Notes to John by Joan Didion

For 500 weeks in a row, every Friday, I have published a book review on social media. On the rare occasion I did not publish a review that I wrote, I did a video or interviewed a family member about a book they've enjoyed. I did not miss a week, even on occasion when I thought I was too overwhelmed, or sad, or busy to write a review. I just committed to doing it every single week. Was it hard? No. Did it bring me joy? Yes. Did I like when people commented on my posts, either in disagreement or agreement? Absolutely. Was it something I could do with my husband, Jeff? Yes. He is my proof-reader. So, as I celebrate my 500th review, I knew it had to be by Joan Didion, my favorite author. "Notes to John" was published posthumously, with some fans supporting the release and others questioning it. I'm not sure this was ever meant to be a book, but I am here to say while it is uncomfortable to read someone's diary, I treasured every line. In 1999, Didion began seeing a psychiatrist and she chronicled those sessions in her diary. They covered such topics as depression, anxiety, adoption, marriage, childhood and parenting. The sessions went on for more than a decade. What is so heartbreaking about this book, is that the reader knows that Didion would outlive not only her husband, John, but also her daughter Quintana. One can only imagine that this book was a primer for her books on grief that were to come: "The Year of Magical Thinking" (2005) and "Blue Nights" (2011). I stop for anything Didion. So, it was not a question of if I would read this book, but how quickly. I was only sad to see it end because I didn't want the conversation with her to stop. To buy this book on Amazon click here.