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Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge
Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge: Intimate Confessions from a Happy Marriage | Helen Ellis
13 posts | 12 read | 1 reading | 8 to read
New York Times bestselling author Helen Ellis (As original as she is hilarious. People magazine) unleashes a boisterous, bawdy, and unabashedly romantic new collection of essays about love, marriage, and her last first kiss. Welcome to the Coral Lounge, a room in Helen Elliss New York City apartment painted such an exuberant shade of Sherman Williams that a peeping Tom once left a sticky note with the doorman asking for the color. It is in the Coral Lounge that the magic of Helens marriage unfolds: Shindigs where strangers swap clothing in the powder room, a party game called Whats in the box? makes its uproarious debut, the Puzzle Posse pounces on a 500-piece jigsaw of a beheaded priest. Then, when the pandemic shuts down the city, the Coral Lounge becomes a place of refuge, where Helen and her husband eat take-out while sitting on the floor like toddlers, dragging French fries through a ketchup swamp, where they sing to the two enormous cats who chew on Helens hair while she sleeps, and where they while away the hours with Mexican Viagra and the ensuing neck injury. In these surprising, romantic, sexy, and hilariously frank essays Helen Ellis paints a portrait of true romance for our times.
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BookNAround
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Pickpick

A collection of essays about her long term marriage, her extended family, and making it through the pandemic, Ellis is entertaining. Full review at http://booknaround.blogspot.com/2023/09/review-kiss-me-in-coral-lounge-by-helen....

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fredthemoose
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Short essay collection from a southerner living in New York City, centered largely on the writer‘s home and marriage. It started weak for me with a not particularly insightful essay about partners who snore, then it got better in the middle, and then lost me again with oversharing about her sex life with Viagra. It averaged out to being fine.

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HeatherBookNerd
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Pickpick

A very funny, lighthearted collection of essays about her 28 year marriage. It made me smile and giggle, and sometimes guffaw, at all the quirks and joys of a happy, long love story. Just a perfectly delightful book.

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Julsmarshall
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Pickpick

This was so much fun! Especially on #audio-it is like sitting down to chat and laugh with a dear friend. I would love to be one of Helen Ellis‘ friends 👯‍♀️ #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1y
46 likes1 comment
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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

Pictured here is the hardback, but I actually listened to the audiobook which is certainly the way to go with Ellis. She‘s hilarious but also thoughtful in this book of “confessions”. She drops little truth bombs throughout, as a southerner who resides now in NYC. It‘s clear she and her husband have a deep affection for one another, even as she makes fun of his snoring. Always a little treat, her audiobooks!

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jdiehr
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Pickpick

I loved this 🥰

Helen Ellis is one of those authors I imagine I could be friends with.

If you can listen to the audiobook, I highly recommend you do so. Ellis' voice is delightful, and it's just over 3 1/2 hours. I love short audiobooks.

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Megabooks
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Pickpick

Oh Helen! You are so fun and delightful! She really shines as a humorous essayist. In this book, she mainly writes about her long and mostly happy marriage. Each collection of hers I enjoy more. I wish I had gotten an autographed copy of Southern Lady Code, too. If you have the chance to see her in person, do it!!

Librariana I was professing my admiration for Helen Ellis to @britt_brooke on her post about this very book. "American Housewife" was where I first fell in love, and I've been auto-buying her books since ? I haven't gotten to this one *yet*, but I fully plan on it! 1y
Librariana Also! She's so delightfully Southern on audio! 1y
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Megabooks @Librariana yes, the audiobooks are wonderful!! I couldn‘t resist a signed print copy at her event, though. I started with American Housewife, too. 😁😁😁 she‘s just delightful! (edited) 1y
Cinfhen Im a fan too!!! 1y
Megabooks @Cinfhen yes! 👍🏻🙌🏻🤩 1y
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britt_brooke
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I must immediately read Helen Ellis on publication day, and will #reread many times. She‘s so funny and relatable and southern. This essay collection, one of my most-anticipated releases this year, is mostly about marriage, and a bit about cats. Go audio; her narration so perfectly matches the humor. I‘m sad I missed her book event at Parnassus Books, but of all the days in 2023, it fell on my son‘s birthday. I‘ll catch her next time!

Librariana I adore her!! She's an auto-buy author for me ? I don't know what it is about her books, but I just find them so funny, enjoyable, and full of Southern charm ? My first book of hers was "American Housewife" and I was hooked! My husband pre-ordered "Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge" for me, but I'll definitely listen to the audio once I'm done with my current listen. 1y
britt_brooke @Librariana Honestly, I need to get physical copies, too! 1y
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Megabooks
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#RecentAcquisitions It‘s the time of the month when I decide what to carry over from June to July‘s TBR and start adding new ones. I‘ve got two by O‘Farrell for #AuthorAMonth (and two more I own), plus a #BlameItOn @Hooked_on_books (Bloomers), and another from Fuller‘s backlist. (I‘m excited about her latest in August for #CampLitsy23, too!)

