These Precious Days CD: Essays
- Downloads：9299
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-24 11:21:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ann Patchett
- ISBN：0063092832
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Candy
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I believe I enjoyed these essays more than many novels I have read recently。 Autobiographical essays written by Ann Patchett about sisters， three fathers， dogs （Snoopy） knitting， friendship， love and loss and so much more。 Many of the essays have appeared in other publications and are now combined here to enjoy。 Patchett's writing is deep and rich。 I enjoy reading about everyday life in her vivid prose and also her rich exciting life。 Stories that can be revisited time and again。 I believe I enjoyed these essays more than many novels I have read recently。 Autobiographical essays written by Ann Patchett about sisters， three fathers， dogs （Snoopy） knitting， friendship， love and loss and so much more。 Many of the essays have appeared in other publications and are now combined here to enjoy。 Patchett's writing is deep and rich。 I enjoy reading about everyday life in her vivid prose and also her rich exciting life。 Stories that can be revisited time and again。 。。。more
Jan Morrison
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Completely captivating - I was thrilled to read this wonderful writer's essays。 Especially loved The Worthless Servent and How to Practice。 Completely captivating - I was thrilled to read this wonderful writer's essays。 Especially loved The Worthless Servent and How to Practice。 。。。more
Stacey
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I enjoyed every one of these essays， even the one about book covers。 Patchett’s love for her husband， her family， and her friends gives life and beauty to her expert prose。 Her stories encourage me to be patient with my elderly parents and those I love who are suffering。
Ann Fisher
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I'd read many of these before （and pushed the three dads one on all my friends） but was still delighted to have the whole collection。 What a great writer。 I'd read many of these before （and pushed the three dads one on all my friends） but was still delighted to have the whole collection。 What a great writer。 。。。more
Erin Walton-doyle
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What a beautiful book。
Carri
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My favorites were: How to Practice， There Are No Children Here， A Talk to the Association of Graduate School Deans in the Humanities， Cover Stories and These Precious Days。
Ruth
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Excellent Through and ThroughI chose this rating because this book is so well written and engaging。 It’s about my favorite author， written by my favorite author， and parts and people of her life。 I feel as if she is telling her stories just to me， just now。 Her writing is clear， concise， well thought out， and so satisfying。 Please share more of your essays， Ms。 P。
Tanya
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4。5/5 precious days every one of them。 Sometimes we just need reminding that they are not infinite。
Kathryn
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I absolutely loved this collection of essays！ I could happily read nothing but Ann Patchett essays for the rest of my life。
Ursula
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This book is a treasure。 It is an intimate glimpse into the life of an amazing author。 I respect her even more after reading about her childhood love of Snoopy。 Anne Patchet was able to put into words everything I ever felt about Snoopy when I was growing up。
Alissa
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From family relationships to the early days of the pandemic to how her book jackets were decided on and how Tom Hanks narrative Dutch House these essays by Ann Patchett are a delight。
Chris
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Outstanding！
S
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Ann Patchett is a treasure。 These essays demonstrate her thoughtfulness， grace and sense of humor。 Every single essay was wonderful。 I’m so glad something good came out of her time at home during the pandemic。
Kael Davis
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Audio book。 Timely for me as a friend is now in cancer treatment。Short stories that are mostly stand alone。
Laura
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Simply incredible。 This book is an absolute gift。 The stories and lessons and words in this book will be with me for some time。 And when they begin to fade， I believe that I will be moved to pick it up and read it all over again。 Bravo， Ann！
Kathy McC
