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Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe (Paperback)

~ (Author) "ON THE FRIDAY MORNING BEFORE CHRISTMAS BREAK, TWISTING south on Highway 101 and engrossed in the soaring voice of k.d. lang singing perhaps the saddest..." (more)
Key Phrases: Center of the Universe, Patsy Cline, Jackie Anderson (more...)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe + Eating Heaven + Riding With the Queen
Price For All Three: $25.86

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  • This item: Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe by Jennie Shortridge

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An award-winning high school science teacher who juggles marriage, motherhood and massive traditional Italian meals, Mira Serafino is called Miss Control Freak by her best friend Lannie, an eccentric musician who owns a yarn and guitar shop in their close-knit community of Pacifica, Ore. Shortridge (Eating Heaven) flashes back to Mira's difficult childhood (where she adopted the role of Saint Mira, absorber of all family pain) as her marriage hits a major snag, sending Mira into a process of self-examination. Mira's Type A–ness comes through clearly, and secondaries—including a difficult daughter, incommunicado brother and a father who is about as sensitive as a Mack truck—deepen her dilemmas. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Review

“[A] wry and funny portrait.”
—Diana Loevy, author of The Book

“Smart, funny, and endearing…one terrific read!”
—Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

“Flawless storytelling make[s] this a book to remember.”
—Karen White, author of The Memory of Water

Product Details

  • Paperback: 367 pages
  • Publisher: NAL Trade (May 6, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451223888
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451223883
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #384,045 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Jennie Shortridge
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Visit Amazon's Jennie Shortridge Page

Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
ON THE FRIDAY MORNING BEFORE CHRISTMAS BREAK, TWISTING south on Highway 101 and engrossed in the soaring voice of k.d. lang singing perhaps the saddest love song Leonard Cohen ever wrote, Mira Serafino found herself thinking about the ropy hip muscles of a young man she'd slept with in college, shuddering in a way she hadn't in years. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Center of the Universe, Patsy Cline, Jackie Anderson, New Year's Day, Kenny Ballinger, Fred Meyer, Cyber Buzz, Happy New Year, Missy Baker, Chet Moser, Parker Cullen, Saint Mira, New Year's Eve, Aunt Sofia, Mira Serafino, Christmas Eve, Tractor Tavern, Seattle Weekly, Seven Sisters, Nine Inch Nails, Screaming Hematomas, Jane Fonda, Tillamook County
Browse Sample Pages:
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe
84% buy the item featured on this page:
Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe 4.8 out of 5 stars (15)
$9.48
Eating Heaven
9% buy
Eating Heaven 4.7 out of 5 stars (20)
$11.20
Any Bitter Thing: A Novel
2% buy
Any Bitter Thing: A Novel 4.7 out of 5 stars (39)
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Riding With the Queen
2% buy
Riding With the Queen 4.7 out of 5 stars (12)
$5.18

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
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 (3)
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing, intelligent, humorous; Unputdownable. :-), March 1, 2009
By Gayla M. Collins (Sheridan, WY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
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On a whim one day I bought "Riding With the Queen" by Jennie Shortridge. Loved It. Followed through by purchasing "Eating Heaven." Loved it. When I saw she had a new one, I snatched it right up and am I ever grateful that I did.

Mira is a middle-aged women who lives on the coastline of Oregon where she has dutifully taken care of her husband, daughter, father, grandmother and several relatives from her huge Italian family while also teaching 6th grade science. She faces menopause with a daughter, Thea, 22, and so rebellious she breaks Mira's heart. Mira's hubby has found a new woman, opineing he is unhappy and has a "friend;" she is helping him feel better in many ways.

Mira breaks; Mira hits the highway north!

Not knowing where she will end up Mira settles for where her radiator breaks.....downtown Seattle. She finds a job managing a coffee shop and a rat-trap apartment above it to live in. All the upheaval that is her new life is shared with us in so many amusing, touching, down-right heartbreaking details that the book can not be put aside. The prose is smart; the characters so believable, the plot always surprising. I LOVED this book. It is my favorite of all.

If you get the chance to purchase this book then do!!! Soon. Women will see so much of themselves between the pages. I laughed; I cried; I mused. It is sublime.

