How I "met" Ann Patchett

Many years ago I somehow came across a book that looked interesting to me. I have no exact memory of how I found this book. However, I read the book and found it very lovely. I enjoyed the writing and found the story intriguing.

My husband likes to tease me because if you ask me immediately after reading a book, how I liked the book, I will tell you all kinds of things. Ask me later, even days later, I will only be able to tell you how the book made me feel and maybe a detail or two...but not much. A few months later? I will probably remember that I liked it or didn't like it but no details at all.  I don't know why I'm like this. I do feel like I have good reading comprehension but just not a whole lot of retention. My brain purges all extra information unless it is needed for daily life apparently.

Anyway, a few years (I think) later, I was making a task of reading through the Boston Public Library's list of books to read. I don't recall if it was "important books to read" or just here are a bunch of books to try or what. But I really enjoyed doing that and I read a bunch of books that I never would have chosen otherwise. I started reading a book and was really enjoying it. I thought the writer was really good.  I got a good 2/3 the way through this book when I was suddenly thinking...I have read this book before.  But I couldn't remember the ending so I just kept going and I really enjoyed the book. Again.

More time goes by. Months? A year? Not sure.

I'm walking through Costco and perusing the books as I am wont to do. One book stuck out to me because it had a really beautiful cover. I took a picture of that book and vowed to read it. I went to the library and checked it out. I start reading it and, this time, it takes me only a few chapters before I am thinking "OH MY GOSH, IT'S THE SAME BOOK AGAIN"

You may not be surprised to find that I went ahead and read it the third time because I remembered no details really but I remembered that I enjoyed the writing and the story.

This third time I vowed to place this book and its author into my memory bank so as not to do this a fourth time. 

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

I have told this story many times. I don't know why I feel compelled to tell this story as it doesn't make me look good. But it's funny, so I tell it.

I realized a couple of months ago that, even though I really enjoyed that book and loved the writing, I hadn't really sought out more books by Ann Patchett. So I began to look for more. 

The first one I read was the Dutch House. Again, loved her writing.

So I went through the library app and just put holds on all of the Ann Patchett books. The next book that became available was not a novel, but a series of essays. It is called "This is the Story of a Happy Marriage". Wow, did I love this book. She had one long essay about becoming a writer and it felt a bit like advice for someone wanting to be a writer. I have never had any aspirations to become a writer. I don't, as some people do, feel that I have a story inside of me that needs to get out. However, this essay really spoke to me because over the many years of my life, I've had periods of time where I have found a great deal of meaning through writing. I've kept journals and blogs. I've done scrapbooks and really enjoyed the journaling portion of that hobby. I stayed sane through Franks cancer treatment through writing messages to friends and family. Since moving to Utah and starting to work full or mostly full-time, I have stopped pretty much all creative endeavors. I don't do paper crafting or sewing. I have even stopped writing and have huge gaps in time in my blogging which I used to do quite religiously. I miss being creative but work life seems to suck creativity right out of me. When I miss the writing, I find myself attempting to write just simple blogs about an activity we've done and the words are stilted and difficult. The end result is uninspired.

But as I read those essays by Ann Patchett I felt myself drawn back to writing. I started having thoughts go through my head that I wanted to write down.

So here I am. Who knows if it will last or if daily life will suck it back out of me. But I'm glad I "met" Ann Patchett through that crazy book I read 3 times without meaning to and I'm enjoying that feeling again of having something to say.