The following items are available at the Hancock County Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road. For more information on the library’s collection or to reserve a title, visit hcplibrary.org.
Fiction: “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig
A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of “Reasons to Stay Alive” and “How To Stop Time.” Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better? In “The Midnight Library,” Matt Haig’s new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
Nonfiction: “What happened to you?: conversations on trauma, resilience, and healing” by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain development and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry discuss the impact of trauma and adversity and how healing must begin with a shift to asking “What happened to you?” rather than “What’s wrong with you?” Through deeply personal conversations, Winfrey and Perry explore how what happens to us in early childhood influences the people we become. They challenge us to shift from focusing on “What’s wrong with you?” or “Why are you behaving that way?” to asking “What happened to you?” Many of us experience adversity that has a lasting impact on our physical and emotional health. What happens to us in childhood is a powerful predictor of our risk for health problems down the road and offers scientific insights into the patterns of behaviors so many struggle to understand. Here, Winfrey shares stories from her own harrowing past and her understanding of the vulnerability that comes from facing trauma at a young age. Joining forces with Perry, one of the world’s leading experts on childhood trauma, Winfrey marries the power of storytelling with science and clinical experience to better understand and overcome the effects of trauma.