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4。5 stars rounded up I don't generally read essay collections， but this one had Ann Patchett's name on the front！ While there were a few of the essays that I could not relate to， I loved all of the others。 I am going to try following her ideas in the "My Year of No Shopping" essay。 "Tavia" made me think of my lifelong friends and the differences they have made in my life。 "I read an article recently about how friendships can die over time。 But， Tavia and I are in this life together。 We found eac 4。5 stars rounded up I don't generally read essay collections， but this one had Ann Patchett's name on the front！ While there were a few of the essays that I could not relate to， I loved all of the others。 I am going to try following her ideas in the "My Year of No Shopping" essay。 "Tavia" made me think of my lifelong friends and the differences they have made in my life。 "I read an article recently about how friendships can die over time。 But， Tavia and I are in this life together。 We found each other as little girls， and through everything， we've held on。" "The Moment Nothing Changed" is wonderful。 "For as many times as the horrible thing happens， a thousand times in every day the horrible thing passes us by。" I found her essay on graduate schools to be so interesting。 "We are social creatures。 Even the introverted readers， the silent writers， want a place where they feel welcomed and understood。"Absolutely loved the essay "Reading Kate DiCamillo"。 Brought my attention to a couple of her books that I haven't read。 "That's what I got from these books， the ability to walk through the door where everything I thought had been lost was in fact waiting for me。" So glad I delved into these essays！！ 。。。more
Michele
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Beautiful essays， beautiful writing。
Jill Garner
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5++ probably my favorite book of the year， I am sad it’s over！
Karlajansenmiller
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Sigh。 Thanks for yet another memorable read that will stay with me and have me sharing nonstop to anyone who will listen。 Hard to believe I've been reading your books since the early 90s。 Thanks again。 Sigh。 Thanks for yet another memorable read that will stay with me and have me sharing nonstop to anyone who will listen。 Hard to believe I've been reading your books since the early 90s。 Thanks again。 。。。more
Janet
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Ann Patchett book lovers unite！ Ann is not only a New York Times bestselling author， she owns Parnassus book store in Nashville plus is a dog-person。 What's not to like？ I was initially thinking: "Why would I want to read a bunch of essays。 Give me another Dutch House-like book with Tom Hanks narration， please！！！" So very glad though that I decided to read Ann's latest book。 "These Precious Days" covers many years in Ann's life and how dedicated she is to the art of writing。 There's the incredib Ann Patchett book lovers unite！ Ann is not only a New York Times bestselling author， she owns Parnassus book store in Nashville plus is a dog-person。 What's not to like？ I was initially thinking: "Why would I want to read a bunch of essays。 Give me another Dutch House-like book with Tom Hanks narration， please！！！" So very glad though that I decided to read Ann's latest book。 "These Precious Days" covers many years in Ann's life and how dedicated she is to the art of writing。 There's the incredible story of Tom Hanks assistant， Sookie Raphael， who lived with Ann and her husband， Dr。 Karl VanDevender， during the COVID-19 pandemic。 There's so much to share about relationships in this sweet story， and it touched my heart。 You also get inside scoop on Ann's three fathers， authors she loves， her travels to Paris， her experience cooking her first-ever Thanksgiving dinner for friends at Sarah Lawrence College， and how she managed getting Tom Hanks to narrate The Dutch House。 What a major coup for Ann and for all of us。 One side note - this book may be better as an eBook or just go with the printed version。 Ann narrates the audiobook and has， for whatever reason， chosen a staccato-like monotone style。 。。。more
Dani
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Some essays were better than others。 I loved the essays on the writing and publishing process， teaching， loving books， and learning who she is。 I was less interested in her friendship with Tom Hanks。I highlighted huge passages that I loved:“Marriage has always proven irresistible in my family。 We try and fail， and try again。 Somehow maintaining our belief in an institution that has made fools of us all。 I married twice and so has my sister。 Our mother married three times。 None of us set ourtfor Some essays were better than others。 I loved the essays on the writing and publishing process， teaching， loving books， and learning who she is。 I was less interested in her friendship with Tom Hanks。I highlighted huge passages that I loved:“Marriage has always proven irresistible in my family。 We try and fail， and try again。 Somehow maintaining our belief in an institution that has made fools of us all。 I married twice and so has my sister。 Our mother married three times。 None of us set ourtfor this。 We meant to stick our landing on the first try but we stumbled。”“Having someone who believed in my failure more than my success kept me alert。 It made me fierce。 Without ever meaning to， my father taught me at a very early age to give up on the idea of approval。 