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2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


30 / 30 books. 100% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas (1)
- California (11)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (2)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (3)
- Georgia (4)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (3)
- Illinois (4)
- Indiana (4)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (2)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (4)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri (1)
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada (2)
- New Hampshire (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico (1)
- New York (10)
- North Carolina (4)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma (2)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (2)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (4)
- Utah (5)
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (3)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming (2)
- Washington, D.C.* (2)

International:
- Argentina (1)
- Australia (6)
- Austria (1)
- Bolivia (1)
- Canada (4)
- China (2)
- England (27)
- France (2)
- Ghana (1)
- India (1)
- Indonesia (1)
- Ireland (4)
- Italy (1)
- Poland (2)
- Russia (2)
- Scotland (4)
- The Netherlands (1)

My Progress:


51 / 51 states. 100% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


52 / 50 books. 104% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


36 / 50 books. 72% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


52 / 52 books. 100% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


51 / 52 books. 98% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


37 / 40 books. 93% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


18 / 40 books. 45% done!

2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


25 / 25 cozies. 100% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


5 / 26.2 miles (4th lap). 19% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


51 / 100 books. 51% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


99 / 109 books. 91% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


52 / 52 books. 100% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

My Progress


139 / 165 books. 84% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

My Progress:


88 / 100 names. 88% done!

The Life Skills Reading Challenge

My Progress:


45 / 80 skills. 56% done!
Saturday, January 09, 2021

The Midnight Library Full of Tantalizing Possibility

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

One of the things I love about libraries is that they're full of possibility.  There are literally millions of stories sitting on the shelves, just waiting to be told.  You might walk in having a vague idea of what you want to read, but you could walk out with something totally different.  The best part is you don't have to limit yourself to only one or two stories—you can experience them all!

Imagine a library with that kind of power, except every book on its shelves stars one person:  you.  Each represents a life you are living in a parallel universe, one in which you made different choices than those you picked in your root life.  You can hop in and out of these volumes to find the story that suits you best.  With endless possibilities, which life would you choose?

This is the premise behind The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.  The story revolves around Nora Seed, a 35-year-old who has just lost her long-time dead-end job as well as her beloved cat.  After realizing that these are her only real connections in a world where she's always felt superfluous, she decides to take her own life.  Instead of ending up in heaven or hell, however, she finds herself in an in-between place called The Midnight Library.  Here, she has the ability to try on her different lives to find one that feels more comfortable, more satisfying than her root life.  As Nora tries these variations on for size—experiencing versions that are glamorous, successful, adventurous, terrifying, humdrum, disappointing, surprising, etc.—she begins to wonder if any life is really worth living.  When her strange library starts to crumble, she must decide whether to live or die.  

With that kind of premise, how could I not be drawn into The Midnight Library?  It's a fascinating seed from which to grow a compelling story.  The novel definitely tells an interesting tale, one which is both entertaining and thought-provoking.  It explores some intriguing concepts:  potential and perspective, regrets and resolutions, choice and possibility.  Still, I didn't end up absolutely loving The Midnight Library, but I did like it.  It's a unique, life-affirming read that kept me turning pages.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  You?)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language, violence, sexual content, and depictions of illegal drug use (marijuana)

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Midnight Library with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

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Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie

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The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth



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2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
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2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction

2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction