When her beloved sister, Shirley, passed away from cancer, Julie Mars set out on a mission to make sense of her grief. She decided that every week for 30 weeks she would visit a different church. On her spiritual quest, Julie visited all types of churches and congregations. Some were more meaningful than others, but all helped her to reflect and process the loss of her sister. I found the process of her journey interesting, as Julie allowed the reader to catch glimpses of all types of religious institutions. However, at times I wanted toshake Julie and out of her prolonged mourning, which seemed to go on forever. In all, this was an interesting read, though somewhat depressing due to the continual focus on the author's grief. ( )

Touching and close to home. Mars, the author, entwines her visits to each of these houses of worship with reminisces of her time caring for her dying sister. And she does it very well, indeed. Though the subject matter is difficult and sad, Mars often approaches it with humor and candid self-deprecation. By the end, you've come full circle, you've ridden the ride. It's worth every page, every tear. ( )

I gave this book a B mostly because I have a really difficult time with books that are continually sad, even though I can recognize that they are sad but moving and well-written (as was the case with this book). Of course the book is a true story, so the author’s continued focus on death is understandable, since she is unable to come to terms with her sister’s death. However, it was a bit much for me, especially because I had thought it would be more uplifting than (to me) it was. However, I did enjoy looking at the different belief systems every week and seeing the differences between various religious spaces that the author encountered. ( )