Helen Ellis plays the “Helen Schtick” to her full advantage in Bring Your Baggage and Don’t Pack Light.

No one expects to find a southern belle at the World Series of Poker, but there she is, resplendent at the table in a sweater as “yellow as a 25K tournament chip.”

She doesn’t have hot flashes; she rises like a phoenix. She’s the friend who is the backup of a backup birth partner and truly doesn’t mind being on the B list. She’ll show up at the hospital with jokes and donut holes.

This collection of essays is a solid choice for fans of Jill Conner Browne’s Sweet Potato Queens or Annabelle Gurwitch.