Fabulous in Flats (Wagner)

Book Reviews
Bright, trendy and practical. The wonderful essays in this book line up in perfect order like shoes in one's closet: bright, trendy, and practical. I can't remember the last time I've laughed as hard as I laughed while reading Mary T. Wagner's wonderful memoir Fabulous in Flats....

"The Sisterhood of the Chop Saw," the first essay, captures the essence of the whole book. One Saturday Mary gathers all those important men in her life, including her sons and her new man, and sets out to build a paved patio behind her house. In this delightful narrative, we find the truth of well-planned days. The chop saw is rented and work begins at 1:00 p.m. rather than early in the morning as planned. And to her surprise, she has been delegated the job of running the chop saw. Now for those, like me, who have never had the pleasure of using this power tool, it is a saw that cuts through bricks, among other things. It's very loud and aggressive, and Mary pulls it off with the flair of a seasoned handy—do I dare say—man.

"Garage Archaeology" is a humorous piece about cleaning out one's garage and dispersing the variety of items accumulated in our lives. Each thing unearthed in the clutter tells a story and give us insight into the collector's dreams and efforts.

As I finished the last essay, "Full Circle," I understood the author had taken me on a journey with her as we explored her life tales. Fabulous in Flats is a perfect example of how self-publishing is changing. It is a creative, well-written, and success-driven. Ah, but just as you think you've relaxed into a light, comfortable, easygoing story, you come upon a passage like this:

One thing you can always count on in life is that if you're actually living it instead of just watching, there will always be more channel markers and more stumbling blocks and more growth rings along the way.

I highly recommend it as a beach read.
Ann Hite, author of Ghost on Black Mountain and The Storycatcher