The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

 

Josey has lived in this little North Carolina town her whole life. She has felt like she is always making up for the past and always under her mothers shadow. She has developed ways to manage over the years-hidden romance novels and sweets-but has an abrupt turn in her life that sends her in directions she never would have imagined.

This was a fun read, easy and not a ton of substance, but good take-a-ways at the same time. We cannot let the past dictate who we are today and we have to try to go out for what we want. Living in the shadow of the past and letting others live your life is no way to live. It is not easy to break the mold, but sometimes it just needs to be broken. 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

 

Imagine a place in between life and death and it is a library. It is a library full of all of the possible outcomes that could have been your life. And now you have to choose.

Nora has not been happy with her life and she has ended up at the library. At first she is quite confused and not sure what to do with all of the information. She picks endings that she thinks she would like and is surprised at how it didn't end up the way she thought it would. The ending that she does pick is a good one and a good reminder to all of us.

Such an interesting concept. I remember reading books as a kid that you could pick different endings and I would try them all. It was fun and nice to know that there was no end all really. We are all the masters of our own story and the choices we make lead us down paths with unknown endings. It needs to be embraced and we need to be thankful for what we have and where we have been.