The Eyes and the Impossible

The Eyes and the Impossible, by Dave Eggers

20/60 | Started 03.25.24 • Finished 03.29.24 | 4 stars

I'm a Dave Eggers fan, so when I saw this middle grade novel of his had received some acclaim (just a Newbery Medal, NBD), I knew I had to give it a shot. It did not disappoint.

Unlike anything I've read really, as it's told with an animal as the narrator. The plot itself centers around a feral dog named Johannes and all the other animals that live in a park with him. There's squirrels, raccoons, ducks, turtles, and even some buffalo. Johannes is known by his job as "The Eyes" - basically the animal who keeps tabs on everything going on in the park, especially anything dangerous involving humans. Then one day he gets an idea, and though it's noble and glorious, it seems nigh impossible. Nevertheless, The Eyes and his animal friends take it on.

I'll tell you straight up that I am no fan of dogs, but Eggers captured everything there is to love about dogs and magnified those things by ten thousand. Loyalty, faithfulness, self-confidence, basic enjoyment of life itself. Some of my favorite parts of this book are when Eggers writes about how Johannes perceives his own running. Hilarious. Along the way, he comes to terms with what he truly is, discovers the joy of camaraderie, and is given the gift of true freedom.

I just handed this book to my 13 year old and he's already giggling about the ducks. Give this one a go even though it may seem weird at first. I think you'll like it.

The Midnight Library

The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig

19/60 | Started 03.17.24 • Finished 03.25.24 | 3.5 stars

I've seen this novel all over goodreads in the not-too-distant past, and have heard several people rave about it. Welp, it wasn't that for me. I don't know if some of the themes hit too close to home, or if it was the fantastical nature of the premise, but it just didn't do it for me.

‘I wasn’t lying. I asked you what your cat’s name was. I never said I didn’t know what your cat’s name was. Do you understand the difference? I just wanted you to say his name, so that you would feel something.’

The novel follows Nora Seed, who's had a tough go at things as of late. She finds herself in a sort of in between existence where she's allowed to enter into alternate possibilities, or really, alternate realities. Basically a chance to do it all over again. She struggles with finding wholeness and joy while fulfilling her past dreams for herself, others' dreams for her, and even whatever "perfect" life she can dream up. Of course, by the end, she finds out what's important in life and how she can use her present reality to go after that. All in all, a very neat story.

Sometimes regrets aren’t based on fact at all. Sometimes regrets are just . . .’ She searched for the appropriate term and found it. ‘A load of bullshit.’

Though solidly written - Matt Haig is truly great with words - I find that I'm really not a big fan of books that have fantasy at the center. However, as it seems that I'm in the minority, you might give this one a try and see if you enjoy it.

Greg's Microscope

Greg's Microscope, by Millicent E Selsam

18/60 | Started 03.08.24 • Finished 03.22.24 | 5 stars

Carolyn loved this little book about Greg and his microscope. Arnold Lobel did a wonderful job with the illustrations of magnified things. Carolyn's favorites were the salt crystals and the sugar crystals. Now she wants a microscope of her own!