Virtual Book Club
Let us take you on a journey!
Sarah Skelton
There are journeys we plan, journeys we dream of, and journeys we stumble into by accident, but the most extraordinary ones are often the journeys we can only take through stories. For this journey-themed issue, I wanted to choose books that stretch the imagination far beyond anything we could ever experience in real life. Not road trips, not pilgrimages, not even the classic ‘find yourself’ adventure. No, these are journeys that defy physics, logic, and the limits of being human.
Two books stood out immediately, both of which I have read and enjoyed greatly: The Traveler by Joseph Eckert and The Midnight Train by Matt Haig. They couldn’t be more different, yet they share a fascination with what happens when we step outside the boundaries of our world and into something stranger, deeper, and more transformative.
An impossible journey: Eckert’s, The Traveler, is a mind‑bending, reality‑slipping odyssey that follows a protagonist who moves between worlds the way most of us move between rooms. It’s a story about dislocation, identity, and the unsettling thrill of not knowing what’s waiting on the other side of the next doorway.
I found it compelling and at times terrifying, as the main protagonist slips between realities at a mind-bending rate and also deeply emotional – how life can change in seconds, never to be the same again.
An emotional journey: The Midnight Train is a companion book to The Midnight Library. The train becomes a metaphor for the branching paths of a life – each carriage a different version of what could have been, exploring purpose, regret, possibility and life choices.
Reading The Midnight Library helped me to think differently about the ‘what-ifs’ and ‘maybes’ in life and The Midnight Train focuses not just on facing memories and regrets but on self-acceptance and self-forgiveness.
Both books remind us that journeys don’t have to be physical to change us. They can be metaphysical, emotional, or entirely impossible – and still leave us altered.
These books offer us the chance to go on incredible journeys in our imagination and yet find something meaningful to bring into our real lives.
Remember, you can get free shipping when you order these books online using the special discount code AMVBC at www.booknookstewarton.co.uk/shop/ayrshire-magazine-virtual-book-club. The website also allows you to subscribe to the virtual book club. And don’t forget to leave your thoughts on each book on the Ayrshire Magazine Virtual Book Club Facebook page.
