Where'd you go Bernadette?

Even though we make fun of adults who still make use of the middle-school phrase "best friend," I'm going to start this post by saying that my sister is my best friend and probably the funniest person I know. Her take on life is unique and enlightening and she's constantly making me see things in new and better ways.

She also does a great (hilarious) reading of a situation. Once, leaving a parking lot, we saw a car do a dramatic U-turn back toward the store. Completely deadpan, she announced, "Oh, he forgot the creamed corn. Got in trouble last time." Every time I have to go back into a store now I quietly say to myself, "I'm not leaving without the creamed corn."  She never stops teaching me things, either. When Frozen came out my mom wanted to see it (she likes snowmen), so she rounded up her kids and we went. [Side note: we were the best behaved kids in the theater. We were all over 25, but that's hardly the point]. At the end of the film, my sister turned to me and said, "What do you think was the moral of that story?" I knew I was going to learn what the moral was, which turned out to be, "Always listen to your little sister!"

It's very rare that a day passes by when my sister and I aren't talking on the phone or through email and one thing that we always share is book recommendations. As well as searching for the next perfect sitcom (we mourn, together, the lost days of Golden Girls and Frasier), we're always on the hunt for the next great read. The book my sister most lately turned me onto is Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

Bernadette was one of the titles that topped the bestseller list at the bookstore where I used to work, so I was skeptical at first. What won we over - besides the multiple narrators - was the work's sheer quirkiness. All of the characters are unusual and most are operating from utterly bizarre premises. My favorite voice was that of Bernadette's daughter and the title/mystery of the book kept me merrily turning pages.

My one critique is the same one that I make against Neil Peart's Ghost Rider (sorry, Neil) -- escape is linked to class/wealth. Thank goodness for imaginary flights in the pages of books, because the answer to, "Where'd you go, Kayla?" is pretty predictable - work or home! ;) So, if you're looking for a quick, fun, quirky summer read - track down Bernadette!

Dear Mr. Peart - would it kill you to send a postcard? Or an expose of your bandmates? Your choice.