These Precious Days audiobook

Ann Patchett takes us to intimate places in her head and heart with this lovely collection of essays . I’ve read all of her novels and reading this book has made me want to read her other non fiction books. Reading this has also made me want to knit again, to read children’s books by Kate DeCamillo, to take a trip to Nashville not to go to the Grand Ole Opry, but to Parnassus her bookstore, to get rid of all the extra stuff in our house, to be more giving. There’s a beautiful tribute to her father and two stepfathers. The stunning, heartfelt essay of the same title of the book is about the gift of true friendship, a wonderful woman named Sookie, and the generosity and love that Ann and her husband extended to her. I believe Patchett fans will love this as I did, getting to know some about her writing and her life. I recommend it to those who haven’t read her books, too. You will want to read every one of them. I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins through Edelweiss.

I finished this marvel of a book several days ago, and I’m still swooning. Sometimes you pick one up and feel like you mesh with it so perfectly that it might have been written just for you. This was my experience with Ann Patchett’s 2021 essay collection, These Precious Days. Twenty-two essays (plus an introduction and epilogue) that were written during the COVID lockdown, when she found writing fiction impossible but still needed to put pen to paper. Of course it helps if you have a personal connection to the topics she covers, and with 22 to choose from you likely will. For me, these were: no shopping/minimalism, having a husband who likes to fly teeny tiny (scary) planes, childlessness, book cover love, and (sigh) cancer. The titular essay, “These Precious Days,” refers to her unexpected friendship with a woman named Sooki Raphael (Tom Hanks’s assistant) who stayed with her and her husband for cancer treatments in 2020 while the world was shut down. (That’s one of Sooki’s paintings of Patchett’s dog on the cover.) It was previously published in Harper’s Magazine, and you can still read it online if you can’t get your hands on the full book. https://harpers.org/archive/2021/01/t...But if you love eloquence and wisdom, and listening to a voice of an author that quickly becomes a dear friend, then I give the audiobook my highest recommendation. Patchett narrates it herself, and the days I spent with her in my ear were, in a word, precious. Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/

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 --Its the only book I'll be listening to -reading -- for the next 11 hours and 14 minutes....(ha --I have nothing else I need to do -- so "These Precious Days: Essays" --is a personal gift to myself -- away from another book driving me crazy -- and the joy of sharing with a friend: Erin!LAST YEAR....BACK WITH UPDATE….(below Happy Thanksgiving)Forgive me while I cry…..“These Precious Days”, by Ann Patchett is.. *****THE MOST PRECIOUS BOOK of 2021*****Longer review to follow soon… or/ and … do not wait … grab this book and read it ASAP!HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all that celebrate 🍁🌿🍂MY UPDATE:It’s still early morning. I’m lying under my covers…it’s Thanksgiving Day.I keep thinking about Ann Patchett, and Sookie Raphael. EVERY reader will also continue thinking about Ann and Sookie ….and the extraordinary essays in “These Precious Days” long after finishing it. It’s easy to describe the basics… (but these are just the basics) The heart & soul go much deeper….But here’s the basics:These essays are about love, life, death, family, friends, fathers, mothers, step fathers, step mothers, sisters, stepchildren, marriages, divorces, adventures, travel, college, books, (a ‘full range’ of book ‘themes’) writing, (great offerings to even a seasoned writer), art, health, sickness, yoga, kundalini, walking, dogs, Ann’s dog, (Sparky), working out, authors who have died, covid, California, Nashville, Tennessee, reading and re-reading cravings, caretaking, LAPD, Parkinson’s disease, pancreatic cancer, birthdays, noteworthy actors, and authors, The Academy of Arts and Literature, awards, Thanksgivings, (cooking and gathering memories),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. Ann shared about precious objects ( what to keep, what to let go) She shared about authors who influenced her during her young formative years.Books, and authors gave Ann a glimpse as to what type of adult she might be in the area of love, sex, and work.John Updike, Philip Roth, and Saul Bello, we’re definitely influencers.. but there were others - other books - other teachers - other people….And a VERY SPECIAL blessing of a late-in-life friendship….with *Sookie Raphael*…who wore a beautiful jacket the first day they met: black jacket with pink peonies, the size of a hand. Throughout these essays are wisdom… characters of strength, brilliance, andfeelings of love…I laughed, I cried, I came away incredibly inspired. I listened to the Audiobook…from the library. And after listening to many parts 2 and 3 times…I said to myself - purchased it already!! And I did - I purchased it already!! After listening to the library copy, I’m now a proud owner of this Audiobook….read by Ann Patchett 11 hours and 14 minutes…I haven’t had my fill yet - I’m going to listen to it again -perhaps once a year regularly. There are numerous outstanding editorial reviews all over the Internet …(personally I didn’t view them until after I took my own turn listening to this book).There are many other great contributing reviews here on Goodreads….and there will be more coming. Whether you go into this book blind or having read a lot before taking your own turn….it’s a memorable powerful enjoyable - luv- experience. OUT of CONTEXT…favorite message: ….As it turned out Ann and Sookie needed the same things—to find somebody who could see each other’s best and most complete selves.