I wish I could bottle that freedom now and give it to every young writer I meet now， with an extra bottle for the women。 I would give them the ability both to love and not to care。”I loved the description of downsizing and paring down belongings。 Of our belongings feeling disappointed in us that we aren’t using them。 “Who did I think I was going to be next？ Scott Fitzgerald？ Jay Gatsby？ Would I drink champagne standing in a fountain？ Would I throw a brandy snifter into the fireplace at the end of an affair？ I laid the glasses in the laundry hamper， the tall and the small， separating them into layers with a towel。 Downstairs I set them up on the concrete floor near the water heater where they made a battalion both ridiculous and dazzling。 I had miscalculated the tools of adulthood when I was young。 Or I had miscalculated the kind of adult I would be。 I had taken my cues from Edith Warton novels and Merchant Ivory films。 I had taken my cues from my best friend’s father。 I had missed the mark on whom I would become， but in doing so had created a record of who I was at the time。 A strange kid with strange expectations。 Because it wasn’t just the glasses！ I bought flatware as well！”On choosing not to have children:“Throughout my life， the people who held the most urgent opinions on the subject of my childlessness were my immediate family: my mother， my father， my stepfather， my grandmother， all showered me with immediate reinforcement when I said as a child myself I said that I didn’t want children。 As I grew up and grew older they never missed an opportunity to voice their approval。 Even my sister who loved her own children would at times say to me wearily， I admire your life choices。 Whether this is because the people who knew me best thought I’d be a bad parent， or they wanted the resources I represented for themselves， or they wanted me to know they supported my decision， or they just didn’t like children very much - the messiness， noise， trouble - I was never certain。 Though if I had to guess， the last option seemed the most likely。”A conversation with a Hari Krishna:“He said， “imagine loving Gd so much that you’d be willing to stand in an airport day after day trying to tell people what it was like to love Gd and to feel so loved by Him。 What if this joy you felt was so great that you wanted to share it with everyone but they all rushed right by you looking in the other direction。” All these years later， it’s still the best description of how I feel about books。 I would stand in an airport to tell people how much I love books， reading them， writing them， making sure other people feel comfortable reading and writing them。”“Here’s something they didn’t teach me in graduate school: if you want to save reading， teach children to read。 Engage children in reading。 You have to raise your own customers， a book seller friend told me before we opened。”“I’m sorry I made my students back in Iowa read Madame Bovary。 I love Madame Bovary。 But these were not literature majors。 They were kids who may have had one shot in college to feel thrilled and engaged by reading and I’m fairly certain I blew it for them。 At the time， I thought that Madame Bovary was the essence of a liberal arts education。 But the essence of a liberal arts education is the ability to be flexible and curious。 To be able to teach Othello and then write for Bridal Guide。 To publish several novels and open a book store， to promote the work of living writers， to evolve。 I once believed that nothing could surpass winning a big literary award。 But I was mistaken。 I’m the thing that’s been so much better has been to create jobs in my community， to be part of the Parnasus foundation， which buys books for children who can’t afford books so they can know the thrill of owning the book they love， to find as many ways as possible for literature to make a difference in the lives of as many people as possible。”“Not everyone is going to open a bookstore， I understand that。 But it’s one of the choices。 That’s what I hope students in MFA programs now can understand。 A future is not one thing。 So many possibilities can arise as a result of intelligence， education， curiosity and hard work。 No one ever told me that。 And I’m sorry it took so long for me to figure it out。 Did I need an MFA to write a novel？ No I did not。 Did I need an MFA to open a bookstore？ No again。 But I was a solitary kid and I imagined a solitary life for myself。 My MFA showed me the importance of community。 We are social creatures。 Even the introverted readers， the silent writers， want a place where they feel welcomed and understood。 I had wanted that once。 And now I can give it to others…that’s how I discovered that my truest destiny was a thing I never saw coming。” 。。。more
Linden
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4。5 stars。 I enjoyed these essays very much。
Sandie
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As with most essay compilations， I loved many and others not so much。 I am not a fan of essays that I call hero worship- this is why I love this person， author， etc- which may not mean much to me if I don’t know the persons work。 I do now know why Patchett holds them in high regard and that does add to their merit， but it is hard for me to engage in those stories。
