Amy Ephron has led a fascinating life. Her numerous, successful books and screenplays were preceded by a childhood in Beverly Hills, and the period bridging the two is strewn with the sort of experiences novels are made of.

It comes as no surprise, then, that her new collection of autobiographical short stories, Loose Diamonds, is a fun and engaging read. From a childhood across the street from a house filled with exotic birds through mid-20’s spent with mysteriously wealthy and only seemingly perfect friends all the way to full grown adulthood complete with a semi-ex husband who sleeps with half the PTA, it’s a wonder Ephron has time to sit down and write about all of it.

The interesting thing about Ephron’s stories is their unassuming honesty. She allows the reader to take away what they will, without spelling out life lessons and overly poignant observations. Each short story speaks for itself through the events it recounts, and while Ephron’s voice comes through clearly and her humor is sprinkled throughout, one is left with plenty to mull over as each chapter ends.

I must admit, I read the whole book in a single day. The pages turn themselves and Ephron has quite a palate of experiences to relate. Not only do they stand up on their own, the overarching themes unravel themselves beautifully. Characters, relationships and objects of significance find their way from one chapter to another, weaving familiar patterns through Ephron’s life that we can all relate to. While not all us may have grown up with the sort of charmed life she has led, she knows how to strike a note every reader can connect with.