Lydia's Party by Margaret Hawkins

What might have made me pick up this title?  Was it the sunflower bouquet in the middle of the table?  Was it the fact that the table was set, waiting for the diners or was it the title?  Perhaps all of these contributed to my choice.  Maybe it was just one of a few new (January) titles left on the library shelves.  After all, when it snows out in the suburbs it is often difficult to get out of the driveway and reading is a wonderful option for a cold, snowy day.

I don't believe I have read any of this author's previous novels but you might have.  They are A Year of Cats and Dogs and How to Survive a Natural Disaster.  She has also written a memoir and wrote a weekly art column for the Chicago-Sun Times.

Lydia's Party is about a woman named Lydia--of course!  She throws an annual mid-winter bash for her closest friends.  Each year they meet and share food and good times.  However, this year she must
tell them she is dying.  The reader is introduced to each friend by a chapter devoted to them.  The day of the party comes and Lydia procrastinates about telling them her news.  A snow storm keeps all the friends overnight and Lydia ends up telling them her news.  There is a funeral and just when you think it's over, there's a suprise twist.

Not the most uplifting novel I've read, it still was a good read for a snowy winter day.

Ladybookbug!