i like the way ann patchett writes and thinks, and i like the way she depicts her friends and family and life, so this book of autobiographical essays worked for me.but it would have been worth it for the dutch house behind the scenes alone.bottom line: dutch house fans unite!--------------------pre-reviewat first i thought i couldn't get into this book, but now i think maybe i was just savoring it.review to come / 3.5 stars--------------------currently-reading updatesaccidentally bought a large print edition of this and i have just one question: why isn't every book a large print edition--------------------tbr reviewnothing i need in this life except ann patchett writing about how lovely it is

I love Ann Patchett’s writing but ultimately, in this case, the book languished on my nightstand until I downloaded the audiobook. Listening to Ann read her own words was the perfect way to experience her essays.As with any collection, there were some essays I liked better than others, and I recommend reading (or listening) to one or two a day, not straight through. The one I found most interesting as a reader was “Cover Art”, on how covers are chosen and how much input is allowed an author. In my own journey to minimize and simplify I appreciated her essay, “My Year of No Shopping”. The most heartfelt and moving essay was about Sooki, Tom Hank’s assistant. They became friends and grew even closer during Sooki’s long battle with pancreatic cancer. It is her art on the cover of the book and their relationship was touching and moving. You can read it online here: https://harpers.org/archive/2021/01/t...In between, Ann touches on her childhood, her fathers, the death of a parent, her decision to remain childless, her writing career, owning a bookstore, her marriage, and other topics. Listening to her was like sitting down with a good friend over a cup of coffee.This is indeed a precious life and Ann reminds us how very fragile life is and how we need to find the joy in our days. Living a life of love and generosity of spirit, paying attention to the small moments, and putting people and relationships above all else sounds like meaningless platitudes but in this book we see them in action.I enjoyed this glimpse into Ann’s life and closed the last page with a full heart.

This is a varied and lovely collection of reflective essays written by Ann Patchett over the years. I think one of the things I’ll take away from this is what a wonderful, warm hearted and generous person she is. She’s kind, hospitable and a loyal and true friend - in fact, at the end of reading this I want her to befriend me!!!! The stand out story in my opinion is These Precious Days when after reading Tom Hank’s short stories, she gets to meets Tom and his assistant Sooki Raphael with whom she forms an incredible friendship. Sooki’s story is written with deep love and compassion, I love it, it moves me and the author also makes me love Sooki. It’s impossible to mention all in this eclectic collection but ‘My Year of No Shopping’ is very thought provoking about the stuff we all accumulate and I’ve made a LARGE note to myself to try to follow some of this wisdom when I’m tempted to click Buy Now! I can but try. The Worthless Servant is a very moving story about Father Charlie Strobel and the lessons the author has learned from him. In the Doghouse makes me laugh especially as Snoopy is her role model (and why not), How Knitting Saved My Life Twice is funny but then becomes serious demonstrating how it helps overcome her grief at the loss of a dear friend. Tavia is one of Ann’s best friends and her lifeline and she’s just my kind of friend as she remembers half while Ann remembers the other half! The definition of a perfect friend! It’s clear that friendship is so valuable to AP and once a friend it seems you are a friend for life. Her open house policy with frequent visitors tells you all you need to know about her generous spirit. The stories include a focus on her family and it’s dynamics and she is very frank about some life decisions she has made. Overall , this is an extremely readable collection about family, friends, love and what really matters. Her passion for all things bookish shines through and if I’m ever in Nashville her bookshop Parnassus is a must visit. What I’ll take away from this is a feeling of warmth that emanates from the author and how she is prepared to stand up for what she thinks is right. Highly recommended. With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

