Best Friends, Occasional Enemies: The Lighter Side of Life as Mother and Daughter

Bestselling author Scottoline and up-and-comer Serritella are mother and daughter as well as BFFs—most of the time. In this third collection of essays based on their weekly “Chick Lit” column for the Philadelphia Inquirer, the duo chat about what it’s like to be a mother and daughter who share interests, clothes, and dating woes, plus the occasional dustup. However, Scottoline writes, conflict is good, because “that valve releases the pressure from the combustible engine that is the mother-daughter relationship.” She warns about being mindful of tone (aka “kryptonite”), and notes that apologies are vital, because “Families need each other. Like oxygen.” For her part, Serritella writes of the warmth of having family and friends who refrain from I-told-you-sos after an ill-advised romance and a mother who taught her about keeping the heating bills low... even if it means a cold apartment. Other essays address everything from the hazards of suburbia to the death of a beloved dog Mother Mary and Brother Frank are back, too, in this witty and sweet return to the ins and outs of life in this sometimes kooky, always smart and funny, family. (Dec.)