[13] The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Fiction / Women, recommendation from Amy P

Trigger Warnings: Suicide, Death

Synopsis: Nora Seed has hit rock bottom – her cat just died, she’s not on speaking terms with her only remaining family member, and she’s lost her job. She regrets all the things she could have done with her life – she could have stuck with swimming, she could have finished that novel, she could have studied glaciers, she could have stayed in her rock band… and so on. Nora decides to end her life and finds herself in the Midnight Library – the library with infinite books containing the other parallel possibilities Nora’s life could have taken. And now Nora has the chance to sample them and see if she can find a better life.

Review: What an interesting premise, right? I love the potential of parallel universe type stories. It’s interesting to see Nora dip around in these other parallel lives and learn that nothing is ever perfect, and that she does not need to have all the regrets she had in her base life. Nora is likable, and the stories are easy to follow, but I wish she could have spent a bit more time in each one. But that would have meant less stories OR a really long book, so I think the author actually hit the right balance. This wasn’t a five-star read for me (I had major anxiety when she showed up in a new life and had no idea what was going on and had to fake her way through), but I enjoyed it and found it interesting.

Recommend? Sure

[14] The Twin Paradox by Charles Watcher
Science Fiction, Saw in Bookbub

Synopsis: DNA from history’s greatest minds and leaders – Einstein, Da Vinci, MLK, Marie Curie – is being used to make clones. As those children turn eighteen and learn who they are, they leave home to do a one year “internship” at a facility where time is no longer linear, and a very dangerous climate has been created.

Review: I didn’t want to give much away in my synopsis, because a lot of the fun of this book was going in NOT knowing what was up. But whoa. This book is action packed. I think it’s the most plot-based novel I’ve ever read – despite still having some historical sprinklings in it. I really enjoyed it. it kept me guessing, the sci fi was believable enough, the environment was built succinctly, the characters were likable, and the “what the f*ck is going on?!” factor kept me on the edge of my seat (well, I read in bed but ya know). I can’t wait for the part II. And for the movie adaptation?!

Recommend? Yes!

[15] How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Self-Help / Communication & Social Skills, Read for “Women’s Group”

Synopsis: Carnegie’s popular book from 1936 gives tips on, well, how to win friends and influence people.

Review: This book is easy to read, and even though it’s MANY years old, the examples were still mostly relevant and not too outdated, or insulting. Most of the tips boil down to treating people with respect, asking them questions and being interested in their lives, not belittling them, etc. If you need to be told to be interested in someone’s else’s life to make friends with them, then this book is for you. If you are already aware that that is how most friendships are formed and maintained, you do not need to read this book. Ha. I was interested in the “influencing people” tips, from a work perspective, and I think some of them would work, and some wouldn’t. All joking aside, I can see why this book is so popular, but it’s common sense – treat people decently and be interested in their lives.

Recommend? No