Now Read This: How to Stop Time, by Matt Haig

Time is fleeting, and each moment slips by just before it can truly be captured.

Tom Hazard understands this better than most, especially after wandering the globe for more than four centuries, relocating somewhere new every eight years to hide that he barely ages.

Now it is time for him to move again, and the Albatross Society, which protects Tom and others like him, has given him free reign to decide his next destination. He already has experienced countless adventures that range from meeting Shakespeare to discovering new lands. However, he suspects something is missing from his life.

So despite his limitless options, Tom wants nothing more than to return home to London and teach the history he has spent his life witnessing � a choice that leads him to break the society�s most important rule: don�t fall in love. Now he must decide whether his love and freedom are worth risking the society�s help in finding his long-lost daughter.

The writing of this novel is easy to follow, even as the story shifts across different moments in Tom�s vast lifetime. Each chapter from his history gives context to the present-day story, but also manages to form a continuous narrative of its own. This gives readers a glimpse of the differences between Tom�s character from the past and his current self, as he struggles between his devotion to the Albatross Society and his illicit feelings.

By weaving the past and present together in alternating chapters, author Matt Haig alters the progression of time, allowing readers to grasp Tom�s unique perspective � one where time does not move forward but converges on a single point.

�How to Stop Time� is historical fiction but encompasses hints of fantasy and romance. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy engaging stories and well-developed characters. However, this book contains a decent amount of profanity and may not be advisable for younger readers.

If you are interested in similar titles, you might enjoy �Before Ever After,� by Samantha Soto, in which a woman learns her deceased husband is still alive and is much older than she imagined. Another novel you may enjoy is �The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August,� by Claire North. This story follows an immortal who tries to make sense of his existence. Both of these novels are available in book format at the library.