Ali's Well That Ends Well by Ali Wentworth

This week is about family, which can mean your biological family, but also your chosen family. This chosen family can be your friends, or people you choose to spend time with on a regular basis. Take for example, Leslie Jordan. I spent many mornings over the last three years waking up to his infectious phrase, "Hello, fellow hunker downers! How y'all doing?" When he died in late October in a car accident, he left behind a legion of fans who will miss him because he made us laugh. The good news, however, is that I have found another source of happiness on Instagram and her name is Ali Wentworth. She goes by @The realaliwentworth, and she is the mother of two young women, and the wife of Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos. Recently on their anniversary, she posted pretty pictures from their wedding more than 20 years ago, and then a series of them now trying to read a small-print menu with their reading glasses on. Actress, comedian and author, she seems to me to be an authentic, salt-of-the-earth person you would want to go to lunch with on a regular basis. She is not afraid to post pictures of herself without makeup, hair messy. Yes, she is friends with Brooke Shields and Mariska Hargitay, but she doesn't make a big deal about it. She posts goofy pictures of them, too. "Ali's Well That Ends Well," published in May of 2022, is series of vignettes that she wrote about her family's time during Covid. She turns her comedic eye and pen back on a lock-down that nobody ever expected. She binge-watches "Mad Men," eats chocolate cake and trash-talks her mean neighbor. We get to meet her husband (who wakes up at 2:30 am to go to work, after kissing everyone in the household), her two daughters and even an entertaining young man who moves in with them during the lockdown. Ali seems to be able to pinpoint the humor in just about any situation. This is definitely an asset to have in a book, and also a virtual friend. After reading her smart and witty essays, it is hard not to be upbeat, and that is something to treasure during Thanksgiving, or any time of year. To buy this book on Amazon click here.