Sample Saturday is when I wade through the eleventy billion samples I have downloaded on my Kindle. I’m slowly chipping away and deciding whether it’s buy or bye.
Dinner with Edward by Isabel Vincent
Why I have it: not sure, although many blogging friends enjoyed it according to Goodreads.
Summary: Isabel’s friend asks her to check in on her nonagenarian dad, Edward, who is grieving the death of his wife. Isabel has no idea that the glorious dinners Edward prepares will end up changing her life.
I’m thinking: Maybe (is a whole book stretching the material too far?).
On Living by Kerry Egan
Why I have it: Recommended by a colleague.
Summary: As a hospice chaplain, Kerry Egan found that the dying rarely wanted to talk about God, but rather wanted to tell their stories, and make meaning of what they had experienced. Egan documents what she calls the ‘spiritual work of dying’.
I’m thinking: Yes.
Little Weirds by Jenny Slate
Why I have it: Not sure but think it had something to with that lovely cover.
Summary: Slate reflects on everything from the smell of honeysuckle and birth, to electromagnetic energy fields and divorce.
I’m thinking: No (it’s a style thing).
Dinner with Edward is a thoroughly enjoyable, untaxing comfort read.
I agree with Susan that it’s a lovely read. And in my memory it’s short, so it doesn’t drag it out too far.
If a chaplain tried to talk to me about god and dying one of us would be up on an assault charge.
But a question, are you “slowly chipping away” or do you keep accumulating more samples than you delete?
More than chipping away – I’ve almost run out!
Oh no! A Saturday staple coming to an end.
Luckily publishers can be relied on to keep me going 😉
Further to your comment about the chaplain – as I have mentioned before, I have no religious affiliation or education. I do have the immense privilege of being with people at end-of-life. I frequently ask about ‘spiritual beliefs’ but I find that even if a person has particular spiritual/ religious beliefs, it is not what we talk about. As the author of that particular memoir suggests, talk focuses on the stories. Further to that, I find that people very rarely talk about work. Instead, it’s about relationships with family and friends.
Fair enough. I just dislike the idea of people being given jobs – eg. end of life counsellors (or student counsellors) – by reason of religious affiliation.
Yes, and those affiliations frequently happen at hospitals and independent schools, which are historically aligned with a church/ faith (even if none of the people attending the facility are ‘practicing’!).
The Egan is on my TBR as well.
Do you know Jenny Slate from her role on Parks & Recreation?! I don’t know if I’d be able to separate the voice in the book from her awful character on there.
I really enjoyed Dinner With Edward. Haven’t read the others
The Egan sounds excellent – I’m going to order it for work, thank you for alerting me to it.
Dinner with Edward sounds as if it would make a very enjoyable magazine article but as a book I would also fear it becoming repetitive.