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The Humans
The Humans: A Novel | Matt Haig
The bestselling, award-winning author of The Radleys is back with his funniest, most devastating dark comedy yet, a silly, sad, suspenseful, and soulful (Philadelphia Inquirer) novel thats full of heart (Entertainment Weekly).When an extra-terrestrial visitor arrives on Earth, his first impressions of the human species are less than positive. Taking the form of Professor Andrew Martin, a prominent mathematician at Cambridge University, the visitor is eager to complete the gruesome task assigned him and hurry home to his own utopian planet, where everyone is omniscient and immortal. He is disgusted by the way humans look, what they eat, their capacity for murder and war, and is equally baffled by the concepts of love and family. But as time goes on, he starts to realize there may be more to this strange species than he had thought. Disguised as Martin, he drinks wine, reads poetry, develops an ear for rock music, and a taste for peanut butter. Slowly, unexpectedly, he forges bonds with Martins family. He begins to see hope and beauty in the humans imperfection, and begins to question the very mission that brought him there. Praised by The New York Times as a novelist of great seriousness and talent, author Matt Haig delivers an unlikely story about human nature and the joy found in the messiness of life on Earth. The Humans is a funny, compulsively readable tale that playfully and movingly explores the ultimate subjectourselves.
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peanutnine
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"I know that some of you reading this are convinced humans are a myth, but I am here to state that they do actually exist."

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

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monkeygirlsmama
The Humans | Matt Haig
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I went into this book not even having read the cover blurb or synopsis, but rather having picked it for the cover alone. I am very glad I did because this was such a fun story! It's a humourous and light weight read that's equally deep and moving. That is to say it made me laugh out loud, but also made me think and even tear up a bit. Five stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

22 likes1 stack add
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largetown531
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I truly loved this book with every ounce of my being. Beautiful, funny, and sad. But in a good way. During a particularly rough mental health week, Haig's protagonist made me feel deeply connected to the unique gift it is to be human. Cannot wait to read everything else by this author.

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Ladygodiva7
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Looking forward to a light and funny read, and from an alien‘s perspective 👽

TieDyeDude I enjoyed this quite a bit. It's a favorite of @WildAlaskaBibliophile 6mo
WildAlaskaBibliophile @TieDyeDude yes, it is! 😊 6mo
Ladygodiva7 @TieDyeDude @WildAlaskaBibliophile Can‘t wait to read it all!! 6mo
monalyisha This is also my favorite of his books! 6mo
59 likes4 comments
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LiterRohde
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📸: Typorama

#FirstLineFridays

ShyBookOwl This has been on my tbr a while! 7mo
LiterRohde @ShyBookOwl I liked the last book I read by Haig - tagged at the end - so I figured I‘d try another after not vibing with my last King selection. (edited) 7mo
34 likes1 stack add2 comments
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ItsAnotherJen
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Pickpick

All I pictured at the beginning of this book was Dick Solomon from 3rd Rock From the Sun. 😅
I really got a lot from this story! It's a good one once you get into it. I'm glad I have a copy of my own, because I feel the need to get my highlighters out and mark my most favorite parts.
I wish I had one of the pages printed out in poster form and could hang it on a wall. Unfortunately my sons already tease me about all the words on my walls.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

ItsAnotherJen This is my most favorite of all places to read in the summer! On my front deck, with a dog or 3 around me. A beautiful breeze. Pure happiness 😊 9mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Great view 🫶🏻 9mo
dabbe Da cute pup is checking our your toes! 🖤🐾🖤 9mo
ItsAnotherJen @dabbe 😅 It does look that way in the picture! 9mo
dabbe @ItsAnotherJen If my mother had said something like what I wrote, me being the snarky teenager I once was, I would have answered with “Duh, Mom!“ plus this: 🙄 9mo
92 likes5 comments
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readswellwithothers
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Pickpick

4⭐️

I‘ve been starting books and then sending them to the DNF pile left and right as I try to find a story that is not too heavy, not too light, and - a struggle when finding “summer reads” - not romance-y.

