Book seventeen: Dear Daughter by Heather Armstrong

It was Armstrong's letters to Leta that inspired me to write letters to Hen every month. She inspired lots of people to do this. The letters in Dear Daughter are touching and sweet and charming and will allow Ms. Armstrong to remember far more than she could have if she had not written them. But it was hard to read this book knowing that Ms. Armstrong and her husband are now separated. She repeatedly mentions the mornings when they all gathered in the family bed and the evenings when she and Jon would laugh over whatever silly, cute, entertaining thing young Leta did during the day, and it just makes your heart ache a little bit. I mean, you know Armstrong's a little off her rocker. She speaks about her depression with brutal honesty in other works and on her blog. But there was a time not long ago when the illusion was that everything was perfect. And even though you know everyone has their difficulties and that no relationship is actually perfect, it sucks just a little to have that illusion shattered.

17 down plus 35 to go.