Don't Call Me Shirley

http://acobox.com

Just the other day a friend asked if I had read a particular book.  The question was by e-mail so no answer was immediately required.  And no, I hadn't read the book.  And the title didn't convince me that I wanted to.  But then she mentioned that the heroine reminded her of me.  So now I'm curious.  Will this book give me an insight into what she really thinks of me?

Sigh, as if I shouldn't know after all these years - we won't mention how many.  I believe we still quibble about that.  It's give or take a year or two but when you talk decades what does one year or three really matter?

So back to the question, I remind her of a fictional character in a book, could this be flattering? 
Luckily, Amazon satisfied my immediate curiosity with a free chapter sample.  So I happily delved in. 

The heroine is eleven!!

What was my good friend saying? - that I'm young at heart?

Or??...

I read on.  Surely there's a mistake.   Although, maybe it's here that we enter with Lesley Nielsen's timeworn joke - "and don't call me Shirley."

http://acobox.com

Okay, I digress.   What do I have in common with a precocious chemistry addicted eleven year old bent on poisoning her sister through methods that can only be called diabolically brilliant?   That question dangles.  But the story - let me say I will be buying the book.  It is just that beautifully written.  Although whether it is a YA or just a well written book geared to youth obsessed adults, I can't tell you but this writer on a first novel has sold me. 

Okay, I must reveal, the book - drumroll...

"The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie". 

Now in regards to my similarity with the heroine, I'm still on the fence about that.  The closest I get to murder and mayhem is between the pages of a book.  Although my friend did say that, age and interests aside,  the personality of the character reminded her of me.  We'll just shrug and leave it at that.  In the meantime, her comment sparked my curiosity and led me to discover an author and that made it all worthwhile.

Has fiction brushed your reality lately?  

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com