#42: Tolstoy and the Purple Chair Nina Sankovitch

Jacket Copy: Nina Sankovitch has always been a reader. As a child, she discovered that a trip to the local bookmobile with her sisters was more exhilarating than a ride at the carnival. Books were the glue that held her immigrant family together. When Nina's eldest sister died at the age of forty-six, Nina turned to books for comfort, escape, and introspection. In her beloved purple chair, she rediscovered the magic of such writers as Toni Morrison, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ian McEwan, Edith Wharton, and, of course, Leo Tolstoy. Through the connections Nina made with books and authors (and even other readers), her life changed profoundly, and in unexpected ways. Reading, it turns out, can be the ultimate therapy.

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair also tells the story of the Sankovitch family: Nina's father, who barely escaped death in Belarus during World War II; her four rambunctious children, who offer up their own book recommendations while helping out with the cooking and cleaning; and Anne-Marie, her oldest sister and idol, with whom Nina shared the pleasure of books, even in her last moments of life. In our lightning-paced culture that encourages us to seek more, bigger, and better things, Nina's daring journey shows how we can deepen the quality of our everyday lives—if we only find the time.

My Review: I think it's pretty obvious from the book description why I love this book: it's a book about reading books. How could I not enjoy that? More specifically, it's a book about the healing power of reading, about using literature as a kind of therapy to help you find your way in life when you get lost or find yourself in a dark place. In this way, it differs from the usual "love letter to literature." 

But even more than it is an homage to reading, this book is an insightful and emotionally charged memoir, as well as a tribute to those strong men and women who lived through the horrors of World War II in Europe, and continued to find a way to hold on to their will to live and optimism for the future. 

Whether you're looking for some wisdom and guidance for making the most of your life and living it to the fullest, or you're simply looking for some recommendations of good books to read,  you should pick up this book and try it. You'll be glad you did.