarely tip over into the sappy category. Mostly they’re just funny, fun, and feel like an anecdote a close friend or a quirky aunt might tell you. Oftentimes the women pepper their stories with the insights they’ve gained – and while a lot of them are sort of ‘so what?’ shrugs at their maladies in life, they also shed great perspective when you yourself have encountered something similar.

How Beachy Is It?: I mean, the word ‘beach’ is in the title, so of course Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat? one fit the bill for my beach reads series! But really, the bulk of the stories aren’t centered on the beach, or even the summer. While more stories than not take place in a sort of summery setting, the true essence of beachiness comes from the digestible length of the essays, the tongue-in-cheek humour, and the laid-back vibe of this funny mother / daughter duo.

Who Should Read This Book?: I don’t have an exact book comparison for you, but Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat? reminded me a bit of some of the mommy blogs out there in terms of its down-to-earth portrayal of motherhood, womanhood, and everything in between. By the end of reading it you’ll feel like giving Lisa or Francesca a ring on the phone because you’re old friends. And failing that, well, the twosome have also written other memoirs together so check them out.

Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat? is on bookshelves everywhere right now for $24.99 so pick up a copy before the sun sets on summer. Plus, I’m giving away a copy so you can dive in for yourself:

1) First & foremost: you must be a subscriber to the Canadian Gift Guide to enter this giveaway. It’s as simple as finding ‘The Gift of Gab’ box in the righthand column and dropping in your email or clicking follow. Then, tell me in the comments below by September 15, 2015 – why are you interested in reading this fun read?

2) Entries are limited to one per person / per email address / per household (or more if you score bonus entries). A random draw will be conducted on or around September 16, 2015 to select the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen in their place.

3) Entries are limited to Canadians that have reached the age of majority in their province. Quebec is not eligible for this promotion.

4) Bonus Entry: Follow Raincoast Books on Twitter, tag them and me (@cdngiftguide) in a Tweet about why you want to read this intriguing book! Post a link to your Tweet below in a separate comment to earn yourself an extra entry into the draw.

5) Bonus Entry #2: Add this book to your to-read list on GoodReads, and leave a link back to the page it’s on below in a separate comment to earn yourself another bonus entry.