Thank-you Ms. Shortridge for making my reading life just that much more pleasant!!!!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Reading my life story!, May 22, 2008
I have to admit that I bought this book by its cover...I had never read any of Jennie's books before this one! I bought the book on Friday evening after work and finished it on Saturday evening! I truly felt as if I was reading about my life! After twenty two years of marriage, I woke up not knowing who I was or what I was suppose to do with my life! My ex was having an affair and my world was turned upside down. Jennie thank you for bringing to life a very painful, but "growing" life experience for many of us! I will read any book that you write and can't wait to purchase more of this one for some of my friends!!!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A good story is still a good story., June 24, 2008
By G. Myers (Carnation, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Okay, 1st confession - I am not a woman. 2nd confession - I am not middle-aged (although I can see it from here). What can I say, 40 is the new 20, right? One last confession - I have never had a husband cheat on me - which would be a great surprise to me and an even greater one to my wife. So, it is easy to see I am not the target market.
That being said, I truly enjoyed this book. Jennie has written characters so vibrant, so real and so familiar that I swear I have been to the Serafino Family Christmas party. The interactions between the characters are real. Reading this book brought up memories of my family and some of their antics - in a good way. By the way, if you do not have a friend like Lannie then go find one. Everyone deserves to have a 'Lannie' in their life.
Mira's coming-of-(middle)age struggles kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next - all the way to the last page. As the story unfolded, I found myself alternately saying "You go girl!" when Mira takes a step forward; and "Oh! Mira, Mira, Mira - what were you thinking?" when she finds herself going back a step.
Jennie's dialogue (both internal and external) are masterfully written and engaging. She has skillfully back-dropped the story in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Having visited the Oregon Coast on several occasions and being a resident of the Seattle area, I was able to visualize all the locations in the book easily. She uncannily brings out the legendary Seattle coffee fetish with good humor. I think we have all stood in line behind some of the customers we see at The Center of the Universe. Yet, Jennie does all this with a light touch. She weaves the world around the characters in such a way that it adds to the story rather than detract from it.
In short, you do not have to be a perimenopausal woman who has had a bad relationship to enjoy this book. A good story is still a good story.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling read
Jennie Shortridge has a natural writing style that pulls you in the story and leaves you wanting more at the end. Read more
Published 2 months ago by The Women's Nest

5.0 out of 5 stars Good novel that makes you care about the characters
This book has a nice balance of wit and drama. I was pleased with the ending, that really made the book come together. Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Collins

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of Fremont Flavor
Vulnerable, honest, hopeful, just a little quirky, and seeped in northwest flavor. I didn't know where I was going, but I sure enjoyed the ride.
Published 5 months ago by Kaya McLaren

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
This was an absolutely fantastic book! This is my second book by this author (she also wrote another of my all-time favorites - Eating Heaven) and I think her writing is... Read more
Published 11 months ago by pinkcypress

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Mirabella is 45 years old and has just found out that the man that she loves is having an affair, if that wasn't bad enough, he never even had the courage to tell her himself -... Read more
Published 11 months ago by www.bookshipper.blogspot.com/

4.0 out of 5 stars From S. Krishna's Books

Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe is a wonderful and warm addition to the world of women's fiction. Read more
Published 13 months ago by skrishna

5.0 out of 5 stars Goes perfect with an iced lattte!
A tip of the espresso cup to Jennie Shortridge for writing this very enjoyable coming-of-middle-age novel. Read more
Published 15 months ago by BillT

4.0 out of 5 stars How does a good girl know when to finally let herself be bad?
This is an honest and endearing look into the life of a 45 year old wife and mother who finds herself close to losing her husband and the love and respect of her only daughter... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Guillermo Amaro

5.0 out of 5 stars Jennie Keeps Getting Better!
In Love & Biology, Jennie Shortridge's talent and skill matures with the multi-layered story of a middle-aged woman who descends with the loss of what she thought was a "perfect"... Read more
Published 17 months ago by G.Matthews

5.0 out of 5 stars An accomplished writer tells an intimate story
I've read all three of Jennie's books and have been noticing how she keeps improving with each novel, and how this story is richer than the one that came before. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Jessica P. Morrell

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