To me, opening a book, especially one I’ve been anticipating is like opening a gift from a friend, and when the book was written by a friend and explains in detail years of old mysteries, things the friend never had the time or nerve or stamina to explain, then that’s 6000 Days of Us, by Rosina Rucci. Compelling in ways that only the most personal, gut-wrenching stories can be, 6000 Days of Us is told with such heart and determination that you forgive the way it jumps around, forgive that it’s over before you’re ready, forgive that the author takes no pains to prepare you for the inevitable; she simply places it in your lap, leaving you to look with wide eyes and think, “wait, did that just happen?”