Review Detail

Writing obituaries for almost twenty years in the tiny town of Haines, Alaska, Heather Lende likely knows a thing or two about last words of advice. Her newspaper's editor thought so, and asked Lende to write a short essay on wisdom to live by. Her succinct response? Find the good. Find the good in everything…and there is good, she points out, even in tragedy. Lende weaves together the lessons she has learned from those who have passed, and those who remain, in this collection of short and endearing essays about family, friends, pets, beginnings and endings. From the prescription to "stop and smell the fish," to the encouraging "make your own good weather," the news is intentionally good within these pages. Called "part Annie Dillard, part Anne Lamott" by the Los Angeles Times, Lende is all heart, with just the right dose of humor and honesty that this world needs.