This one was a keeper! I knew nothing of the story going in, so it took a little effort to get on board but I absolutely enjoyed the ride. Poignant without being heart wrenching. Wonderful insight. Humor. And the afterward is quite moving.

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IuliaC
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Pickpick

I can see no better way to celebrate finishing this book and being human in the spirit of this book, than with peanut butter and tea, and those who've read it will certainly understand why.

This is a light read but such a sweet and hilarious reminder of the beauty of being human and of all the great things the intricate human life has to offer.

Parvez Really liked this book. I would also recommend “How to Stop Time“ by the same author. 12mo
IuliaC @Parvez thank you, stacked! 👍 12mo
75 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Allthebookclubs
Pickpick

I really liked The Midnight Library and knew I wanted to read more of Haig‘s books. A funny beginning, but a very very strange book. Humans from the perspective of an alien sent to earth to kill several people because of one person‘s math discovery. I‘ve downplayed it, but it‘s that and about human connection. An odd way to look at human connection, odd and yet also quite unique. Book #20 in 2023

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dariazeoli
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As a human who reads, I feel judged.

Clare-Dragonfly I wish I could just swallow down all the books! The speed at which some people read it seems like that‘s what they are doing… 1y
dariazeoli @Clare-Dragonfly I would also love a pill that helps with retention of what I‘ve read! My recall is for squat. 1y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
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ClairesReads
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Pickpick

The Humans is a warm-hearted, quirky look at what it means to be human. In some moments it‘s full of funny observations about the oddity of our lives, and in other moments it is full of insightful observations about human connection. It‘s a well-balanced, compelling, ultimately hopeful story.

46 likes2 stack adds
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GinaKButler
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Up next on 🎧

This is not my usual go-to genre; it‘s one of our summer book club picks.

#bookspinbingo

19 likes1 stack add
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TieDyeDude
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The main character is an alien who has to inhabit a body and "be someone".

#besomeoneday #julyjam @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Leftcoastzen I really enjoyed this book! 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Excellent 📚👍🏻 2y
Eggs I enjoy Haig! 2y
35 likes3 comments
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Sailajha
Pickpick

Really loved this book infused with terrific humour despite the prose focussing on largely melancholic observations of the human existence and experience - beautifully highlighting its inherent contradictions, helplessness, sublimity and exhilaration. I feel i learned so much and already want to re-read. A beautiful open love letter to being human and humanness. One for the thinkers, dreamers and lovers.

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puzzledbooks
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“‘I love you,‘ she said.

And I knew the point of love right then. The point of love was to help you survive.”

Just finished “The Humans” by Matt Haig and it was a fantastic read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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tealwish
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"The possibility of pain is where love stems from."

The Humans
Matt Haig

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puzzledbooks

Basically, the key rule is, if you want to appear sane on Earth, you have to be in the right place, wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and only stepping on the right kind of grass.

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Lauram
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Pickpick

I liked it. Poppy meowed through the last 3 chapters. I don‘t know her well enough to know if they were happy or unhappy meows. School Custodian found her by the dumpster yesterday and put her in his office to keep her safe from freezing temps. I hope she‘s not sick and can be integrated into our family soon. She‘s a wonderful little cat.

AmyG What a beauty!!! ❤️ 2y
Lreads She‘s such a sweetheart! 😻❤️ 2y
squirrelbrain Little cutie! 😻 2y
CoffeeAndABook Awww 😻 what a sweet little soul. Hope she settles in quickly 😌 2y
Aims42 Awwww! So glad he found her ❤️ Hoping she‘s a great addition to your family!! 2y
49 likes5 comments
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Kathfidler
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Pickpick

Loved the theme of this book and all the messages throughout, found it very entertaining!

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rwmg
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I was drinking a cup of tea. I actually enjoyed tea. It was so much better than coffee. It tasted like comfort.

Isobel nodded. She too was drinking tea. The tea seemed to be making things better. It was a hot drink made of leaves, used in times of crisis as a means of restoring normality.

