Beautiful Indignities

A heartrending yet bracing memoir of one woman's quest to move through grief, from the New York Times bestselling author of Concussion

You could say it was because of her husband Alex that Jeanne Marie Laskas found herself in a hospital bed on a far-flung Greek island with a 104° fever—that this whole thing started four and a half years earlier, with his death. When Alex died, Jeanne Marie tried to do everything she was supposed to do to rebuild. She got a dog, she sold their farm, she watched their daughter walk down the aisle. But her grief wouldn't budge. She was a widow who couldn't even say the word widow, not exactly progressing through the stages of grief. Denial, it turned out, was her factory setting.

Now, four years after Alex's death, she had developed what you might call a system—spending her nights obsessively watching a TV show about a widow who drags her kids to Corfu, and most of her days in a running (and, yes, imaginary) conversation with her dead husband. "You, my dear, are stuck," he finally told her.

So, desperate to make a change, she figured: Why not spend the summer on that little Greek island? There, she'd finally be able to grieve. But things didn't go quite according to plan. She wound up delirious in a hospital bed on Corfu, her new landlady holding vigil in the waiting room, her dead husband still talking in her ear—and her heart, against all odds, beginning to crack open.

Hilarious, wise, and deeply felt, The Curve of the Earth charts the long and winding path from sorrow to healing—and all the beautiful indignities in between. "Grief," as Jeanne Marie writes, "is not the absence of love, but its persistence."

Standard and Primary covers are widely available through general retailers. They often have higher print runs and can be cheaper, especially during sales.

In contrast, Direct Market (DM) and variant covers are primarily sold in comic shops. DM editions tend to have more limited availability and may be more valuable to collectors.

The main differences lie in artwork style, availability, price, and collector appeal. Ultimately, the choice between standard and variant covers depends on personal preference, budget, and individual collecting goals.

Comic book enthusiasts have various formats to choose from when collecting their favorite stories.
Here's a brief overview of the main types:

Omnibus

• Large, hardcover collections
• Usually contain complete runs or extensive story arcs
• Typically 800-1000+ pages
• Higher price point, often €100-€150

Oversized Hardcover (OHC)

• Similar dimensions to omnibus, but thinner
• Collect shorter runs or story arcs
• Usually 300-600 pages
• Priced between €30-€50

Hardcover (HC)

• Standard-sized hardcover books
• Collect 6-12 issues typically
• Similar dimensions to single issues, but with a hard cover
• Priced around €25-€35

Trade Paperback (TP)

• Softcover collections
• Standard comic book size
• Usually collect 4-6 issues
• Most affordable option, typically €15-€25

Other Formats

• Absolute Editions: Oversized, deluxe hardcovers (mainly DC Comics)
• Compendiums: Massive paperback collections
• Graphic Novels (OGN/GN): Original stories not previously released as single issues

The choice between these formats often depends on personal preference, budget, and collecting goals. Omnibus and OHC editions offer larger artwork and more content but at a higher price, while TPs provide a more affordable way to collect complete story arcs