Book Summary

This book was chosen by Lisa in January of 2024; I chose this book because it intrigued me. It was on a few book lists and had won some awards. I’ve always been interested in the what if… and whether or not we all have destiny’s to follow. The book engaged us in meaningful conversations about our life paths.

The Midnight Library is about Nora, a 30 something woman who is regretful about her life choices and feels alienated and unneeded in this world. She ends up in the midnight library(between life and death) with books that transport her to a different life she could’ve had based on different choices. She has to make a decision about what life she truly wants.

I truly enjoyed this book, it was definitely different from my usual thriller whodunnit books. It made me ponder my own life choices and what would have happened had I not made some of mine. Realizing that our lives are our choices and we have to take the good with the bad and if we aren’t happy then deciding to make changes is our choice. We can’t be fully happy without some sadness to balance it out.

We celebrated the book with a local sleepover and a day trip to a winery we had promised to visit because every time we went to a wine tasting at our local grocery chain, we would promise them we would come. Well after multiple promises and no follow through, we decided that we should start a new path of keeping to our word.

The sleepover was an epic night of delicious food and playing games. Looking back I don’t remember a lot of detail but I remember laughing and bonding with my squad. At midnight we took a quick run to our local library to commemorate the book. Not all of us made it til midnight but

most of us did. The next day we headed out to Fireside Winery in Marengo, Iowa. On our journey we stopped for brunch at the Tin Roost in North Liberty, IA.

We took 2 cars for the roadtrip and 1 car took a detour and went to the tasting room in the Amana Colonies and not the actual winery; these things tend to happen at least once on our adventures. Thankfully they found the winery and we were able to enjoy the wonderful wines together.

Now for the roadtrip home, which would require a couple of stops along the way. We stopped at Wild Hogs Saloon & Eatery in Walford, Iowa. There was a country band playing and people dancing. It was fun to watch, there was an older couple who had been together for 60+ years. They stole our hearts. Cedar Rapids was our next pit stop, a fine place called Cliff’s Dive Bar & Grill. They had quite the food menu so we ordered appetizers to share. The trashcan nachos were a hit.

Sadly our Chicago member had to leave from Cedar Rapids, so we split ways. The other car decided to make one more pit stop in Mechanicsville, IA. Sadly the bar and grill was still in the process of opening so it was not open to the public. When we went to get back in the car, my car door wouldn’t shut. We were trying to figure it out when a guy came out of the bar to ask us if we needed help and my response was “We Don’t Need No Man!”. But sadly, we couldn’t figure it out and we did need to ask the assistance of said man. It was an easy fix, the latch mechanism was stuck and all he had to do was lift up on the door handle. Needless to say, I have yet to live that moment down.

The Midnight Library is a great novel to read, it makes you ponder your life choices and your choices ahead of you. I hope you decide to read the book and realize that the most important path is always the one you’re walking right now and your friends and family make it worth living.