Read something borrowed before you say 'I don't'—November 5, 2010
June may be the most popular month for making brides but according to top divorce lawyers around the country, January is their busiest month for making divorcees . . .sobering news heading into a holiday season!
For whatever reason - fear of ruining Christmas, pent up holiday stress or bad mistletoe, statistics show that more marriages split in January than any other month. And for many couples, New Year’s Day inspires the need to begin a new life - without each other. The library’s “new books” shelves seem to be saying, “I do” to doing their part in keeping marriages intact way beyond the upcoming holidays! I noticed that there are numerous newly-released books both in fiction and non-fiction that put love and marriage under the microscope.
“You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up,” is a quirky, yet moving new memoir by comedians and real-life married couple Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn. With equal parts sincerity and cynicism, the book chronicles their life in raw detail. He says, “I never know which of our arguments she’ll bring up forever and ever and which will fade away as if they never happened.” She says, “Marriage is hard work . . . if we can keep it up, we’ll retain enough mystery that we’ll become our own future spouses.”
“Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog,” by Lisa Scottoline, leaves no bone unturned when it comes to witty observations of life, love, family and pets. Scottoline is an award winning author of 17 novels and also writes a popular Philadelphia Inquirer column called “Chick Wit.”
“I’m a woman on my own.” Scottoline admitts. “I’m betting you can relate, even if you’re married or sharing your bed with something other than a golden retriever. In the end, we are all of us on our own.” If you like autobiographies, you might enjoy “A Ticket to the Circus” by Norris Church Mailer, the widow of Norman Mailer. Despite her enduring love for the famous writer and film director, she found life full of challenges. Intimate letters reveal that their 33-year marriage was not without tests and infidelities, yet was full of friendship, understanding and deep, complicated, life-long passion
Beyond the personal revelations, Mailer said she hopes to enchant readers with her honesty and insight into how couples grow up and how they love.
For a serious look at what makes a good marriage, “For Better” provides tips on how the male and female brain can love better and live better together. The author, Tara Parker-Pope is a columnist for “The New York Times.”
She claims to have examined almost every myth about marriage and makes a case that the secrets to marital bliss are not nearly as complicated as they often seem. “Whether you are embarking on a new relationship, hoping to rescue a troubled one, or still happy after many years together, the lessons (presented) will help you rediscover the optimism of your early courtship and show you how to make the most important relationship of your life even better.”
Read something borrowed; something new from Hastings Public Library.
