Welcome to Litsy!

My husband of 33 years passed away from a brave battle with ALS at the age of 63 a few weeks ago. This season of Joy looks a little different for me this year. I‘m hoping to find happiness this season in the faces of my children and grandchildren as we grieve his loss together.

C.S. Lewis wrote this after the death of his beloved wife. Their time together was short, but it was all the more poignant because their connection was so intense. He was left wishing for all the years they might have had together. He is so honest about his pain making him question his faith.

“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”

“Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.”

I really enjoy Brooke‘s writing in general. This memoir focuses on her husband‘s unexpected passing. It‘s as raw as it is insightful while sharing a glimpse of her life. I hope writing this memoir,
sharing stories, and writing through this difficult period helped her to navigate her grief.

#Read2025 #MonthlyNonFiction

Read & listened to for #AuthorAMonth November #JoanDidion I meant to read more Joan Didion this month rather than rereading this one, read years ago, but I didn‘t get around to it. I went between my e-book & audiobook read (excellently) by Vanessa Redgrave. This book was illuminating to me when I was dealing with my own grief from my mom‘s passing & I think Didion captures the feeling well, both the large & ⬇️

Starting this while watching football #authoramonth

Wildful, by Kengo Kurimoto (2024 🇨🇦)
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Premise: A suburban teenager learns to connect with nature, and with her grieving mother in the process.

Review: This is a delightful graphic novel powered by its illustrations more than its writing. There‘s nothing new or startling in this book but it‘s a great reminder of the wonder that is available all around us if we choose to see it.

This book is really great and fitting if you‘ve experienced unexpected loss. I wouldn‘t say it fits all kinds of grief, but it is the best book I‘ve read specifically for that kind of grief. I was nodding my head through most of this book in agreement and understanding.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a Litsy find I picked up after seeing @TEArificbooks post about it. Lovely memoir weaving together the pieces together timeline of the unexpected death of the author‘s husband while they were apart, and her sojourn to Flinders Island three years later when she finally stopped to grieve and heal. #nfn #nonfictionnovember

Grief is a process we all experience - and Weller's ability to talk about it with compassion shines through in this book. I particularly enjoyed the poetry references throughout this book - it brought a distinct humanity to the otherwise difficult subject matter.

Hi, It‘s Me, by Fawn Parker (2024 🇨🇦)
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Premise: A young woman goes to visit the feminist commune where her mother spent her final months, while battling grief and demons of her own.

Review: This is a strange book and I don‘t know what to make of it. ⬇️