You truly will read it in one sitting. ( )

Loved it. Audio edition delightfully read by Meg Ryan--that is, as long as you like Meg Ryan, which I do. I had to keep reminding myself that it was about Delia Ephron, not Ryan, or a fictional character she was playing, but she still seemed a good choice for a reader given how linked she is to Delia's (and sister Nora's) movies. Although uneven, as essay collections seem to invariably be, the few slightly frivolous pieces were eclipsed by the more often fantastic. Four and half stars. ( )

Absolutely loved this book. I finished it and definitely wanted to reread it as soon as I finished it. ( )

Delia Ephrom ruminates about the death of her sister, her dog's infirmaties, screenwriting, and her family. She's at her best when talking about her sister, Nora, and dealing with the loss of her death. When she inserts a humorous essay, it seems like she's trying too hard. She is never going to be Nora Ephron. ( )

Yes, I've seen and enjoyed both SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and YOU'VE GOT MAIL, and both films were collaborations by the Ephron sisters, Nora and Delia. But up to now I'd only read a couple of Ephron books, one was sister Amy's novella, A CUP OF TEA (very good), and the other was Nora's essay collection, I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY NECK (which I loved). There is also a fourth Ephron sister who writes, Hallie, but I've read nothing of hers.

And now there's this, Delia's essay collection, SISTER MOTHER HUSBAND DOG (ETC.). And I find Delia to be every bit as talented and funny as her older sister Nora, who died of leukemia in 2012. The truth is Delia writes a lot like Nora, displaying the same quirky sense of humor, probably the result not just of being sisters, but all those years of collaborating. The introductory essay, "Losing Nora," is equal parts funny and sad, remembering the good times as well as the sorrow of losing her big sister and co-conspirator in writing. The other pieces here are mostly very funny, although the ones in which she talks about her husband, Jerry, were, for this reader, tinged with the sadness of knowing that he died just a year after this collection was published.

For me, however, the centerpiece was "Why I Can't Write About My Mother." In it Delia tells us how her mother, always unconventional and career-minded (both the parents were very successful screenwriters and playwrights, who often collaborated), descended into alcoholism from when Delia was about eleven. In fact, both parents drank to excess, but Delia always felt at least some closeness to her father, while there was always a distance between her and her mother. This piece is NOT funny. It is not even remotely amusing. In fact it nearly broke my heart. It is that disturbing and that sad. But it is unmistakably in Delia's own voice. Here are a couple samples -

"I believe having an alcoholic parent is not only something to write about, but that there is an obligation to do it. Growing up as that child is lonely, isolating, confusing and damaging. There are lots of us ... Besides, I don't believe in protecting parents who drink ... Tell everyone. You might never get past it otherwise. The obligation of a child is not to protect their parents. Obviously. Obviously. A mom is supposed to protect her kids. Which doesn't happen when she drinks."

and -

"With me, she was never cozy or intimate. I never remember her hugging or kissing me ... One of her rules - your homework is your own problem. I will never get involved."

Enough said. Despite the heartbreaking, sad parts - or perhaps BECAUSE of them - I loved this book, for its humor, for its candor, for its honesty. Delia Ephron is a fine writer. Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER ( )