As shared in my January Quick Lit round-up:I wasn't going to read this, and then enough bookseller friends recommended it that I changed my mind. In this broad essay collection, Ann Patchett reflects on the writing life, significant friendships, bookstore ownership, and taking mushrooms (really!). I had read earlier versions of some pieces before—and maybe you have, too, because we shared them in Links I Love, but I enjoyed both revisiting those and reading her new work. You may be surprised to hear my favorite issues center not on her writing experience but on complex family relationships, as she does in "The Nightstand" and "Two More Things I Want to Say About My Father."

Well, this was a wonderful book to end 2021 with.Patchett writes of all her different relationships .. with her three father’s, yes three… of her relationships with her mother, sister, husband, and friends.She writes about deciding to not have children early in life.. about death.The title story was just beautiful!I feel like I know her so very well!Wowza, Ms Patchett… well done👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

How would you write a letter, a book, essays, about the ups and downs of your life: the happy, the sad, the funny? These Precious Days has the feel of an intimate disclosure of Ann Patchett’s life. I am not her sister, soulmate, friend, or even an acquaintance, but her honesty and warmth made me feel like we had known and cared about each other forever. That is the beauty of Ann Patchett’s writing. Her words travel directly from her pen (or computer) to my heart.

Love love love! One of my very favorite short story or essay collections is To Lay to Rest Our Ghosts by Caitlin Hamilton Summie, and These Precious Days is right up there at the top. This is phenomenal.My cousin introduced me years ago to the wonders of Ann Patchett’s fictional stories like Bel Canto and The Magician’s Assistant. More recently, I devoured the audio of The Dutch House read by none other than Tom Hanks.These Precious Days is deeply personal to Patchett, and it was very hard to put down. It’s full of surprises and so much nuance, I don’t want to give anything away. Reading it made my love for her books even fonder. Highly recommended for fans of this author. It’s an emotional, powerful, and resonant treasure.I received a gifted copy. Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

You know when people compliment an author by saying, "Oh, I would read their grocery list if they published it!" Ann Patchett might be that author for me.This is a sublime, poignant collection of essays that range from her love of Snoopy (the iconic Peanuts character) to discussing her choice to not have children. Then there is the heart-achingly beautiful title essay about her friendship with Sooki, Tom Hanks' assistant, who comes to live with the author during the coronavirus pandemic to receive treatment for pancreatic cancer. All throughout these essays Patchett imbues her writing with a deep sense of wonder, appreciation and gratitude without ever ignoring the harsh realities of life that we face in our brief time on this earth. After finishing this collection, I feel as though Ann (I think she'd agree we're on a first name basis) and I are friends; or at least, I'd love if that were so. She's a kind, bookish and dog-loving individual who bares her heart to the reader throughout these essays, and for that, this reader is grateful.

