I STILL DREAM ABOUT YOU

By Fannie Flagg (Random House, 336 pages, $26)

Maggie Fortenberry has a plan. The successful, beautiful former Miss Alabama is going to end it all; she plans to take a boat out to the middle of a river and drown herself. But -- darn it -- things keep getting in the way: First, her friend and partner in the real estate business, Brenda Peoples, wants Maggie to go with her to a performance of the Whirling Dervishes from Turkey, then she lands a major property listing and must delay the plan to save Red Mountain Realty, and so on. Maggie seems to the reader to have a pretty nice life. Why is she so despondent? She has had her heartbreaks and losses, among them the death of her mentor and boss, Hazel Whisenknott. She has her secrets and her challenges. She has her enemies, particularly rival Realtor Babs Bingington, whose unethical tactics are a thorn in Maggie's side. But she also has gumption and good friends. Will she realize that in time to save herself? Fannie Flagg, author of "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe," has written another entertaining read, though some readers might find Maggie's recurring pity party somewhat annoying.

JUDY ROMANOWICH SMITH,

NEWS DESIGNER

THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONNECT

By Susan Maushart (Tarcher/Penguin, 278 pages, $16.95)

Susan Maushart is made of far sturdier stock than you or I. Once she realized that she was addicted to her iPhone, and that her children were equally devoted to screens -- her son, Bill, to his television, nicknamed "The Beast," and her daughters to their cell phones and iPods -- she pulled the plug in a grand way: She shut off the electricity to their home for two full weeks. Eventually, everything was reconnected -- except for the screens. The Beast was bundled off to the garage, and the cell phones, iPods and computers stored away. The first miracle of the book is that her children went along with this, perhaps because it was only for six months. The second miracle is that ... they blossomed. After a brief whiny period, Bill pulled his saxophone out of storage and joined a band. Anni learned to cook. Everybody started reading -- books, and, God bless 'em, newspapers. Their friends, rather than pitying them, envied them and came over to play games and sing around the piano. Maushart's book is not just a chronicle of how her family coped, it is also a well-researched look at the effect computers and other screens have on our attention span and ability to learn. Her writing is punctuated with irritating jokey asides and puns (beginning with the title), but if you can get used to her jocular tone, there's a lot to be learned here -- and, if you have the fortitude (I haven't), emulated.

LAURIE HERTZEL

BOOKS EDITOR