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