Episode 110 || The Virtue of Occasional Sadness

Lots of people asked us why we're always raving about sad books, and they weren't satisfied when we quoted Sally Sparrow and said, "It's happy for deep people." This week, Annie and Chris explain what they call "grief literature" and recommend a bunch of their favorite sad books with justifications for why you should feel sad sometimes.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (really, why aren't you reading this one yet?)
A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
+ "The Faery Handbag" from The Faery Reel by Kelly Link
Last Things by Marissa Moss
Rosalie Lightning by Tom Hart
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
+ The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
+ Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

NEW THIS WEEK:
The Hogwarts Library (expanded) by J. K. Rowling
The Wanderers by Meg Howry
Before the War by Fay Weldon
+ The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo
The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy
+ The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Teaches Us About Living Fullyby Frank Ostaseski

episodesAnnie Jones