Honeybees was a Parnassus purchase and @squirrelbrain rec. And I loved my signed Helen Ellis (tagged)!

cariashley I‘m reading Hamnet by O‘Farrell now and wow is it good. Wanting to get my hands on all of her other books! 1y
squirrelbrain I hope you enjoy Honeybees - the cover looks pretty from what I can see ; it‘s different to mine which is a paperback. (edited) 1y
Cinfhen Ohhhh!! What a pretty stack of books!!! 1y
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Cinfhen Once again…. Your library wins first place for BEST SELECTION🙌🏻♥️ 1y
Megabooks @Cinfhen they are awesome! Especially for a medium-sized town library! And I‘m going to be getting more involved soon because community members are starting to try to get books banned, and I don‘t want the crazies to make our library shut down!!! 1y
Megabooks @Cinfhen and thank you!! 1y
Megabooks @squirrelbrain the cover is gorgeous!! Thanks so much for the rec! 💜 1y
Megabooks @cariashley Hamnet was fantastic! I‘ve read all but those four. I especially loved her memoir. 1y
Megabooks @cariashley and I also loved this one. 1y
BarbaraBB What a great plans! I just bought Honeybees too and I loved 1y
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blurb
Megabooks
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L->R Helen Ellis, Mary Laura Philpot, Ariel Lawhon, Ann Patchett

This was an amazing night! I was front row center for these four happily married authors spilling the tea on marriage in support of Ellis‘ new book. Perfect blend of heart and hilarity. If you have the opportunity to see an event at Parnassus, go! This is my third, and they‘ve all been amazing. Helen is a lovely person, and it was so nice to meet her!

Cinfhen I was wondering who was seated next to Ann! Such an amazing group of woman and all phenomenal authors!!! I love women supporting women!! So glad you were front and center ♥️ 1y
britt_brooke Ahhh, this looks amazing! 1y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I wish you could‘ve been there. You would‘ve really enjoyed it! We would‘ve had so much fun laughing together!! Maybe someday. 😁💜 1y
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Megabooks @britt_brooke you would‘ve enjoyed it too!! All 20+ years married women spilling fun stories! Someday we are going to Parnassus together. V‘s birthday looked great though. That cake was amazing!! 1y
britt_brooke @Megabooks We will make it happen! (And thank you; it was a good day 🤩) 1y
Cinfhen @Megabooks #AGirlCanDream 🥰I really hope so one day 😘 1y
Christine What a group! Fun. 1y
squirrelbrain What a fabulous event! ❤️ 1y
Suet624 Now you‘ve made me want to go! 1y
sarahbarnes So cool! 1y
vivastory This bookstore is on my bucket list 1y
youneverarrived Sounds fab 🤍 1y
BarbaraBB This is perfect, front row! And it all sounds so good!! One day I‘ll come over to you and we‘ll drive to Parnassus! 1y
TNbookworm Glad you enjoyed it! 1y
Megabooks @Suet624 @vivastory definitely try to make it to the store someday. I‘ve been to the store itself about a dozen times, and it never disappoints! Such a well curated selection of books and cozy atmosphere. (edited) 1y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen the *only* thing that would‘ve made the night better would have been to have my two bookish besties there with me!! 💜💜😘😘 you both would have laughed til you cried! 🤣🤣 1y
Cinfhen @Megabooks @BarbaraBB add me to this road trip!!!!! 🚘📚👯‍♀️♥️ 1y
Megabooks @Librariana this event was wonderful! Definitely go see her if you get the opportunity!!! 🤩🤩🤩 1y
Librariana @Megabooks How totally rad!! 😎 So cool that you got to see her... see all of them, really! I saw her post on Instagram and there was unfortunately no way I'd be able to see her given that I'm in the PNW, but maybe there'll be an opportunity in the future 😁 1y
84 likes21 comments
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britt_brooke
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I‘ve been so looking forward to this book! I just LOVE Helen Ellis. 🤍 Got in 6 miles while my youngest son was at basketball camp. My legs are toast.

#audiowalk

Megabooks It‘s too bad we can‘t meet up at the event, but I hope V has a great birthday!! 1y
britt_brooke @Megabooks I know! 😭 And thank you! 🫶🏼 1y
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review
Cinfhen
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Pickpick

Once again Helen Ellis brings her delightful personality to paper ( and audio) sharing her newest essays on surviving the Pandemic, being a plant lady, the joys of finding treasures in an abandoned building, the pleasure of collecting stickers and discovering Viagra. I laughed my way through the entire collection. Super entertaining and relatable😊 #ARC #NetGalley Publishes tomorrow 6/13/23

tpixie Sounds like an Erma Bombeck book. My mom loved her shorts, humorous stories. 1y
Cinfhen @tpixie Helen Ellis is very much a humorist/ just a bit raunchier than Emma Bombeck but equally delightful ☺️ 1y
DivineDiana Love the cover! ❤️ 1y
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Cinfhen Right @DivineDiana ?! So relatable 😂 1y
DivineDiana Agree! 😂 1y
tpixie @Cinfhen 💗💗💗 1y
Megabooks So excited to see her June 21!! 🤩🤩 1y
Cinfhen Helen Ellis and I had a sweet conversation over IG @Megabooks she seems like a hoot!!! Im soooo jealous you‘re getting a chance to see her live!!! 1y
britt_brooke @Megabooks I wanted to go to this but it‘s on V‘s 11th birthday. I LOVE her!! Hope you have the best time! 1y
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ChrisBohjalian
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You all will love these essays. On sale in June from @DoubledayBooks .

LiterRohde Nice Visconti 2y
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