Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light

Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light is a collection of essays by Helen Ellis that chronicles her experiences with female friendship in middle age. Through twelve essays, Ellis recounts gatherings with longtime friends, game nights, travels, and life transitions. Ellis writes about her circle of Southern women friends who have known each other since their Alabama college days and continue to support each other decades later. The essays cover topics from poker tournaments to marriage to health scares, mixing humor with raw honesty about aging and relationships. The writing maintains Ellis's signature wit while examining the bonds between women who have weathered life's challenges together. Her observations about friendship, aging, and identity resonate with universal truths about how women relate to and rely on each other through different life stages.

Readers describe this essay collection as light, humorous entertainment with relatable stories about female friendship and aging. Many compare the tone to chatting with a funny friend over cocktails. Readers appreciated: - Quick, easy-to-read format - Stories about friendship between middle-aged women - Southern humor and wit - Authentic, conversational writing style Common criticisms: - Stories feel shallow or superficial - Humor sometimes comes across as forced - Content feels more like blog posts than essays - Too short at only 176 pages "A perfect beach read but not much substance," noted one Amazon reviewer. "She nails the absurdity of getting older," wrote another. Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (11,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (1,200+ ratings) Barnes & Noble: 4.1/5 (150+ ratings) Many reviewers suggest borrowing from the library rather than purchasing, due to the brief length.

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Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crosley Essays explore life's absurdities through encounters with noisy neighbors, mountain climbing mishaps, and adventures in egg freezing.

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🎲 Helen Ellis wrote much of this essay collection during weekly poker games with her friends, where she's known as a formidable high-stakes player in New York's underground poker scene. 👗 The author hosts clothing swap parties where friends exchange designer pieces, inspiring several essays in the book about fashion, friendship, and aging gracefully. 📚 While this is Ellis's fourth book, it's her second collection of essays following "Southern Lady Code," both drawing heavily from her Alabama upbringing and transition to Manhattan life. 🎭 The book's title comes from Ellis's belief that women shouldn't hide their past experiences or try to appear perfect; instead, they should embrace their "baggage" as part of who they are. 🤝 Several essays focus on Ellis's "text chain of middle-aged lady friends," showcasing how modern technology helps maintain deep friendships among women in their 50s.