My best friend, Liz, and I have known each other for many, many moons. Let’s put it this way, when we first met, Tiffany was topping the charts. And since those days of putting on our taffeta and attempting to dance to I Think We're Alone Now, we’ve been there for each other through it all. First loves, first heartbreaks, and our first and hopefully only marriages.
So for Liz’s last birthday, in a desperate attempt to try to make her feel better about turning *gulp* 36, I went to one of our favorite places in the world, Barnes & Noble, and browsed the aisles looking for the books that represented “us”; from the chapter books we bought when we first fell in love with reading to the novels that inspired us to write a book of our own.
Judy Blume was (and still is) one of my favorite authors. When I was eight years old, I devoured Are you There God? It's Me, Margaret. in one day. It was then that I first fell for Judy. I remember running downstairs to find my mom, probably in the kitchen making her usual cheese fondue for the other stay-at-home moms in the neighborhood (let’s take a moment of silence for the time when women could freely eat cheese and bread without feeling any guilt) and professed that one day I wanted to be an author just like Judy Blume. So in honor of one of my all-time favorite authors, I grabbed two of her greats for Liz; Blubber (a must read for any 8 year old!) Summer Sisters (a must read for any 36 year old feeling sorry for herself!) Then, I went searching for another of the greats, Ms. Danielle Steel.
Daddy...No Greater Love...Family Album. You name the Danielle Steel novel and I can promise you that Liz and I have read it. We were freshman in high school when we 
first discovered her juicy tales. I remember sunbathing by the pool, our bodies soaked in *gasp* baby oil, and laughing like the schoolgirls we were as we read the steamy scenes aloud. Not only did we love to read the stories she weaved about love, fame, and fortune, I think we may also have learned a thing-or three-about sex! (Thanks, Danielle!) So as I scanned the spines of more than a dozen of her books, I decided on Secrets for Liz because it was the first book she ever loaned to me. We didn’t realize it then, but we were starting what would be our own “book club for two” (cue sappy song about friends, like That's What Friends are For) that we’re still members of today. And believe me, we share it all—the good, the bad, and dare I say it, even the deliciously unreadable (you know who you are Speidi!).
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah is one of the best books I’ve ever read about friendship. Hannah’s novel about two best friends spans over many years, much like my own friendship with Liz. I personally heart books that cover a lot of ground; where you meet your characters early on in their lives and see them through several years of their lives as they maneuver their way through many ups and downs. Kristin Hannah has written more than her share of must-reads (18 to be exact!) but it was Firefly Lane that I chose for my BFF. As I placed the books in a box to ship to Liz, I smiled, knowing she’d enjoy the trip down memory lane just as much as I did.
Lisa Steinke, along with her best friend Liz Fenton, co-authored the chick lit novel I’ll Have Who She’s Having and co-created the popular Chick Lit blog, http://www.chicklitisnotdead.com.
