Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

If you enjoyed reading The Martian by Andy Weir, I think you will really like Project Hail Mary. Ryland Grace is all alone in space and he has no idea how he got there, where he's going, or even his own name. Slowly the memories return and he realizes he has a mission vital to the survival of the human race. Alternating between his current situation and the brief clips of memories, we learn all about this project at which the whole Earth has thrown everything they have. Light years from home, and completely on his own, Grace has to solve the possibly unsolvable.

I really enjoyed the adventure in this book. The storyline was great, but I thought some of the science could have been edited down a bit. I'm not suggesting removing it all, but it felt like unnecessary exposition that was left in purely to prove the calculations had been done. I love science and I am fascinated by all the things I don't know, but I will admit to skimming a fair few pages of this book.

I liked the way the story was told with flashbacks to the leadup to outer space. If it had been told linearly, it may have gotten boring, but not so with the alternating timeline. I am reluctant to say more about what I loved in this book for fear of spoilers, so I'll just recommend you read it on your own. Also, I am so excited that a film version is already in the works and starring Ryan Gosling. That is a movie I'll definitely want to see. I really hope they do a good job with it!

 

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

Being brutally honest about oneself is rarely easy, but that is the requirement in The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley. Monica owns a struggling cafe in London and when she finds a small notebook left behind on one of her tables, she opens it to determine the owner. What she finds is a journal entry outlining the Authenticity Project: write your story, be completely honest, then leave it for the next person. The eclectic group of people who end up adding to the notebook are fantastic. We have an elderly artist, a mommy blogger, a gorgeous traveler, a tired nanny, and a few others thrown in for fun.

Would you do it? Would you write out your truest story of yourself and then pass it on for someone else to read? Some people do it every day on social media. Some people are anonymous about it and others stand smack in the middle of the spotlight and never fear the opinions of others. Then the question is: who reads it? Total strangers who will never know you in real life are very different than the neighbor who lives down the street.

I really liked this book. The characters were flawed, but aren't we all? There was love and kindness and a sense of community I crave, especially in these times of social distance. I know some people struggle with a book with multiple points of view, but I think this one is handled well and the voices are distinct enough that it isn't difficult to keep up with the narrators. I hope you like it!

 

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson was a sweet book to start 2022. It follows June who has worked at the local village library for years. June is a quiet young woman who took over her mother's job at the library and lives in the home her mother left behind when she died. She gave up her dreams of university and a career as a writer when her mother was sick, and she's never gone back. Now, her beloved library is threatened by bureaucracy. The council wants to close the library and sell the building; a mobile library will have to suffice. June is heartbroken, as are her many library patrons who have come to depend on the innumerable services the library provides. Encouraged by these people who have become her makeshift family, June begins to fight for the library's future, but it may cost her job in the process.

This book is darling. June is a sheltered, sad character, and it is sweet to watch her grow. The assorted characters that join with her, and the few that fight on the other side, are fun to read and full of heart. I love how well this book highlights the many functions libraries perform. It's not all about checking out books. There are so many forms of media that people find useful as well as help with government forms, the use of technology, and a sense of community. I love my library and I've missed being able to spend more time in it the last two years. Libraries are a wonderful resource and a gift to our communities that I fully support. I hope you will do the same.