“If you care about someone and you got a little love in your heart, there ain’t nothing you can’t get through together.”  Ted Lasso

Thatta boy, Ted! I see eye to eye with Ted Lasso 99.9% of the time. (I will, however, tap one of the two buttons coach never hits—snooze—and like it just fine.) If Ted would just hop on the train anywhere between Hampton Court and Waterloo, chances are he’d encounter advice columnist (former notorious socialite), Iona, and her like-minded dog LuLu. Iona, my latest fictional girl crush, is loveable, eccentric, outspoken but endearing, hilarious, and thoughtful. Oh, and she’s British. Iona has more than a little love in her heart. She’s willing to help strangers she nicknames on the train and later befriends get through life’s tough stuff. They effectively get through together.  

When Sharee said she liked Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting more than Dear Mrs. Bird, my mouth was agape. I knew Claire Pooley’s latest book was my next read. A must. Pooley’s “buoyant, bright, occasionally brash novel that’s equally parts funny and poignant” was inspired by her work commute—she asked herself what if she ignored the unwritten rule to keep to yourself on the train? With that thought-provoking question came Iona. When Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader sits across from her and begins choking on “a grape of wrath” (lol), it starts a train of events where seven quirky commuters are reminded of just how much people need one another. You really should climb aboard and take a “delicious dive” into a heartwarming story that will inevitably expand your definition of family.

Posted by Tracy