Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy - Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

I had the pleasure of meeting Shellie Rushing Tomlinson at the UCF Book Festival a couple of months ago.  She is the type of personality that you can't help but love...she is pretty, vivacious, funny as hell, and very much Southern.  After ten minutes of talking to her, you would be more than comfortable having a girls' night out with her to dish about men, female problems and Twitter.  (Which, by the way, is exactly what this book is about.)

A little about Shellie.  She is the bestselling author of "Suck Your Stomach In & Put Some Color On!" (don't you just love her book titles?).  She is a newspaper columnist, a radio host, and creator of the website "The Belle of All Things Southern" which you HAVE to check out.  Seriously.   She is everything we know and love about Southern humor.  At the book festival, she was particularly excited about her new release of "Sue Ellen", because she was able to get Jeff Foxworthy to read and blurb it, against all odds. Bless her heart.

Synopsis:  What we have here is a Seven Bean Salad O' Fun.  What's on your mind ladies?  Hot flashes (for some of you including moi).  Bubba whispering aka man management.  Social media.  Birthin' babies.  Expanding mid-life middle sections.  The annoying chick that talks down to you through the GPS navigator.  Money troubles.  DIY projects.  Southern manners or lack thereof.  Whatever bee is in your bonnet, Shellie will help you through it, all with her pee-your-pants hilarious, laugh-to-keep-from-crying humor. 

But there is more!  Not only does she tell a funny story, but she offers funny little stories and words of wisdom from her readers in the side margin.  She translates Southern Speak (ever want to know what SRC is?  "Straight Running Crazy, used to describe the actions of someone who is no longer detouring from more lucid behavior, but going full steam ahead").  At the end of every chapter, she shares some honest-to-goodness recipes that help life go a little smoother.

My thoughts:  Whether you are a born and bred Southern gal, a transplant wannabe (like me), or just someone who looks at Southerners like they are a science experiment gone awry, you will find this book entertaining.  Shellie is fresh and real, and her writing felt very familiar to me, like I was listening to one of my girlfriends over a glass of wine. 

My only issue in reading this book was that it wasn't conducive to reading in long spurts.  I found it more impactful to read a chapter here, as I was waiting to pick up the kids, and a chapter there before bed, which is really the way I believe this book was meant to be read.

4 out of 5 stars     

14 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I just got this book last week and look forward to reading it. I'll have to try your chapter here and there approach.

rhapsodyinbooks said...

This sounds like it would be a fun audiobook for the car for errand running!

Zibilee said...

I am actually going to be reading her books back to back in order to get really enmeshed in all the great Southern humor. It sounds like this one is going to be a lot of fun when I do get around to it. Great review, Sandy. You seemed to have captured the flavor perfectly.

Martha@Hey, I want to read that said...

Just the name alone makes me want to read this. I like books I can read a chapter here and there to leave in my purse or car. This one sounds perfect.

Anonymous said...

I think that title is an absolute hoot! I need to seek this one out.

Anna said...

Sounds like a book I should have on hand to read here and there between all the war novels.

Unknown said...

I've got both of Shellie's books and I too am going to ease into book one a chapter here and there, I like this approach too. Luckily I have lots of occasions where I have time for just a little bit.
thanks for the review.

Julie P. said...

Sounds like fun but I agree that books like this are better in short doses.

Holly (2 Kids and Tired) said...

I have this one in my TBR stack. I'm looking forward to it. It sounds like the kind of book you keep in your purse and read in stages. That's good to know!
2 Kids and Tired Books

Shellie Tomlinson said...

Hey Sandy! Made it here thru a Google alert. Now, I have no idea why it took Google so long to alert me when it looks like this posted on the 21st of June, but why ask why, right? I'm just glad I made it by. Your review blessed me socks off. And hey, I don't care whether y'all read it in small bites of big ones as long as you're reading !:) THANKS!

Jenners said...

Sounds like a fun book ... and exactly the type of book I aspire to write some day ... minus the Southern stuff naturally!

Meg @ write meg! said...

Oh, what fun! I love books set in the South -- and they're perfect for this time of year. Nice to hear the author is a sweetheart, too.

Kathleen said...

Sounds like a really fun read!

Jenny said...

I'm really looking forward to reading both her books. I'll have to keep in mind your thought about reading it a little at a time. That would definitely work for me with the schedule I've had lately, LOL.