I had to sit with these essays for a bit. They were thoughtful and full of emotion but never too overwrought. Patchett's meditation on being child-less was especially memorable for me.

I am a big Ann Patchett fan, and thoroughly enjoyed listening to her narrate her book of essays. My book group will be discussing this next week and I am looking forward to hearing their thoughts. I felt there were too many all portions about her choice to remain childless- but loved her essay and her three fathers and the wonder that was the story of her friend Suki. At times I was laughing out loud, and other times deeply moved- I hope one day I can visit her Nashville bookstore- I dream of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this title. All opinions are my own.
Short stories or essays have a certain charm or cachet, and in the capable hands of Ann Patchett this is never more accurate. These Precious Days is authentic and deep, and truly an insightful look into the soul of the author. Some I delighted in, some made me think deeply, and all were truly excellent reads

To be fair, I will read anything Ann Patchett writes, and I was familiar with some of these essays through The New Yorker, but wow, such a pleasure to read! We read a few of the essays aloud with our grown children, and regardless of our age or where we are in life, they were poignant and meaningful.

Although I'm not usually a fan of short stories, I enjoyed Ann Patchett's brief essays. It feel like you are meeting a new friend!

Somehow I never left feedback for this book when I read it. Even though I read it months ago, the stories of Ann's life, and her friendship with Sookie are so vividly drawn in my mind that I can still remember them clearly. I love Patchett and will read anything she reads, forever. I'm never disappointed. (The only time she's disappointed me was when I visited her bookstore in Nashville only to discover she was not manning the desk with her little dog at her side, ha ha).

All I knew about Ann Patchett before reading this book was that she wrote The Glass House which I listened to because of #tomhanks After reading this collection of autobiographical essays, I know so much more (like how Tom Hanks came to narrative the novel), and it’s still not enough.

These Precious Days is a series of essays that feel so raw and real and make you think. Some made me laugh, some made me cry, and all were so incredibly interesting.

I immediately followed her bookstore after reading this book and now want to take a trip to Nashville just to visit!

I am completely in awe of her talent. There are authors who can write, and then there are authors who can WRITE. And she is one of those.

I’m so, so impressed by this collection of work and now I can’t wait to read more by her.

This is a must read for any Ann Patchett fans and those who enjoy literary fiction

Such a beautiful book of essays. I tried to slow down and savor this book by reading only one or two a day.

A lovely gift to all who love Ann Patchett's nonfiction. This collection does not disappoint - matching the quality of This Is the Story of A Happy Marriage

I couldn't wait to read this when I heard it was by Ann Patchett, even though u hasn't really cared for her earlier book The Dutch House. This book resonated with me and i especially loved the essay about the dog. I must admit that I passed it along to my elderly mom who enjoyed it so much that she recommended it to her book group.

I’m judging the L.A. Times 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book read even though it’s nonfiction and not one of the 296 other books I’m charged to read.

Well I already feel so endeared to Ann Patchett because of that essays he wrote about Tom Hanks’ assistant, Sookii. I mean Tom Hanks is so damn likable it is so hard to read that essay without picturing his twinkly eyes and sly smile, and thinking of downing caramel macchiatos. And speaking of Shop Around the Corner, there’s that bookstore. So Precious Days seemed like a cozy book to read in the snow. I like the preface and what she says about essays not dying and how we all make these contingency plans for our fiction, everything presenting imminent peril when most of what we feel is so urgent is in our mind. Although, it’s also true when I’m in a nonfiction state of mind, I am emailing myself turns of phrases all day. I’ve been tinkering with an essay now every day for a month and something always seems to come striking hot while I’m off walking my dog. I email myself notes, but later, they are a kind of gibberish morse code. “Squirrel chatty taunt acorn sovereign” It works out much better when I email myself my parking space… 4 Butts for level 4 area B or Butt Butt Butt Butt. I read somewhere we remember things better when we make some kind of naughty association—and I find this to be true as once I made the connection I never again forgot the name of our local pizza parlor where we liked to order bad spaghetti… Hard Times pizza. Anywho, Ann Patchett. Here’s a good reason to read this book in the new year while we are all setting our intentions. “ If this man with an all-consuming job, six children, endless hobbies and endless affairs could find the time to write so many books, even horrible books, I should be able to organize myself for productivity.”
Ain’t that the truth. I think about this every day. My family emigrated from the Philippines and worked and militaried and fried up food and I lived with kids in shelters and group homes and just dreamed of a day when my time would be my own. When I could do a simple thing like read all day uninterrupted or write all day, or smoke a cigarette, or go outside and flirt, or talk on the phone at strange hours. And now I can do whatever the fuck I want and I somehow don’t manage the time to do anything I want