TrishB Well it never makes things worse 😁 3y
Cathythoughts You can‘t beat a cup of tea 👍🏻❤️ 3y
29 likes2 comments
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rwmg

Yes, there are lots of questions. And even more books. So, so many. Humans in their typical human way have written far too many to get through. Reading is added to that great pile of things—work, love, sexual prowess, the words they didn‘t say when they really needed to say them—that they are bound to feel a bit dissatisfied about.

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DebinHawaii
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#QuotsyAug21 #familiar

“And yet, when everything is alien the alien becomes familiar.”

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jen_hayes7
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Can‘t deny it, Michigan sure has some nice views. 😍

Amiable Gorgeous! Where in Michigan are you? My husband and I lived there for the first few years of our marriage! 3y
jen_hayes7 @Amiable So cool! We are staying in Cooks, MI which is between Escanaba and Manistique. We‘re from Grand Rapids, but moved to Chicago about 11 years ago. Where were you and your husband living in MI? 3y
Amiable @jen_hayes7 My husband was an engineer at GM for the first few years of our marriage -- we were in Swartz Creek (near Flint), and then down in East Lansing (where I went to grad school at MSU and where our oldest son was born) and then we lived in Howell (so hubby could commute to the Proving Grounds in Milford). So we were kind of all over! And another fun fact: my husband is from Chicago, too! So we spend a lot of time out there as well. ;) 3y
jen_hayes7 @Amiable You did cover a lot of territory!! My mom is from Warren, so we visited the east side of the state pretty regularly growing up. So neat that we have many places in common! Thanks so much for sharing!! 3y
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jen_hayes7
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“Humans, as a rule, don‘t like mad people unless they are good at painting, and only then once they are dead. But the definition of mad, on Earth, seems to be very unclear and inconsistent. What is perfectly sane in one era turns out to be insane in another. … So we must conclude that madness is a question sometimes of time and sometimes of post code.”

22 likes1 stack add
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jen_hayes7
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Next up, my first book by Matt Haig. I follow him on Instagram and absolutely adore him, his outlook, his humor. I‘m sure this will be enjoyable. Using this for the “cover you don‘t like” #readharder2021 prompt. I can‘t say exactly why, but this cover makes me uncomfortable. 😂👃🏻

BookishMarginalia I don‘t like that cover either. Ugh 3y
jen_hayes7 @BookishMarginalia Right?! I‘m glad I‘m not alone. 3y
BookishMarginalia 👍🏼🤓 3y
20 likes1 stack add3 comments
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BooknerdsLife
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"Knowledge is finite. Wonder is infinite."

"You can't find happiness looking for the meaning of life. Meaning is only the third most important thing. It comes after loving and being.". Matt Haig, The Humans
Just 2 of the many quotes I love from this book!! Cannot stop thinking about it!
#BookQuotes #Booknerd #mustread

26 likes1 stack add
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BooknerdsLife
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My first ever Matt Haig book and everything they said about his writing is So True!
This one moved me to tears from the very beginning to end. Reminded us how to Be Humans & what humanity really means to us... ❤️

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Nu-Bibliophile
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Nu-Bibliophile
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Kempfme
Pickpick

My first read of Heig is a story about an Alien sent to Earth to stop the discovery of a theory of prime numbers by destroying the evidence and killing anyone who knows about it. The alien falls for his hosts family and chooses to leave his life as an alien. It was funny to see earthly things through the eyes of someone experiencing them for the first time.

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Twainy
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Pickpick

🎧 An alien‘s sent to earth in a dead man‘s body to save the universe by killing his “wife & son”.

He‘s told to act normal & spends most of the book trying to get it right.

He falls in love with his wife, gives up everything including immortality & the “gift” to be human then loses it all by telling too much truth.

Well written & narrated. More of a character study as “Andrew” grows a lot as a “human”. I liked Gulliver & Newton.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

29 likes1 stack add
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monalyisha
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Growing up, I was rarely as upset with my friends as when they tried to be cool or impress “the popular people.” Now, with a husband in the music scene, I still knock up against this. Don‘t ever play down your lust for life.

