by Sara Bader
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The Book of Pet Love & Loss: Words of Comfort & Wisdom from Remarkable People by Sara Bader is a nonfiction collection of quotations and musings on the subject.
2023 was a big year of loss for me and my partner. I lost my last grandparent in March, my partner lost his last grandparent in April, and we both lost our black cat, Bartleby, in October. Bartleby was my heart cat and I still miss him.
When I initially requested a copy from the publisher, they asked if they could inscribe a name “In Loving Memory Of” inside the cover. I requested they include Calypso, my tiny but fiery tortie that I lost in 2019. (I still miss you, baby girl.) We were very deep into Bartleby’s cancer treatments when the book came into my hands, and I’ve only really been able to process things at this point.
This book helped me feel like I was not alone to feel this deeply about the loss of a treasured pet. Some of the people quoted include Fiona Apple, Alison Bechdel, Julia Child, Jane Goodall, and Fred Rogers. I did a blended read where I followed along in the hardcover while listening to the audiobook, which is read by a variety of people.
It is structured in a way where you can read through pages of quotations or read essays and musings that are anywhere from one to a few pages long. All this to say you can pick this up and put it down at any stage in your grief process, even if you only have a few minutes at a time you can read on this topic.
I received a copy of this book to review. Thank you to Simon Audio for the complimentary audio version and Simon Books for the hardcover. All opinions contained herein are my own.
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