Have you ever read a book in which you found yourself nodding your head in total agreement with most of what the author was saying? Well, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake was one of those books for me. I knew it was going to be 'one of those books when Ms. Quindlen talked about a needlepoint sampler she has which says...'Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like no one's looking.' Ms. Quindlen referred to this as her mantra and apparently it struck a similar chord in me because I have the same 'mantra' hanging on my refrigerator!

I have been a fan of Ms. Quindlen for a long time and in this memoir, with her usual humor and honesty, she talks about what it feels like to be a woman 'of a certain age', raising children,the death of her mother at a young age, feminism and even her evolving feelings about Catholicism. I enjoyed and could appreciate her feelings about all of the 'stuff' she has accumulated and her growing desire to scale back on her material possessions. In her very charming way, she discusses what she sees when she looks in the mirror these days... definitely a topic all women 'of a certain age' can relate to. As she says... isn't it funny that no matter how old we get, we still have the ability to look in the mirror and see that younger person we used to be looking back at us?... The eyes never change!

I so enjoyed this latest book by Anna Quindlen as much as I enjoyed all of her other books... fiction and non-fiction. She made me laugh when she talked about having dimples and how those dimples that used to be 'tiny divots are now deep furrows that stretch almost from cheek to chin'. I've noticed the same thing about my own dimples... it just never occurred to me to put my thoughts into those words. Authors like Anna Quindlen are the reason I read books..... to find that wonderfully talented person who has the ability to express the the things I have been thinking and feeling but had never really found the words to express myself. Thank you, Ms. Quindlen for your wonderful writing!