I‘m with Matt Haig, & Simon Pegg, who said, “Being a geek is about being honest about what you enjoy & not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something.”

monalyisha And, the end of Pegg‘s quote: “Being a geek is extremely liberating.” (I was never a “Geek” proper. But I definitely flew under the radar. And still do. 🤷‍♀️ Fuck the affectations required for being hip, honestly.) 3y
quietlycuriouskate Love this post! 💕 3y
CaffeineAndCandy 💜💜💜. Nerd is the new cool. 3y
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AmyG What @CaffeineAndCandy said. 👊🏻 3y
TheKidUpstairs It took me a long time to be comfortable with these lessons. Now I wish I could get that time back. 3y
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs Well you‘re rockin‘ it now! 😎🤓 3y
CaffeineAndCandy @AmyG exactly! 👍 3y
kspenmoll Yes! 3y
80 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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ctelford
Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - absolutely brilliant. Matt Haig doesn‘t fail to deliver with this hilarious and emotional piece. It‘s the first book to actually have me laugh out loud. Couldn‘t recommend it highly enough, everyone should read Matt Haig‘s work...you won‘t be disappointed.

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TieDyeDude
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Pickpick

Getting reaquinted with Ennio Morricone while finishing this excellent book! So much to digest. A visitor from another world comes to Earth to prevent a mathematian from revealing the solution to an equation that would advance humanity beyond our capacity. Full of biting, true critiques of our species and its fallacies.

38 likes1 stack add
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dariazeoli
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I‘m posting one book per day from my ever-increasing TBR. No description. No explanation. Just books to read. Join the fun if you want.

Day 51.

#fromthetbrstacks

CBee Very much want to read this one! I loved 3y
AmyG @CBee this one is good. 3y
JackOBotts I‘ve so enjoyed everything I‘ve read of his so far. (edited) 3y
CBee @AmyG hi friend 👋🏻 I‘m sure I‘ll like it then! 3y
AmyG Ha! You will @CBee 3y
60 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Night_Reader
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Pickpick

3.5/5 🌟

If you can suspend your disbelief, it's an enjoyable book.

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Night_Reader
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"This was, I would later realise, a planet of things wrapped inside things. Food inside wrappers. Bodies inside clothes. Contempt inside smiles."

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Sha0102
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Pickpick
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Layali926
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What a wonderful read!! Sometimes the best book you‘ve read comes at the end of the year. So touching , funny and heart warming .

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britt_reads
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I just made my November list for #bookspin and #bookspinbingo and I‘m excited about these choices!
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
IndoorDame What app do you use to make your boards? I really want one like this where the entire book covers are visible in the finished pic! 3y
britt_reads @IndoorDame I use PicCollage! I know it automatically zooms in on the image, and it‘s hard to adjust them to make it fit. I‘ve found that if I use the web image search on the app and choose the narrow book covers that have white on the sides of the image, it usually fits within the square pretty well. I hope that helps! 3y
IndoorDame @britt_reads thanks! That definitely helps! 3y
26 likes4 comments
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Lauram
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I‘m hoping to be absolutely charmed.

Leftcoastzen I was .😀 3y
54 likes1 comment
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Creadnorthey
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Pickpick

This hits all the good points and tickles the brain enough to get one thinking- this book is on the good side of fluff. And if you liked this one you‘ll love his latest “How to Stop Time”!

KVanRead I really enjoyed this one! I have to check out his latest. 4y
Creadnorthey I think it‘s better... 4y
14 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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jouleian
Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved how this book managed to make you feel the way the Vonnadorian did. You slowly fell in love with the book the way it had done with the humans. That is a rare gift for an author to have, to be able to pace a reader like that. I loved this book. #recommend #scifi #litsy

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jouleian

I‘m not sure how I feel about this book and I think it‘s because I just finished ‘Anxious People‘. That book works its way from the inside out while this one works from the outside in as far has how humans work. #foodforthought #litsy