Self Care Dare: Compendium of Compassion

I was so excited to read Matt Haig's The Comfort Book.  I loved his novel The Midnight Library (remember that, exploring the meaning of life through time travel and, of course, the library?), so when I heard that he'd written this nonfiction book, I was like, sign me up.  

Right off the bat, Haig tells us that there's no right way to read this book, gently and humorously letting us know that we're in a safe space.  The rest of the book is just as, well, comforting.  It's for anyone who's ever been stressed, depressed with a capital D, and/or overwhelmed.  So, all of us.  

This is one of my favorite parts:

"The sky isn't more beautiful if you have perfect skin.  Music doesn't sound more interesting if you have a six-pack.  Dogs aren't better companions if you're famous.  Pizza tastes good regardless of your job title.  The best of life exists beyond the things we are encouraged to crave." (51)

It's so simple, a reminder to appreciate life.  Because there's no rush and no one's keeping score (well, no one important, anyway) and our only job is to be.  To say "no" when we need to and relax and enjoy instead of relentlessly racking up achievements.  The Comfort Book is both soothing and joyful, a literary hug from a writer who's been there and knows what he's talking about.  

And outside a department store duvet display, it doesn't get much more comfy than that.

New Wave Rave: Rock Around the Clock of Seagulls

New year, new you is an understatement for Oona Lockhart.  Having a New Year's Day birthday is one thing.  But in 1982, when she turns nineteen, she embarks on a brand-new life.  One minute, she's preparing to jam with her band; the next, she wakes up to find she's fifty-one.  That's right.  By some cosmic hiccup, Oona has become a time traveler.  At the stroke of midnight on each birthday, she "leaps" to another year in her life.  If time is money, than Oona's a pauper -- even though she's a millionaire.  (Time travel may be tough on the soul, but it's gold when playing the stocks.)  Her only guidance comes in the form of the letters she writes herself the year before, although they raise more questions than answers.  Because this is the story of Oona Out of Order, and it's one wild ride.  

Written by Ukrainian-born novelist Margarita Montimore, Oona Out of Order is different from anything I've read, not so much because of the time travel (I see you, The Time Traveler's Wife and The Midnight Library), but because of its vibe.  Although it's women's fiction, it doesn't have that pink gumball chick lit taste, which I appreciate (despite having a palate for said gumball), if only for the novelty.  Instead, it glitters with the grit of New York City's club scene, sex, drugs, and rock and roll ruling the earlier years of Oona's life.  Through it all, she grows and changes, the only constants her mom and music.  Both anchor her through the confusion and heartache that come with hurtling through the space-time continuum.  There's also a bit of a mystery going on, and I could kick myself (as per usual) for not figuring it out.  But I'll be a good little blogger and not breathe a word in case you decide to read this.     

Woven with what-ifs and dark romance, Oona Out of Order haunts you long after you're read the last page.  It would make a great movie, its poignant message intensified by a killer wardrobe and soundtrack.  Beautifully written, it keeps you guessing -- and entertained -- as you join Oona on each new journey to unlock the keys to her life and heart.                    

Fate Gate: Written in the Scars

In the midnight hour . . .

At the stroke of midnight . . .

Before midnight . . .

Pop culture is rife with allusions to what happens when night melts to morning.  Billy Idol, Cinderella, Ethan Hawke, and countless others have spun or starred in stories about the mythology of the witching hour.  So I knew that Matt Haig's novel, The Midnight Library, would be, if nothing else, mysterious.  Which is always nice around Halloween.  I heard about it on Ivy's Closet, and I don't take librarians' reading lists lightly.  Billy Idol, not so much.  Although I am a fan of '80s pop rock.  And comic relief.  

Anyway, The Midnight Library is the story of Nora Seed, a multi-talented but depressed thirty-five-year-old caught between life and death in the purgatory of a library -- the Midnight Library.  The librarian is Mrs. Elm, an elderly sage who was Nora's high school librarian.  Mrs. Elm supplies Nora with the Book of Regrets, a tome listing everything she ever wanted to be, including a rock star, an Olympic swimmer, and a philosophy scholar.  Nora picks a regret, then opens the corresponding book to live the life she thinks she missed out on.  Sometimes she stays minutes, other times days.  If it's the right life, then she'll end up staying forever.  But if it isn't, then she'll return to the library to try again.  So, yeah, it's the whole parallel-universe-space-time-continuum-butterfly-effect thing.  Which I could've better explained by saying that Nora works in a music shop called String Theory.  

Nora's journey is fascinating, scary, and sad.  But it's also perplexing.  Because as she test drives more and more destinies, she begins to realize that they're as similar as they are different -- and that she's unsure what it is that will make the right one "right."       

Innovative yet familiar, The Midnight Library elegantly combines the best-loved elements of It's a Wonderful Life, NBC freshman drama Ordinary Joe, and every Choose Your Own Adventure book to deliver a sci-fi-tinged, timeless tale of gratitude and self discovery.  Rich in symbols and nuance, it's also a modern parable about the importance of mental health.  When I reached the last page, I was so engrossed that I didn't want it to end.  Nevertheless, the ending was perfect.  I wouldn't go back in time and/or across universes to change a thing.  

Unlike Billy Idol, who, according to Behind the Music, was caught with the nanny on the baby monitor.