Stephanie
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I've definitely read Ann Patchett's fiction and have enjoyed it。 I love being drawn into the worlds she creates。 I haven't， however， gotten to her personal essays， despite buying a copy of "This Is a Story of a Happy Marriage" right after hearing her on NPR a few years ago。 I loved this book。 I loved learning about her young life and her college life and her young adult European travel。 I loved reading about her time at the Iowa Writers' Workshop。 I loved reading about her family relationships: I've definitely read Ann Patchett's fiction and have enjoyed it。 I love being drawn into the worlds she creates。 I haven't， however， gotten to her personal essays， despite buying a copy of "This Is a Story of a Happy Marriage" right after hearing her on NPR a few years ago。 I loved this book。 I loved learning about her young life and her college life and her young adult European travel。 I loved reading about her time at the Iowa Writers' Workshop。 I loved reading about her family relationships: her fathers， her husband， her friend relationships （ I mean， she went to school with Lucy Grealy and Elizabeth McCracken）。 I loved reading about her bookstore life， her events， her speaking engagements。。I loved loved loved loved "These Precious Days，" one of the very last essays in the book， which talks about a very special friendship with a woman named Sooki。 I won't give spoilers， but this essay wrecked me， if， for no other reason， because of the absolutely gorgeous writing。Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Mingham
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⏳ ⏳ ⏳ ⏳ ⏳“Tell me how the story ends。 It doesn’t。 It will。 It hasn’t yet。”
Catriona Reynolds
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A book that deserves more than the 5 available stars。I listened to Ann Patchett read this and， as she would say， it split me open。 Highly recommend。
Margaret
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I am only 3/4 way through this book but I love it。 These are autobiographical essays/stories and because I loved all her other books， including other essays， I knew I'd like this， too。 If you are an Ann Patchett fan， this is a good read。 I am only 3/4 way through this book but I love it。 These are autobiographical essays/stories and because I loved all her other books， including other essays， I knew I'd like this， too。 If you are an Ann Patchett fan， this is a good read。 。。。more
Krista
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p。 83。。。"Because he has an inner life， I ascribed an inner life to all dogs I knew， and they proved me right。 I have lived with many dogs I considered to be my equals， and a couple I knew to be my betters。 The times I've lived without a dog， the world has not been right， as if the days were out of balance。"p。 200 "I'm pretty much the poster child for how to incorporate the humanities into your life。 It is my greatest love， my deepest joy and all I want to do is share it， to use books and writers p。 83。。。"Because he has an inner life， I ascribed an inner life to all dogs I knew， and they proved me right。 I have lived with many dogs I considered to be my equals， and a couple I knew to be my betters。 The times I've lived without a dog， the world has not been right， as if the days were out of balance。"p。 200 "I'm pretty much the poster child for how to incorporate the humanities into your life。 It is my greatest love， my deepest joy and all I want to do is share it， to use books and writers to bridge the lonely technological divide we find ourselves stuck in。 。。。I believe I've done more good on behalf of culture by opening Parnassus than I have writing novels。 I've made a place in my community where everyone is welcome。 。。。more
Ana
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I bought this book on a whim after reading the essay These Precious Days and not being able to stop until I finished it。 I have not read any fiction by Ann Patchett （yet！）， but I thoroughly enjoyed reading and listening to this moving and unapologetically personal collection of essays。 After all， memoirs often house the best human narratives。 This book is an ode to her life。 Her essays circle the question of what is most important in it: what she decided to keep， what she decided to let go of。 H I bought this book on a whim after reading the essay These Precious Days and not being able to stop until I finished it。 I have not read any fiction by Ann Patchett （yet！）， but I thoroughly enjoyed reading and listening to this moving and unapologetically personal collection of essays。 After all， memoirs often house the best human narratives。 This book is an ode to her life。 Her essays circle the question of what is most important in it: what she decided to keep， what she decided to let go of。 Her writing is beautiful and subtle。 She doesn’t need to embellish language with convoluted prose for the reader to sense the kindness and love that distills from her writing。 She definitely has a talent for friendship （if such talent can be measured）！ 。。。more
Liz
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