The best books by authors who make me laugh

Marilyn Simon Rothstein Author Of Crazy to Leave You
By Marilyn Simon Rothstein

Who am I?

Children were seen and not heard when I was growing up in Flushing, Queens, where I had one tree in front of my house. I moved to Connecticut as an adult and now I look out on woods and bears sneaking into my garage. The result of my silent childhood is I’m an excellent listener and an even better eavesdropper—superb traits for a writer. I owned a Connecticut advertising agency for most of my adult life then realized I could make less money if I became an author. My first book was published when I turned 63—which is amazing because I'm only 40. 

I wrote...

Crazy to Leave You

By Marilyn Simon Rothstein,

Book cover of Crazy to Leave You

What is my book about?

Forty-one years old, the last of her friends to marry, and down to a size 12, Lauren Leo is in her gown and about to tie the knot. There’s just one thing missing: the groom. With one blindsiding text, Lauren is unceremoniously dumped at the altar. In the aftermath, her mother is an endless well of unsolicited advice. Her sisters only add to the Great Humiliation: one is planted on Lauren’s couch while the other is too perfect.

Picking her heart up off the floor, Lauren turns to her work in advertising as she gathers the courage to move on and plan her next step. With a new way to measure love and success, Lauren chucks her scale―and finds a second chance in the most unexpected place.
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The books I picked & why

High Maintenance

By Jennifer Belle,

Book cover of High Maintenance

Why did I love this book?

Let me start by saying I adore every book by bestselling author Jennifer Belle, from her debut, Going Down, to her latest, The Seven-Year Bitch. Belle is witty, wonderful, and truly New York, New York. Here I will discuss High Maintenance, her top-of-the-charts, five-star love story between a woman—and an apartment. Protagonist Liv Kellerman is engrossing. Upon leaving her husband and a fabulous penthouse, Liv relocates to a hovel in Greenwich Village that is certainly from the “beat” generation. In her efforts to be top floor again, she becomes a realtor in the cutthroat Manhattan market. You won’t want to put this one down.

High Maintenance

By Jennifer Belle,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked High Maintenance as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Liv Kellerman is 26, newly divorced, and has just lost the love of her life. Her husband? You've got to be kidding. It's her apartment she's in mourning for - her lovely penthouse apartment with its Empire State Building view. On her own for the first time in her life, Liv is forced to relocate to a crumbling Greenwich Village hovel, but things are about to get a lot worse. She's about to become an estate agent. Belle's gift for creating eccentric and winning characters, and her acute observations of both the absurd and the poignant in everyday life, are…

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Small Admissions

By Amy Poeppel,

Book cover of Small Admissions

Why did I love this book?

Have you ever read a book by Amy Poeppel? Well, her books are humorous, and I am partial to smart New York writers who make me laugh. I love when a reader tells me she had to get out of bed while enjoying one of my books because her husband complained about her laughter. Amy’s first book, Small Admissions, reveals the killer race to be admitted to the toniest private schools in Manhattan. Do you have a spouse? Get out of bed to read Small Admissions.

Small Admissions

By Amy Poeppel,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Small Admissions as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

People's Book of the Week

"The Devil Wears Prada meets Primates of Park Avenue." -The New York Times

"Perfect for fans of Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep."-Booklist

Top 6 Books You Need to Read-BuzzFeed

Best Books to Give Every Book Lover on Your List-Town and Country

One admission can change your life...forever.

When ambitious grad student Kate Pearson's handsome French "almost fiance" ditches her, she definitely does not roll with the punches, despite the best efforts of family and friends. It seems that nothing will get Kate out of pajamas and back into the world.

Miraculously, one cringe-worthy job interview leads to…

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Last Summer at the Golden Hotel

By Elyssa Friedland,

Book cover of Last Summer at the Golden Hotel

Why did I love this book?

I want to go to the Catskills with Elyssa Friedland. I need to do some dirty dancing and eat until I can’t eat anymore. Not this weekend. But maybe back in 1970. I just know Elyssa and I would have a fabulous time. The best I can do now is to recommend Elyssa’s charming book, Last Summer at the Golden Hotel. I laughed and so will you when you read about one family’s effort to save their ramshackle Catskills hotel.

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel

By Elyssa Friedland,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Last Summer at the Golden Hotel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Good Morning America Buzz Pick
A Can’t-Miss Beach Read For Summer 2021 from The Skimm
A Best Beach Read of 2021 from Bustle
A Best Summer Read of 2021 from PopSugar

A family reunion for the ages when two clans convene for the summer at their beloved getaway in the Catskills—perfect for fans of Dirty Dancing and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel—from the acclaimed author of The Floating Feldmans.

In its heyday, The Golden Hotel was the crown jewel of the hotter-than-hot Catskills vacation scene. For more than sixty years, the Goldman and Weingold families – best friends and business…

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A Replacement Life

By Boris Fishman,

Book cover of A Replacement Life

Why did I love this book?

Boris Fishman made his debut with the story of Salva, a journalist for a long famous magazine asked to forge Holocaust-restitution claims—by and for his grandfather, a Russian immigrant living in South Brooklyn. Soon Salva achieves the American dream—a something from nothing business writing false claims.  It seems there’s a neighborhood full of people who can use his writing services. I loved this novel, a tender and wise study in the meaning of family, loyalty, and justice. Tragedy meets comedy in A Replacement Life.

A Replacement Life

By Boris Fishman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Replacement Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A failing young Russian American journalist's life is unexpectedly transformed when he forges Holocaust restitution claims for his rogue grandfather and his friends

Young Russian immigrant Slava Gelman wants to be a great American writer, but is only a researcher at a New Yorker-style magazine. When his beloved grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, dies, his grandfather corners him with a request: could he forge a few Holocaust restitution claims? Slava resists at first, but eventually his semi-fictional accounts turn out to be the best writing he has ever done. Although he lives in fear of discovery and continues to stumble from…

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Let's Go for a Drive!

By Mo Willems,

Book cover of Let's Go for a Drive!

Why did I love this book?

My family loves to laugh, and we introduce our children to books that build the funny bone. For this reason, I have a copy of every picture book written by the delightful Mo Willems. Hands down, my favorite is Let’s Go for a Drive! Here’s the story: Elephant and Piggie amass the accessories necessary to spend a day tooling around town. We’re talking sunglasses, a map, an umbrella. They are set to go when they realize they don’t have a car. Somehow, the two friends make the best of it. Good news: There are 25 Elephant and Piggie books to enjoy again and again.

Let's Go for a Drive!

By Mo Willems,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Let's Go for a Drive! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?


Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.
Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.
Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.

Gerald and Piggie are best friends.

In Let's Go for a Drive! Gerald and Piggie want to hit the road! But the best-laid plans of pigs and elephants often go awry.

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