Family | Book Chatter

The Otter Pup

The pup is looking very dramatic here but she wanted to say Hello! She is a funny character. I do not know how she will be once we return to work and school. She has spent so much time with us this past year. They are saying now that our high schools will return to in-person learning on 3/22. It seems a little unrealistic but it could happen. We chose a hybrid model so two days on campus and the rest remote.

As far as reading goes, I continue to fly through books. It’s great because I am reading everything I want to read, both review copies and highly anticipated books. It’s a good balance. I am putting a lot of thought into what to read next and isn’t that half the fun?

I did finally make a trip to the bookstore but you know what? I didn’t buy anything. I saw many books that caught my eye but I had them on my Kindle already and unless I know a book is a keeper, I don’t usually purchase a hard copy.

This post was supposed to be up yesterday but guess what? Your friend here forgot what day it was. Occupational hazard when you work from home and every single day blurs into the next. Sometime this week I have to hit the market and I am dreading it. I do not enjoy it at all but all the staples need to be restocked. I guess that will be my big day out! Sarcasm.

What movies have you seen lately that you can recommend? I’ve been watching TV but haven’t seen any movies really besides a Hallmark Christmas movie that I saw recently. Yep! I broke out the Hallmark movies because I was feeling meh and needed some joy. Those movies always do the trick. I watched The Most Wonderful Time of the Year with Henry Winkler and it was so charming.

Anyway, that’s it from me. My review of The Sanatorium posts tomorrow! Stop by if you’ve been curious about it.

The Midnight Library
By Matt Haig
Viking, 9780525559474, September 2020, 304pp.

The Short of It:

What would you do if you were given a chance to live a different life?

The Rest of It:

Nora Seed has made some bad decisions throughout her life. Some affected other people, like her brother and her kind next door neighbor. She doesn’t feel as if she matters or belongs anywhere, or with anyone. One night, she just can’t take anymore and decides to end it.

But Nora is given another chance. She awakes to find herself in a library of sorts. This library is run by a person from Nora’s past, Mrs. Elm. Mrs. Elm walks Nora through this strange labyrinth of books called The Midnight Library. It’s a library that houses one particular book that could change Nora’s life, The Book of Regrets. In it, is each regret that Nora has felt or experienced over the course of her life. In addition to this book, are other books and these books represent the lives she’s lived by taking a different path. While she hovers between this world and the real world, she is given the option of borrowing one of those lives to see if it’s a good fit for her. Some work out more than others, some further illustrate the effects of her poor decisions over the years. These decisions do not prove easy for Nora and once you decide on a particular life, there’s no going back.

I can recall at least three other books I’ve read that had a similar storyline and yes, the story is a little repetitive and might remind you of the movie Groundhog Day. If you are looking for a totally unique reading experience, you won’t get that with The Midnight Library, however, it did come together quite nicely and I agree with most everyone that it’s a feel-good type of read but it takes a little while to get there. I also had a little trouble connecting to Nora. She’s detached from reality but not in the endearing way that Eleanor was in Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. If that helps any.

What I liked a lot was the opportunity to live your life a different way and to realize how your choices impact other people. I liked that Nora’s experiences helped to shape and define “happiness” and I liked the visual that Haig created with The Midnight Library itself.

It’s a pleasant, feel-good book. Gives you a little food for thought, too.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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