A book recommendation: "Tolstoy and the Purple Chair"

I found out just how much I miss reading.

I grabbed the very short "Tolstoy and the Purple Chair - My Year of Magical Reading" off the 'new book' library rack as I juggled "How Do Dinosaurs Play with their Dogs," "Atrapados" and a large arm-full of other toddler books. I didn't really know what it was about, but I had seen that it was November's book at our UU. I figured September gave me plenty o' time to get it finished.

This book turned out to be well-timed for me, almost five years out from Serenity's death.

The author lost her adult sister, who was 46. She talks about the three years spent trying to live enough life for two and trying to be the everything for everybody. When she realized that this wasn't working, she returned to her life-long love of reading, which she shared with not only her sister but her whole family.

She interweaves the story of her family, her sister's death, and stories from the 365 books she read in one year. The books was full of wonderfully insightful quotes on grief, resilience, and human nature.

The author reminded me how much I loved reading, the escape, the exploration of your thoughts, the refection of the commonalities between us all.

And I realized that maybe I had not turned to reading books during my intense years of grief, but to reading your words and adding my own to the lexicon of grief. That my journey was validated by reading about your journeys. That my heart was stitched up by your support and by being there to support you. I didn't take a year to sit in a purple chair and read a book a day, but spent countless hours at my computer reading the blogs.

And I could not have found a better way to walk through death's long shadow than with your company. For this - your presence, your openness, your kindnesses - I am grateful.

***

And now, I think these crazy thoughts like reading a book, a, um, week. Yeah, a book or short story a week.

So my aim is to avoid the lighthearted escapism books or SciFi/fantasy that I often read and find good, short fiction, new or old, that is about the human experience. I photocopied Nina Sankovitch's list. I started in the "A's" at the library and picked out a skinny book that had a decent teaser. And we'll see where this goes.

If you are so inclined, pick up a copy of "Tolstoy and the Purple Chair" and join me on another (continuing) journey.

I'd also love to hear your recommendations.