christianreader | 2017 October Books

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern 4/5

I've enjoyed several of Cecelia Ahern's other books. This is her first YA novel and it was really good! It's pretty much in the same vein as The Hunger Games and Divergent, although this is less violent. There's a weird, strict society in the future and a teenage girl accidentally stirs things up.

The society in this case is concerned with perfection. If anyone is shown to make a mistake and have bad judgment, they are branded as Flawed. Literally branded with the letter F. The Flawed people have to live by different, stricter rules than everyone else, and everyone else looks down on them. Celestine North is a perfect 17-year-old. She is dating dreamy Art Crevan, the son of the head judge of the Flawed court system. She believes what society tells her - that Flawed people are inherently bad so it's okay to treat them like scum. However, in a moment of compassion, she helps a Flawed person, which is against the rules. Now she too is Flawed and her world can no longer be the same.

Everything That Remains by Joshua Fields Millburn (and Ryan Nicodemus) 3/5

This book is written by The Minimalists (theminimalists.com). My sister told me about their documentary on Netflix, so I watched that, and then I decided to read this book, one of their three. It's not their first book, but it's the one they recommend reading first.

These two friends were successful in the corporate world, making lots of money and buying expensive things. But they were unhappy. Joshua broke out of that routine first and became a minimalist. Ryan followed suit when he saw a noticeable change in his friend. Their main message is that too much stuff keeps us from focusing on what's really important in life.

I think it's not a bad message. It's similar to Marie Kondo, and only owning things that give you joy. The Minimalists are always asking themselves if something adds value to their lives. If it does, keep it. If it doesn't, get rid of it. They do this with material possessions as well as things like relationships and time commitments.

Some of the Goodreads reviews really ripped this book apart, mostly for the writing. I can see where they're coming from, but I still liked it. It's a message that I feel like I can apply to my life in my own way, not necessarily in exactly the same way as the authors, and I think that's how they intend it. To them, minimalism just means not owning unnecessary, excess stuff. Putting that into practice is going to look different for everyone.

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay 4/5

The best way to describe this book is to talk about how vulnerable Roxane Gay was in writing it. She completely opened herself up and wrote about weight, self-image, various struggles she's had, and how people treat her. She talks about being raped when she was twelve, and how that was a turning point in her life. It affects her even now into her 40s. I could relate to some of the things she talked about, but there were also many parts that made me realize how I could be more understanding of others. Very compelling book.

Perfect by Cecelia Ahern 4/5

The continuation of Flawed (above). Unlike The Hunger Games and Divergent, this isn't going to be a trilogy. It's just these two books. It's a good story, and I liked the conclusion. The audiobook reader was perfect for the voice of the main character, and it's written in the first person, so that part worked well. However, she was not very good at switching up her voice when other characters are speaking. I think she tried more for the second book than the first.

Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus 3/5

This is a pretty short book. It's like a follow-up to their other book (above), although they wrote this one first. After you get rid of most of your stuff, or maybe as you're in the process, it's easier to start focusing on the things that really matter in life. This book is about how to figure out what really matters. I'm skeptical that two 30-somethings have figured out the meaning of life, but maybe they have. According to them, there are five values to focus on for a meaningful, balanced life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution. I think all five of those are good things. I'm not sure those are the ONLY five values to focus on. Maybe I would add faith. Or maybe faith becomes a part of each of those five in a different way. Anyway, if I think about this book as listening to everything these two say and following their lifestyle exactly, I get annoyed. But as a book giving me things to think about in order to have a more meaningful life, I like it just fine.