An Abbi Guide to Surviving The Pandemic - Part 1: Books

Here we are at the end of 2021 and we all thought we'd be out of this weird and tumultuous pandemic by now. With Omicron variant and Delta surging through the world - STILL - I am spending a lot of time reflecting on the self-care practices that have gotten me through these past two years. From TV shows, to really good books, to favorite songs & podcasts - this is part one of my compiled list of "things" that helped, and of course, I shall pair them all with a cup of tea! 

This Tender Land by William Kent Kruger was one of the best books I read in 2021. It was so good that I passed it around with Grami and Mom. This is a coming-of-age story from a first-person narrative. It will make you laugh, cry, think & has a really good ending though it's not what you are expecting. The book as a whole is about friendship and the choices we make as we grow up and realize the world around us isn't always friendly. 

The book is earnest, and kind - it will leave you feeling like a better human for reading it.
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Since I read this book through the summer of 2021, I recommend sipping the Basil Mint - my favorite tea blend to have over ice!

“If we were perfect, the light He shines on us would just bounce right off. But the wrinkles, they catch the light. And the cracks, that’s how the light gets inside us. When I pray, Odie, I never pray for perfection. I pray for forgiveness, because it’s the one prayer I know will always be answered.” - This Tender Land

The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai is probably the best book I have read in the last 10 years. This story is told by 3 women - a daughter, a mother, and a grandmother over the course of several decades. This book was an education. Starting before the Vietnam War and carrying us through the war and into the present, the story is raw and emotional, and inspiring. 

When I finished it I was so moved by the story, that I tweeted about it and told everyone I could about it. Overall, it's a story about family and the resilience of Vietnamese women.

Trigger warnings: this book does contain graphic depictions of war, sexual assault, and at times you may need to put the book down. I also downloaded the audiobook for the first few chapters to help with the pronunciation of names & locations which was helpful for me.

This book requires some delicate steeping & meditation - I recommend Tieguanyin, named after the Chinese Goddess of Compassion & Mercy.

“I learned then that as long as I have my voice, I am still alive." - The Mountains Sing

The Giver of Stars - JoJo Moyes was a book I read through the first few months of 2020, sitting at the tea stand. This book is so good and will make you cry in happy ways. It's about a motley crew of ladies who run a traveling library in the mountains of Kentucky. JoJo Moyes has been a favorite author of mine for a long time and she handles complex female characters with grace and dignity & honesty. 

Big feminist energy in this book is about breaking free of expectations & finding yourself in the most unlikely of places & ways. It's about teaching yourself not to make negative assumptions about people and places but also the importance of contributing time and efforts to something bigger than yourself. 

This book is inspiring and communal and full of friendships - I recommend sipping on a nice pot of The Duchess since it's a blend I dedicated to another group of strong women in a time when women weren't supposed to ride horses or organize for the greater good.

“Maybe that’s the thing we need to understand, Alice. That some things are a gift, even if you don’t get to keep them.” There was a silence before he spoke again. “Maybe just to know that something this beautiful exists is all we can really ask for.” - The Giver of Stars

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is a deeply personal one for me. If you have made it this far in the post, I am assuming you care about me on some level to read my thoughts on my favorite books of the last two years - so here go some really vulnerable personal confessions.

At the end of 2020 and early 2021, I hit a wall emotionally and physically. I was really struggling with a deep depression after a miscarriage in early November and the weight of being curbside with no end in sight. I got this book in mid-November of 2020 and it took me 4 months to finish it because it just hit so close to home for me on so many levels. This book deals with anxiety - and suicide - but in a way that is extremely kind. It also deals with a bank robbery and divorce and grief and hilarious misunderstandings.

This book is FUNNY - Backman is very dialogue-heavy and winds and weaves you through multiple characters and storylines that all come together - eventually. It is not the book I expected it or wanted it to be, it was even better. The last 3 pages of this book are some of the best pages I have ever read in my life and I got to watch my mom read them in the tea shop back in May, as tears rolled down her cheeks. 

This book is best read with a relaxing tea blend like Cherry Chamomile. 

​“We can't change the world, and a lot of the time we can't even change people. No more than one bit at a time. So we do what we can to help whenever we get the chance, sweetheart. We save those we can. We do our best. Then we try to find a way to convince ourselves that that will just have to...be enough. So we can live with our failures without drowning.” - Anxious People

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr was an audiobook that Jordan and I listened to on a road trip through the Dakotas in September of 2020. An exceptional WWII book that is told by various main characters. Jordan and I have been doing road trip audiobooks together since our honeymoon in 2009. We really enjoyed this book and finished it on the very last leg of our trip.

We were completely drawn in with this story and the audio performance was really well done on Audible, too. We found ourselves listening to it even in the parking lot with our take-out food in our lap. My love for this book is mostly because of the relationship the author clearly has with the ocean, and how eloquently he can put that into words. And, the perils of family and friendships in a war that divided so many people.

I recommend this one to be sipped with a savory English Breakfast tea with milk & honey. 

“I have been feeling very clearheaded lately and what I want to write about today is the sea. It contains so many colors. Silver at dawn, green at noon, dark blue in the evening. Sometimes it looks almost red. Or it will turn the color of old coins. Right now the shadows of clouds are dragging across it, and patches of sunlight are touching down everywhere. White strings of gulls drag over it like beads.

It is my favorite thing, I think, that I have ever seen. Sometimes I catch myself staring at it and forget my duties.

​It seems big enough to contain everything anyone could ever feel.” - All The Light We Cannot See

This started as one post but in order for me to give the time needed for each thing, I am breaking it up into parts, so stay tuned for Part Two: Televison & Documentaries! Hope you find a new book or author in this batch of good books and don't forget to support your local libraries and bookstores!