Award-winning author Ann Patchett shares some life lessons

This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage is a new anthology from award-winning novelist Ann Patchett. Twenty-two personal essays and non-fiction stories previously found in the likes of Vogue and the Wall Street Journal are structured so that they chronicle Patchett’s life and increasingly reveal her character. In her reflections on her relationships and experiences (such as the time she tried out for the LAPD), Patchett shares valuable life lessons. For the aspiring writer, there are wonderful tidbits about Patchett’s process, including how she used to have to win a game of solitaire whenever she sat down to write. — Dominique Lamberton

This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, Ann Patchett, $20.