The Midnight Library

Synopsis: Nora Seed isn’t happy with her life. In fact, she’s thinking of ending it. However, she ends up in The Midnight Library, somewhere between life and death, where you can “check out” how your life might have been different if you had made different choices along the way. One book tells the story of your life the way it is, others describe different lives shaped by different choices. Nora is faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old break-ups. Will she choose a different life, her old life, or no life at all?

Corey’s Review: I am back!!! This was one of the last books I read before having my baby and I loved it. I had never heard anything about this book so I really went into it not knowing what to expect. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into her different lives and seeing how things would be different based on the choices she made. I guess there are people who always wonder what their life would have been like if they stuck with that one thing, could they be an Olympic athlete, could they be a rockstar…..but for what price? I have given this to friends and they all enjoyed the book too. I do agree with my mom, she always seemed unsatisfied, but maybe it’s because she was searching for something that didn’t exist. At the end of the book I felt happy for Nora. I recommend! 4/5

Nicholette’s Review: I may be one of the only people around who didn’t love this book. I didn’t hate it, but if you’re interested in the “what would have happened if I made a different choice in life” kind of book, I would much more highly recommend Kate Atkinson’s Life after Life. This novel was sort of a Hallmark card self help book disguised as fiction. The lessons to be learned are obvious from the start, yet Nora the dimwit seems to need a great deal of repetition to get it. I also found Nora a bit difficult to connect with as a heroine. She takes every situation and interprets it in the most negative way possible. She’s full of regret for all her decisions and never seems to be satisfied by much of anything. Sigh. At least it wasn’t too long.

Rating: 3/5

Recipe: Citrus Baked Arctic char seems like something Nora might have when pursuing her (not chosen) profession of being a glaciologist. Citrus might be hard to come by, but since we are not actually living on a glacier, we have more choices than poor Nora! Arctic char looks a bit like salmon, but is more genetically similar to trout. If you can’t find Arctic char, salmon works well here too. This recipe comes from a food blog willcookforfriends.com. Yum!

1 large fillet of arctic char

1 lb asparagus

1 lemon, cut into thin slices

1 blood orange, cut into thin slices

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

1) Heat oven to 400 degrees, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.

2) Spread the asparagus on the pan, drizzle with EVOO, and spread on the edge, putting the fish in the middle

3) Lay the fish in the middle, skin side down, drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper and layer with citrus slices, scatter the thyme on top.

4) Roast 12-15 minutes, or until done.