Kim Kardashian's Late Dad Gave Her the Book Club Pick That 'Soothed' Her Soul in Recent Months

Robert Kardashian Sr. died in September 2003 after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer

Photo: kimkardashian/Instagram

Kim Kardashian West is crediting her late father to helping her choose the first pick for her book club.

Kardashian West, 36, announced on Twitter on Wednesday that she would be starting a book club with close friends Chrissy Teigen and Jen Atkin, and the trio’s first read would be Embraced by the Light.

So just how did the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star decide on Betty J. Eadie‘s 1992 New York Times bestseller non-fiction novel, which chronicles Eadie’s brush with death?

“When I was in high school, my dad used to get me to read this book but I was always too busy,” Kardashian West penned in a post on her website and app that was published Monday. “I was always wanting to hang out with my friends on the weekends, never wanting to read it when I wasn’t in school. He literally tried everything.”

kimkardashian/Instagram

The post continued, “He said that it’s a fascinating story about a woman who dies during surgery, goes to heaven and remembers her whole experience and came back to life to share all of her experiences.”

The E! personality admitted that although her father encouraged her to read the book, she didn’t get to it until after he passed away in 2003 after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

“I read it again after having kids and after the life experiences that I’ve had more recently and now the book means something different to me,” she wrote. “It just gives me tools on how to live a better life here and live life to its potential and just be more spiritual and one with God.”

The mother of two said that she told both Teigen and Atkin, as well as her entire family, about the book, which she recommends “to anyone who has experienced loss and just wants to know what a glimpse of heaven is like.”

Because of her love for the book, Kardashian West also revealed that she reached out to the author, and successfully got in contact with her: “I had an amazing conversation with her that just really soothed my soul. I feel so lucky to have had the chance to speak with her.”

The past few moths have been a trying time for Kardashian West and her husband, Kanye West. While alone in her No Address Hotel room during Paris Fashion Week, the Kimoji creator was held at gunpoint and robbed of millions of dollars worth of jewelry on Oct. 3. And two months later, West, 39 was hospitalized at the end of November for exhaustion after canceling his Saint Pablo tour.

But this past weekend, the couple enjoyed a sweet reunion together.

The couple hadn’t seen each other in at least eight days, as Kardashian West had spent several days in Costa Rica enjoying a family vacation with the rest of the Kardashian-Jenner crew while West remained at home in L.A. The KUWTK star then flew straight to New York City, where she met with a French judge and attorneys to testify in her Paris heist case over the course of a few days.

“They seemed to have fun catching up,” an insider told PEOPLE. “There was no tension between them. Instead, they both seemed very happy.”