These Precious Days, Anne Patchett's memoir in essays, examines the importance of crucial relationships between family and friends, aging and death, and the writing life. Patchett, 58, the author of eight novels, four nonfiction books, and two children's books, opens the door to the world of her youth and invites us into her adult home and Parnassos, the indie bookstore she owns in Tennessee.Patchett is a novelist with an eye for detail and character. Her finely crafted essays bring her subjects to life. Her writing is lively, and her portraits are imbued with compassion. Topics include an in-depth- portrait of her three fathers, humorous descriptions of her college summer abroad, her graduate work at the Iowa MFA program, and the influence of Charles Shultz's Snoopy on her development as a writer. On a more serious and personal note, she writes about her marriage, her decision not to have children, and her induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.In the title essay, These Precious Days, Patchett describes her covid year. It is my favorite piece and one that highlights the book's themes. Here the significance of friendship looms large. Sooki Raphael was Tom Hanks's personal assistant. Patchett first met her when she wrote an endorsement for his book of stories, Uncommon Type, and they developed a warm friendship via e-mail. When Patchett learns that the only treatment trial for Raphael's newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer is at a Nashville hospital, she invites her to live with her and her husband during the treatment. Shortly after Raphael arrives, Covid hits. Patchett's moving essay chronicles their deep and growing friendship throughout this trying time. I listened to Anne Patchett read her book on audio. It was an intimate experience. I recommend the book to Patchett fans or to those who want to try reading her for the first time.

4.5 stars I absolutely adored every minute I spent with this book. I love the way Ann Patchett writes and you can feel the love and wonder with which she views the world and the people around her Watch me talk about this book in my January Wrap Up Part 2: https://youtu.be/IBtZ-U9wq80

5★ “Off we went to bed, the book and I, and in doing so put the chain of events into motion. The story has started without my realizing it. The first door opened and I walked through.But any story that starts will also end. This is the way novelists think: beginning, middle, and end.”Ann Patchett had chosen one of the many unsolicited books she receives from publishers, who are hoping for a quote for the book jacket. She didn’t hold out much hope for this one, Uncommon Type, because it was written by an actor, but she’d always thought they should stick to acting, but she asks herself why shouldn’t Tom Hanks write short stories? Yes, that Tom Hanks.She is happily surprised to find they’re good and promptly sends off her endorsement to the publisher, flattered that she was asked to ‘help’ someone like him. She has always travelled a lot, doing interviews and book shows, so she later crosses paths with Hanks and his assistant, Sooki, a tiny, fascinating woman she would like to get to know.Patchett lives in Nashville and has a bookstore. Hanks is considering opening a bookstore and his wife, Rita Wilson, comes to Nashville a couple of times a year for her music. She gets brave and asks if he’d considering doing the audio for her new book The Dutch House. YES! But . . . it will take some scheduling, and thus, she finally begins a conversation and relationship with Sooki. They become very friendly through emails.“This wasn’t out of the ordinary for me, as I’m sure it wasn’t for her. Email tilts toward the overly familiar. I tilt toward the overly familiar.”Sooki, it turns out, is being treated for pancreatic cancer, and Patchett thinks of her time as precious now. They begin corresponding about paint and colour and artists and art books. They have become friends. 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.“My reading on this flight is a book called Radical Remission. I am hopeful and feeling radical.”Ann mentions Sooki’s situation to her husband, Karl, who is a doctor, and the story really begins there. It is an amazing piece of diary, memoir, essay, and colour. Lots of colour.“The paintings were bold, confident, at ease. When she gave us the painting she had done of Sparky on the back of the couch, I felt as if Matisse had painted our dog.”The story is available online at Harper’s with three of Sooki’s paintings to enjoy. I will share them below, but I hope she includes some more of them in her book. They are a formidable pair of friends and wonderful artists.Here are the pictures. “Sparky Walks the Neighbourhood with Ann, Nashville 2020” “Sparky Considers a Squirrel, Nashville 2020” “Self-Portrait, Nashville 2020 What I have read is the title story, a novella, really, from Patchett’s book which is expected to be published in November 2021. Here’s the link to the story online. https://harpers.org/archive/2021/01/t...I have read only the title story of what is now a collection. There is a wonderful interview with the author here about the book.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/26/bo...