When I requested this book, I wasn’t expecting a “self help” AND cookbook that was going to be so stinkin’ funny!!! Beginning with the first chapter, I was laughing out loud and realizing she was talking about ME! Okay, not me but all women at this mid-life stage living the same “syndromes”. I especially loved the Raging Inferno Syndrome….hot flashes….that I experienced while I was reading about it! It’s an entertaining book that definitely “helps” the “self” with humor and truthful view of women. This is a great chic-lit book to give as a gift to a girlfriend who could use a rip-roaring belly laugh.

Each chapter ends with some fabulous tips & dee-lish-us recipes. The tips from “Thus Saith the Belle Doctrine…..” (rules governing a Southern Belle’s life) are hilarious while incorporating each chapter in the tip. Add in the “Guide to Speaking All Things Southern” in each chapter and you get even more chuckles. About halfway through the book, though, I’d kind of had enough but I trudged on to the end. It’s one of those books to keep in the car for waiting in a doctor’s office, or (& I hate to say it!) in the bathroom to pass the time, or by the chaise lounge while taking a break from everyday.

On the other hand, there are some great looking recipes in the book that I can’t wait to try! Jessica Ann’s Chicken and Dumplings, Chocolately Chip Pound Cake, and Shellie’s Stacked Tortillas to name a few (I’m all about easy cooking!). Quick, simple recipes for the busy woman on the go.

Overall, it’s a fun read but more appropriate for short spurts of reading—not a cover to cover, all in one sitting read. ( )

Probably the most hilarious book I have ever read! ( )