Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jun 2011
256 pages
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publication Information
Catalyzed by the loss of her sister, a mother of four spends one year savoring a great book every day, from Thomas Pynchon to Nora Ephron and beyond. In the tradition of Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project and Joan Dideon's A Year of Magical Thinking, Nina Sankovitch's soul-baring and literary-minded memoir is a chronicle of loss, hope, and redemption. Nina ultimately turns to reading as therapy and through her journey illuminates the power of books to help us reclaim our lives.
"Starred Review. Outstanding Debuts of 2011... Intelligent, insightful and eloquent, Sankovitch takes the reader on the literary journey." - Kirkus Reviews
"[An] entertaining bibliophile's dream…Sankovitch’s memoir speaks to the power that books can have over our daily lives. Sankovitch champions the act of reading not as an indulgence but as a necessity, and will make the perfect gift from one bookworm to another." - Publishers Weekly
"Nina Sankovitch has crafted a dazzling memoir that reminds us of the most primal function of literature—to heal, to nurture and to connect us to our truest selves." - Thrity Umrigar, author of The Space Between Us
"Masterfully weaves beloved and sometimes surprising books into central events in the writer's life. There is much to learn from this moving book. Sankovitch writes with intelligence and honesty, leading us to respond in a similar manner." - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of One Amazing Thing
"A grieving woman decides to read one book a day for a year. Anyone who has ever sought refuge in literature will identify." - O Magazine, listed as one of "Ten Titles to Pick Up Now", June 2011.
This information about Tolstoy and the Purple Chair was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
The youngest of three girls, Nina Sankovitch was born in Evanston, Illinois, to immigrant parents. In 2008, Nina launched ReadAllDay.org, and at the end of her year of reading, she was profiled in the New York Times. She continues to review books on ReadAllDay.org and for the Huffington Post. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and four sons.
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