I think Ann Patchett is an exceptional writer with the rare combination of deep sensitivity and laugh-out-loud humor. As I worked my way through this book of essays, I found myself reaching out to various friends imploring them to read this book because of a particular topic or setting or tone that I know they would appreciate. There was something for everyone!
As I reached the last essay, a beautifully written, deeply affecting end to this part of her journey, I have to confess I found myself having some contradictory responses.
A writer gets to choose the details she includes in her work, but surely a book about the course of a life-threatening illness would be expected to include some raw scenes. Souki, the dainty and gentle soul Patchett takes in to her life and home never vomits uncontrollably, or gets cranky or even wears the same outfit twice. And Patchett herself who clearly loves and needs alone time eagerly entertains a parade of visitors for a meal or a day or a week. Her husband is.a saint who can practically leap tall buildings at a single bound. ( while piloting a plane) Her mother was perfect and for that matter, so was her father. She hangs out with people like Renee Fleming and every literary luminary who enters her circle becomes her new best friend. She drinks no alcohol, eats no meat, does two hours of yoga and meditation a day all the while encouraging everyone to be their very best self.
I began to look for — no hope — for chinks in her armor and that of course made me feel petty and small. Just in passing, she gives up a wonderful literary opportunity ( I can’t recall which because she had so many) when a friend who happened to be a nun fell and hurt her foot and of course only Patchett could and would make the sacrifice to assist her. You see what is happening? I am getting testy and hate myself for it. And because this is a book of uncompromising honesty, I want to share my honest reaction and see if it hits a similar note with any one else.
I still give this 5 stars because it truly is wonderfully written and deeply moving. Ann Patchett deserves every award and prize she ever earned.

I didn't finish the book. The first stories were fine. There is no reason definitively why I lost interest in these stories. I feel like this is a collection that would be best served on a bed side table to read slowly over the course of weeks or months. I am just not in a place currently for such a slowly paced collection. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

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.

What a beautiful book! The variety of topics covered in these essays makes this title rich and so interesting. I liked it so much that I ordered a signed copy from the bookstore that the author owns in Nashville (Parnassus Books). I am enjoying recommending this lovely book to our library patrons.

Ann Patchett is one of a kind. Her books are so readable, and each is different. Tho I had read several of these essays, I just loved having this assortment all together here. Can't wait to see what she'll do next!

A beautiful and hopeful book. This is a quick read of wondrous essays. It came at a time when I was having a dry spell in my reading life. I am still enjoying this work.

Now and then I will pick up a book of short stories and skim through it, but seldom do I read every story. Ann Patchett’s collection of personal stories is the exception, The short story that represents the title comes near the end. It’s about an effervescent woman with pancreatic cancer who lives with them during the pandemic as she seeks out trials to put the cancer into emission. Patchett’s ability to write about her own experiences and make them meaningful to the reader is superb. Anyone who loves Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books as much as I do and encourages adults to read them is my kind of person.

I am so happy to live in a world where we have the ability to read Ann Patchett's writing.

This collection of stories were exactly what I needed to remind me why I love reading. Patchett has this incredible ability to make the small things feel important and worthy of thought. Reading this book felt like wrapping myself in a warm blanket. Even though not all was happy and okay all the time, it helped make the good times feel even more important.

I will definitely be recommending this book to a wide range of readers and will be purchasing a several copies to give as gifts.

I love Ann Patchett's work and this book of essays is no exception. In this book she explores the decision to not have children and the ways in which society and the public make assumptions and unabashedly ask intrusive questions. Patchett also spends time discussing life and death, particularly how she experienced the life and death of a dear friend. She discusses her marriage and relationships with insight and honesty. I found the information and stories from the world of publishing to be especially interesting, She discusses the process of cover art selection for her books (a process about which I knew nothing) and even how Tom Hanks came to be the narrator for the audiobook of The Dutch House. This is a great read for anyone who loves Ann Patchett and especially for those who are interested in the world of writing.