These Precious Days: Essays

These wise and wonderful essays give us an intimate look into the mind and heart of Anne Patchett, the famous writer and owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville. A friend sent me the title essay when it was published in Harper’s Magazine about an unlikely friendship Patchett formed with Tom Hanks’s assistant after reading his book, Uncommon Type. The way this relationship speaks to friendship and what is possible if your heart is open and willing is so touching; it will stay with you forever. Other essays that extoll the virtues and gifts of Patchett’s three dads, her surprise at the enchanting powers of Kate DiCamillo’s children's books, windows into her sweet marriage, and her love of Eudora Welty will not disappoint. These Precious Days leaves no question of why Patchett is heralded as one of the warmest, wittiest, and sharpest writers of our time.