Hello everyone and welcome back the second round of Twelve Days of Bookmas, a festive series of posts where we are counting down to Christmas book recommendation style!
Today I am sharing two bookish books that are high on my TBR. Both books are either set in a library or in which books play a significant role in the stories.
On the second day of Book-mas I found under the tree: two bookish books
The Midnight Library by Matt HaigPublished by Viking on September 29, 2020
Pages: 288
Goodreads
“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”
A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
Why I Want To Read It
The Midnight Library is everywhere right now! It seems like the perfect read for any book and library lover. Most reviewers seem to agree that this is a sweet, contemplative novel. Furthermore, The Midnight Library is meant to be thought provoking and asks difficult questions about the value of mistakes and the overarching consequences of the decisions that we make.
The Library at Mount Char by Scott HawkinsPublished by Broadway Books on March 15, 2016
Pages: 388
Goodreads
A missing God.A library with the secrets to the universe. A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.
Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts. After all, she was a normal American herself once.
That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father. In the years since then, Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God. Now, Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded. And with it, control over all of creation.
As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own. But Carolyn has accounted for this. And Carolyn has a plan. The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God, she's forgotten to protect the things that make her human.
Populated by an unforgettable cast of characters and propelled by a plot that will shock you again and again, The Library at Mount Char is at once horrifying and hilarious, mind-blowingly alien and heartbreakingly human, sweepingly visionary and nail-bitingly thrilling—and signals the arrival of a major new voice in fantasy.
From the Hardcover edition.
Why I Want To Read It
This is a complete 180 from the Midnight Library. The Library at Mount Char is characterized as weird, disturbing and horrific. There are so many reviewers I trust who enjoy horror and who have loved this book! I have no idea when I will pick this up, but every time I think of books set in library, I think of this one.
What About You?
Have you read either of these books? Do you love books that feature books or set in libraries? What is your favorite?
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