She covers a variety of themes such as her three fathers, decluttering, writing, her faith, friendship, her dogs, and her decision to remain childless to mention just a few. Each of these essays is a sparkling little gem, a valuable lesson in life, lessons in living and in dying. It could just be an astute observation or it could be a pithy little sentence that makes you go, "Yes! That's it!"

I'm re-listening to these essays. (3rd time) -- I made a date with Erin -- last year -- to listen to this book during Thanksgiving -- and boy -- I had no idea just HOW MUCH re-visiting this book would be supportive -- At 57, the novelist Ann Patchett is already preparing for death. She isn’t terminally ill, and her decision isn’t as morbid as it sounds at first. She intends from now on to travel light, to empty her house in Nashville of the residues of adulthood: the boxes of clothes and dishes and jewellery that she has accumulated over five decades of living, things that she now believes prevented her from “thinking about what was coming and the beauty that was here now”. the power of not shopping for a year, gift giving, joy, sadness, crying, laughing, grief, suffering, feeling bad, feeling good, people who have influenced and shaped Ann’s life.

This mood abruptly changes, however, three-quarters of the way through, with the title essay. As Patchett notes of the writings she has assembled here: “Again and again, I was asking what mattered most in this precarious and precious life.” The title essay snaps that precariousness sharply into focus.

I've had some very good covers in my life, but this was a great one, and while I've worked with many other people to get things right, I've never had a true collaborator. Noah's painting is actually part of the book, and it makes the book look better. At a certain point the reader comes across the mention of the painting and realizes that the painting she's reading about is the painting on the cover." This is now February 2020, a time leading into the Global Pandemic, but we didn’t really know that then. What Ann knows is that her new friend needs more medical help. Sooki is flying to Memorial Sloan Kettering in NY (she lives in LA), looking for a clinical trial or something. Glad you were able to get a hike in. I need to do some more of that. It’s been a tough season for me. I’m so sorry about your knees! Amazing, though, that you can still play tennis like that.

A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the Iowa Writer's Workshop, Patchett has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, ... I enjoyed Patchett’s book of essays called This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, and this piece could fit right in. Lisa mentioned that she has a collection coming out in November. Very exciting! Patchett is one of my favourite authors at the moment, but this collection has left me quite cold. I believe it is an honest collection of thoughts on what it is to be an award-winning author with insights on the effects her relationship with friends and parents has had on making her. As it turned out, Sooki and I needed the same thing: to find someone who could see us as our best and most complete selves. Astonishing to come across such a friendship at this point in life. At any point in life.” Hi Carmen, I admit I put Bel Canto down when reading it, but perhaps I didn’t get far enough into it? The one fiction I liked of hers was State of Wonder but I didn’t read Commonwealth which apparently is Ann’s favorite. I wasn’t overly big about The Dutch House which I know others loved. I think the mother & stepmother in the story sort of turned me off, but my favorite part was the Big House at the beginning which is cool.