The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The Guest List was a recommendation from earlier in the summer. It took me a while to get around to it, but I am glad I finally read it. The Guest List is a murder mystery at a wedding occurring on a remote island. At the climax of the night, the power goes out and it is quickly discovered someone is very bloody outside the wedding tent.

Each chapter is written from a different character's perspective. And they rotate from the days leading up to the wedding to the wedding night itself. There are a lot of characters, but it is easy to keep everything straight with how the chapters are presented. As the book progresses, the reader discovers how everyone is intertwined. You are wondering who did it?

This book is laid out and felt like a movie script, similar to The Last Thing He Told Me (which I read earlier this year). At times The Guest List feels too cliche with some events and how characters are described, but I can live with that. I really liked the ending though. It is not often I am completely surprised by the ending, but I was, and I actually liked the outcome.

My rating for The Guest List: 4.5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

The Power of Moments by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

 

I was searching for books for my work book club and I came across The Power of Moments. I liked the topic (exactly as it sounds) and I knew this would be a good read as I enjoyed reading other books by Chip and Dan Heath.

The Power of Moments is about creating moments (vs expecting them to happen) though elevation, insight, pride, and connection. Moments can happen at peaks, milestones, or even pits. They are more memorable when they are unexpected and infrequent. Stretching for goals - and failing - creates moments. Recognizing others in a personal way (not programmatic) creates moments. One interesting part was how people often know what the right thing to do is, but it is much harder to quickly act on that judgment. Moments can help people find their purpose (purpose is more important than passion). And a deep connection, rather than length, is the best for relationships.

The examples used throughout are great. Things like high school students announcing where they are going to college, the couch-to-5k initiative, redesigning the MRI machine to be children friendly, and the hotel popsicle hotline. At the end of every couple chapters, there is a brief summary and application of the themes. 

This book hit home on many levels - work, personal, and as a coach. The book club also really seemed to enjoy this book. I highly recommend this for anyone.

My rating for The Power of Moments: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

 

This was the second book I read on my second honeymoon. It is a very unique concept - a library with an infinite number of books, each telling your life story if you made a different choice at any point in your life.

This story chronicles Nora, who tries taking her own life. As she approaches death, she enters the midnight library, where she reads about different lives - if she married her long-term boyfriend, if she traveled with a friend, if she stayed in a band, if she dated a different guy, if she pursed swimming (which she excelled at). She finds that while some stories bring happiness, there can be unexpected lows leaving her wanting more. She keeps reading, trying to find the answer.

Like I said, this is a very unique concept, and something everyone probably day dreams about every now and then. The book was darker than I expected and frankly not really a light read on the beach. But, it was interesting.

My rating for The Midnight Library: 3 stars out of 5. Get it here!