These Precious Days by Ann Patchett

THESE PRECIOUS DAYS by Ann Patchett is one more thing for which to be grateful as Thanksgiving approaches. Patchett, award winning author of Bel Canto, has compiled a wonderfully uplifting set of essays full of droll wit and acute observations. An early selection profiles her three fathers: her biological one, the man who raised her, and her mother’s later partner. Describing her reaction to advice from one of them, Patchett writes, “I held the phone away from my ear. You are a duck, I would tell myself. This is rain.” From there, she moves on to a diverse set of topics, including how Snoopy was such an important influence and all about a year of no shopping (“If you want something, wait a while. Chances are the feeling will pass”). Regarding cleaning out possessions during the pandemic, she says, “I could watch myself grappling with the same themes in my writing and in my life, what I needed, whom I loved, what I could let go, and how much energy the letting go would take.” THESE PRECIOUS DAYS received starred reviews from Kirkus, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly – these beautiful reflections on friendship, family and life are definitely worth a read.