Greetings Bookworms!
Have you ever had one of those moments where time just seems to freeze? Poetic types are wont to attribute the sensation to meeting their one true love, but in my world, this feeling typically precedes disaster. Still, the whole “time freezing” thing is usually a short-lived moment, things don’t just stay frozen. Unless you’re the main character in Michael Landweber’s new novel, Thursday, 1:17 p.m. *I received a complimentary copy of this book through the publisher for review consideration, thanks to Monika’s insatiable book pushing (I love her for it.) I am too ill mannered to be polite for politeness’s sake, so you can trust I’ll tell you exactly what I think.*

Time stopped on a lovely Thursday afternoon at 1:17 pm. Duck, our 17 year old protagonist, is the only person, animal, or thing still moving in Washington DC. As far as he can tell, he’s the only, um, noun? on the planet Earth not in a state of suspended animation. Which is just freaking great. It’s not like he’s already got enough to deal with, what with his mother having succumbed to cancer that very morning and his father having been in a mental hospital for years. Not that having parents would be of much help in the current situation, since they’d be frozen. Fortunately, Duck is a smart kid and a good egg. He takes his new reality in stride and tries to do the right thing in the face of some seriously weird circumstances. He’s got all the time in the world (apparently) to face his demons, and with any luck he’ll figure out how to get time moving again.

If you’re thinking “this sounds like a Twilight Zone episode” then you and I are on the same wavelength. I went into the book expecting some cool descriptions of the frozen world and I was NOT disappointed. Remember that scene in Big Fish
where the circus freezes? It’s kind of like that. But cooler. This book blended sci-fi, humor, and a heaping helping of emotion into one neat little package. It’s a great book and a fast read. If you’re even the slightest bit intrigued by my rambling, you should DEFINITELY check out Thursday, 1:17 p.m.
Talk to me, Bookworms! If your world froze, what would you do with all your spare time? (I’m asking this even though I know the vast majority of us are going to answer “READ ALL THE THINGS!” I just want to encourage the mania.)
*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*
encgolsen
I like the sound of this one. If I could freeze time, I would definitely tackle my massive TBR pile, but if Netflix still worked in the frozen world, there would also be some binge watching involved.
mwgerard
If the world froze, I would OBVIOUSLY read a bunch. Then I would also go visit world landmarks and enjoy them while they are quiet. I hate crowds and noise. This way I could see Macchu Pichu and the Pyramids and the Grand Canyon and everything while it was still.
Words For Worms
Except that machines don’t work in frozen world, so travel might be problematic… I hope you like biking :).
JoulesDellinger
Totally adding this to my kindle right now. Thanks for the review!
SuziQoregon
Oh this sounds good. Added it to my library wish list, Thanks.
Monika @ Lovely Bookshelf
I totally forgot about that scene in Big Fish, yes! So happy you enjoyed this. I knew you would!
Jenny @ Reading the End
Boring news to report! I would READ ALL THE THINGS. I have been having many heated discussions lately with people about whether, if I had a Time-Turner, it would be breaking the rules of Time Turners to use it to fill my house up with 18 copies of myself, all of whom would be reading books. I think I can totally do that if I want. Others disagree. (But I’m right.)
Rachel
This sounds really interesting! Sadly none of the local libraries own it!
Michelle
Very intrigued. Can time freeze for me? I would catch up on my sleep. Get in shape. And of course read. Read. And read some more. That works, right?