Have you had a parent who withheld the fact that you inherited part of an island until that island is getting pummeled by a hurricane? Do you have ancestors who supplied sugar to moonshiners or who ran a brothel? Have you ever told your son that the cat is actually his younger sister whose cat costume zipper got stuck and then overgrown with hair? If you have, then you must be Annabelle Gurwitch.

The actor, writer, comedian, and former cohost of TBS's Dinner and Movie is back with a book of personal essays that take a skewering look at one of the things we all laugh and cry about: family. While regaling us with stories of her own families and tribes (ie theatre people), she also brings us back to our own homes to consider the love and laughs under our own roof.

Wherever You Go, There They Are is a laugh-out-loud punch in the gut of everything that is best and most frustrating about those we are closest to. Annabelle Gurwitch's honest, revealing personal memories make this story collection a down-to-earth, warm, wonderful, moving, funny celebration of family, of those who came before to lead the way and those who follow us around asking for food, binkies, money, and the car keys.

A little bit Nora Ephron, a little bit Mary Roach, Gurwitch's humor makes you feel like you're sitting and listening to a good friend over coffee or cocktails. Her openness is compelling, her authenticity is magnetic, and reading her book just makes you feel good. Wherever You Go, There You Are has helped remind me of my love for good female humor writing, instilled in me when I raided my own mother's bookshelf when I was a kid and first discovered Erma Bombeck.

And just in case you wondered, Moo Goo Gai Pan was a swashbuckling pirate with adventures that rival any comic book superhero. At least, that's what Annabelle's dad says.

Galleys were provided by the publisher through FirstToRead.com.