The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

 Hi everyone, 

the book I would like to write about today is "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig. I first heard about this book last year when I saw it on the bestseller-lists in Germany. I have to admit though, it didn't really spark my interest until I joined bookstagram and all of a sudden it was everywhere. Still, I wasn't quite sure if it would live up to the hype. I was worried it might just be another cute but predictable story.

"Nora's life has been going from bad to worse. Then at the stroke of midnight on her last day on earth she finds herself transported to a library. There she is given the chance to undo her regrets and try out each of the other lives she might have lived. Which raises the ultimate question: with infinite choices, what is the best way to live?"

But boy did this book surprise me. In a way, the ending was very predictable to me but there were so many little moments in the story that I wasn't expecting. I can honestly say, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it actually made me quite emotional towards the end. Even though the topic in general is quite dark and thoughtful, the majority of the book made me feel extremely hopeful. For me, there were no slow-paced parts and I continuously wanted to know what other lives Nora could have led, had she just made other choices at different times in her life. To me personally, the idea of there being infinitely many other lives than just the root-life we consciously experience, gives me a great sense of calmness. Especially the thought that no life would be perfect and there would always be different tragedies or hurts or losses that we would have to endure in other lives.

If you're still unsure about reading the book, I would very much recommend you do. And if you've already read the book: Did you enjoy or did it not live up to the hype for you?

Love,

Svenja

Welcome to Svenja's bookshelves

 Hello everyone,

and welcome to my new blog. Ever since I was a little child, I have loved reading. My parents have always had a full wall of bookshelves in our living room. And my brother and I were lucky to have had a mom who would read to us regularly when we were younger. Every four weeks we would go to our local library and we were able to choose new books to check out for the next few weeks.

Now that I am working full-time I am still reading regularly, my pace has just gotten a lot slower. Still, I love to keep track of which books I have read. For the past two to three years I have dedicated a page in my journal to a list of the books I read during the year. On this page I would write down the title and name of the author as well as a rating out of 5 hearts. 

So with this blog my goal is to digitize the list of books I have read and capture a bit more detailed review than just a couple stars. I would also love for people to share their opinion, if they have already read the book. Currently, not many of my friends read books, so the exchange about books I get in real life is kind of limited.

I would love for you all to follow along on this journey and share any and all opinions you have on certain books.

Love, 

Svenja