Southern Lady Code

February 15, 2019
Humorous essays from a sassy Southern gal raised in Alabama and now based in New York City.Following her well-received book of short stories, American Housewife (2016), Ellis returns with a collection of witty essays filled with commentaries on a wide variety of aspects of her life. Though she pokes fun at the current tidying trend--sparked largely by organizing consultant and author Marie Kondo--that has people sorting through and discarding mountains of stuff, she discovers that she loves a clean house ("stepping into the Container Store for me is like stepping into a crack den"). Ellis shares her wisdom on staying happily married: "On his birthday, give him a singing card and shave above your knees....On Thanksgiving, dab a little Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup behind each ear. On Super Bowl Sunday, incorporate a giant "#1" foam finger into your lovemaking." The author also discusses why she didn't have children, the off-the-wall birthday parties her parents threw for her and her sister, what it's like to fly coach while seated in the middle seat, and a host of other zany topics. Throughout, she provides commentary on what certain words and phrases mean in "Southern Lady Code"--e.g., a "vintage" book means "dog-eared, with ballpoint notes in the margins"; when discussing potential pregnancies, the phrase, " 'if it happens, it happens' is Southern Lady Code for we don't want kids." Whether she's out shopping for a special party outfit, swiping a trench coat, or sharing some of her own mother's witticisms, the author's brand of humor is subtle and mostly unforced. Her one-liners--"sex is like a funny cat video: everyone thinks theirs is special, but we've all fallen off a couch"--and consistently droll remarks keep the amusement factor high and the pages turning.Feisty, funny, lightweight observations on life Southern-style.

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March 1, 2019
Ellis (American Housewife, 2016) is a hoot and a half, which, as she might say, is Southern Lady Code for laughing ?til the tears flow funny. Raised in Alabama, living in Manhattan, Ellis is hardwired to bring her native region's innate gentility and decorum to every unlikely urban situation. Approached by a potential kidnapper? Just say no, thank you. Soothed by a particularly kind dental hygienist? Write a thank-you note. The more scandalous experiences of her youth hold her in good stead in New York's gritty clime. It's hard to be scared of a sewer rat when your father faked his own death as part of a Halloween prank. With tips on How to Stay Happily Married (separate bathrooms) to How to Be the Best Guest (do not question the canap�s), Ellis can remain unruffled thanks to an upbringing that stressed manners and endorsed mayhem. In nearly two-dozen essays filled with belly laughs and bits of hard-won wisdom, Ellis' self-deprecating wit and tongue-in-cheek charm provide the perfect antidote to bad-hair, or bad-news, days.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

Starred review from January 1, 2019

Ellis (Eating the Cheshire Cat; American Housewife) grew up in Alabama and has lived in New York since she was 22. This collection of essays touches on the cultural differences between the two places she calls home, the activities (playing poker, working jigsaw puzzles, and hanging out with girlfriends), and the ways families are created and interact. By turns lighthearted and heart-wrenching, each piece offers insight into the author's childhood, life on her own, and her marriage, giving readers a sense of how the Southern lady code--if you don't have something nice to say, say something not so nice in a nice way--still influences her way of looking at the world. VERDICT Reminiscent of each character from the TV sitcom Designing Women, Ellis's wonderfully amusing writing is hard to put down, and this book is no exception.--Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence