Do you ever crave a certain author the way some people might crave chocolate?  I, for one, sometimes NEED a little Ann Patchett in my life. Thankfully, I'm relatively new to her work, having only discovered her a few years ago, so there's a whole backlog waiting for me to peruse.  What I especially love about Ann Patchett is that her writing appears effortless...as if it just flows from her. It's not flashy. It's simple, elegant, sometimes poignant. I can't always pinpoint exactly what it is about her prose that sometimes moves me to tears by the sheer beauty of it, but I have never failed to be thusly affected by her writing yet. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage is an earlier book of essays that she wrote, and I thoroughly enjoyed making my way slowly through it...an essay here, an essay there between other current reads.  If you've ever wanted to sample nonfiction but are unsure whether you want to fully commit to reading a whole book, I recommend starting with a book of essays such as this. My personal favorite book of essays so far is her more recent These Precious Days.⁣