Yesterday I read Nora Ephron’s I Feel Bad About My Neck and other thoughts on being a woman. It was quite charming, with brief segments and many quotable lines. I hadn’t picked it up earlier because the publicity I read seemed to imply that it was targeted at women who are getting older, and I like to think that’s not me. This collection includes short essays and personal pieces, some previously published in popular magazines like Vogue, The New Yorker and The New York Times. The delightful Nora Ephron is best known for her 3 Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplays for When Harry Met Sally, Silkwood, and Sleepless in Seattle.

In this new book, Nora Ephron is like a glamorous relative from New York City sharing wisdom and insight from her own experiences. A good librarian would tell you that her favorite essay was  “On Rapture” which begins “I’ve just surfaced from spending several days in a state of rapture – with a book.” And, honestly, I loved this essay and its eloquent description of losing oneself in books. But I just can’t stop thinking about the second piece in the collection – “I Hate My Purse” – because it completely validates the hopelessness of my own overflowing handbag. If Nora Ephron can be unapologetic about her messy purse, I won’t have to feel bad about my purse either. And that makes me happy.

Get this book. Read this book. I think it will make you happy too.