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Encounters with Inscriptions: A Memoir Exploring Books Gifted by Parents
When Kristin Czarnecki lost both her parents within nine months, she sought solace in books, but not just any books.
In Encounters with Inscriptions, Czarnecki writes about the books inscribed and given to her by her parents over the years—an array of novels, short stories, poetry, nature writing, cultural criticism, and a cookbook. As she explores each book, Czarnecki focuses not only on loss but also on the complexities of childhood, on family and friendship, and on the rewards of a life spent reading. She recalls falling in love with poetry for the first time, realizes how the Troubles in Northern Ireland shadowed her adolescence, reflects on the legacy of her mother’s feminism, and comes to know her father better while reading an author he loved. Throughout, she communes with her parents once again in the books they wanted her to have. Czarnecki’s beautifully written, wide-ranging memoir will appeal to fans of books about books, those mourning lost loved ones, and anyone intrigued by the power of literature to inspire, confound, soothe, and surprise us.
“In Encounters with Inscriptions Kristin Czarnecki returns to the books her late parents gave and inscribed to her over the years. Setting herself two goals—to read for pure enjoyment and to venture down any new pathways that might emerge—Czarnecki embarks upon a wonderfully wise and discursive meditation on grief, childhood, memory, and the pleasures of rereading, one consistently informed by her deep, wide, and lifelong engagement with literature.”
—Katharine Smyth, author of All the Lives We
Ever Seeking Solace in Virginia Woolf
*****
Legacy Book Press LLC is a traditional publisher of personal stories told via non-fiction such as memoir, autobiographical fiction, poetry, or a combination.
In Encounters with Inscriptions, Czarnecki writes about the books inscribed and given to her by her parents over the years—an array of novels, short stories, poetry, nature writing, cultural criticism, and a cookbook. As she explores each book, Czarnecki focuses not only on loss but also on the complexities of childhood, on family and friendship, and on the rewards of a life spent reading. She recalls falling in love with poetry for the first time, realizes how the Troubles in Northern Ireland shadowed her adolescence, reflects on the legacy of her mother’s feminism, and comes to know her father better while reading an author he loved. Throughout, she communes with her parents once again in the books they wanted her to have. Czarnecki’s beautifully written, wide-ranging memoir will appeal to fans of books about books, those mourning lost loved ones, and anyone intrigued by the power of literature to inspire, confound, soothe, and surprise us.
“In Encounters with Inscriptions Kristin Czarnecki returns to the books her late parents gave and inscribed to her over the years. Setting herself two goals—to read for pure enjoyment and to venture down any new pathways that might emerge—Czarnecki embarks upon a wonderfully wise and discursive meditation on grief, childhood, memory, and the pleasures of rereading, one consistently informed by her deep, wide, and lifelong engagement with literature.”
—Katharine Smyth, author of All the Lives We
Ever Seeking Solace in Virginia Woolf
*****
Legacy Book Press LLC is a traditional publisher of personal stories told via non-fiction such as memoir, autobiographical fiction, poetry, or a combination.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
151 pages, Paperback
Published September 11, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 31, 2024
When Kristin Czarnecki got in touch to offer a copy of her bibliomemoir about revisiting the books her late parents gifted her, I was instantly intrigued but couldn’t have known in advance how perfect it would be for me. Niche it might seem, but it combines several of my reading interests: bereavement, books about books, relationships with parents (especially a mother) and literary travels.
The book starts, aptly, with childhood. A volume of Shel Silverstein poetry and A Child’s Christmas in Wales serve as perfect vehicles for the memories of how her parents passed on their love of literature and created family holiday rituals. Thereafter, the chapters are not strictly chronological but thematic. A work of women’s history opens up her mother’s involvement in the feminist movement; reading a Thomas Merton book reveals why his thinking was so important to her Catholic father. The interplay of literary criticism, cultural commentary and personal significance is especially effective in pieces on Alice Munro and Flannery O’Connor. A Virginia Woolf biography points to Czarnecki’s academic specialism and a cookbook to how food embodies memories.
It seems fitting that I reviewed this on the second anniversary of my mother’s death. The afterword, which follows on from the philosophical encouragement of a chapter on the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, exhorts readers to cherish loved ones while we can – and be grateful for the tokens they leave behind. I had told Kristin about books my parents inscribed to me, as well as the journals I inherited from my mother. But I didn’t know there would be other specific connections between us, too, such as being childfree and hopeless in the kitchen. (Also, I have family in South Bend, Indiana, where she’s from, and our mothers were born in the first week of August.) All that to say, I felt that I found a kindred spirit in this lovely book, which is one of the nicest things that happens through reading.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
The book starts, aptly, with childhood. A volume of Shel Silverstein poetry and A Child’s Christmas in Wales serve as perfect vehicles for the memories of how her parents passed on their love of literature and created family holiday rituals. Thereafter, the chapters are not strictly chronological but thematic. A work of women’s history opens up her mother’s involvement in the feminist movement; reading a Thomas Merton book reveals why his thinking was so important to her Catholic father. The interplay of literary criticism, cultural commentary and personal significance is especially effective in pieces on Alice Munro and Flannery O’Connor. A Virginia Woolf biography points to Czarnecki’s academic specialism and a cookbook to how food embodies memories.
It seems fitting that I reviewed this on the second anniversary of my mother’s death. The afterword, which follows on from the philosophical encouragement of a chapter on the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, exhorts readers to cherish loved ones while we can – and be grateful for the tokens they leave behind. I had told Kristin about books my parents inscribed to me, as well as the journals I inherited from my mother. But I didn’t know there would be other specific connections between us, too, such as being childfree and hopeless in the kitchen. (Also, I have family in South Bend, Indiana, where she’s from, and our mothers were born in the first week of August.) All that to say, I felt that I found a kindred spirit in this lovely book, which is one of the nicest things that happens through reading.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
October 21, 2024
Kristin Czarnecki's memoir Encounters with Inscriptions is a heartfelt exploration of the powerful connections between literature, family, and the passage of time. This deeply personal narrative is woven around the inscriptions her parents penned in the books they gifted her, each one serving as a portal into her past. The book unravels the layered emotions associated with receiving a book inscribed with personal messages, evoking nostalgia and a deep sense of gratitude.
This memoir also celebrates the joy of reading, especially for those who find solace and companionship within the pages of a good book. Czarnecki’s reflections are likely to resonate with bibliophiles, especially those who cherish reading as a profoundly intimate and enriching experience.
This memoir also celebrates the joy of reading, especially for those who find solace and companionship within the pages of a good book. Czarnecki’s reflections are likely to resonate with bibliophiles, especially those who cherish reading as a profoundly intimate and enriching experience.
January 24, 2025
Set against the backdrop of literary masterpieces profferred by her loving parents, Ms Czarnecki provides us with her reflections on the past and musings on the present. A delightful juxtaposition to be read a chapter at a time!
October 24, 2024
a clever way to approach memoir, and a moving, insightful and wide-ranging meditation on family, reading, life and death
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews