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The Measure by Nikki Erlick Book Review

Reasons For Reading This Book:

The Measure by Nikki Erlick was the March selection for The Readhead podcast book club. This is a podcast book club that I have been a part of for the last 3 years. Every month I look forward to reading and listening to the corresponding podcast episode. I had no expectation for this book but was excepted to read as the idea of the strings seemed like a good topic for a book club discussion.
 

Content of This Book:

One March morning everyone finds a wooden box assigned to them and inscribed with "The measure of your life lies within". Inside the box is a string of varying length that depicts the exact number of years left of their life. The world is now in a state of wonder and frenzy trying to find out where these boxes came from. Who will open their box and who will not? How does knowing the length of their life change or not change the way they live the rest of their life? How do politics and society reflect this uncharted phenomenon? 
 

What I Liked About This Book:

The Snatchelor (Margo) was the first one to mention it in the podcast episode, but I noticed the parallels between the COVID-19 Pandemic and the world in The Measure instantly. Following March of 2020 I have been interested in how writers might incorporate the subtleties of live in a Pandemic into a story. There were simply things said or done that brought me back to the beginning of the Pandemic and helped me to see how far we have come and how much has changed and how we have adjusted. I read another book Our Country Friends that was completely centered on the Pandemic and I hated it, so I have discovered that subtle references or parallels to the Pandemic is more my speed. To put it simply, I loved the concept of the strings. The fact that everyone received them all at once without warning gives it a magical element. Once I realized that there were so many characters that this story followed, I was worried that some might get left behind or that their story would fall short and their character would not be developed fully. On that same thought I was concerned that there might be too much jumping from one character to the other and book would not feel like a cohesive put together story. For both of these thoughts I was proven wrong. The author fully developed each character no matter how long they were involved in the story. You knew more than just their thoughts and feelings on the current situation, but also on their life prior and what they want out of their life. With the switching between characters there was no issues because both their story and the overall story was intertwined making the progression of the plot fluid. Nikki wrote a well-round story because there were characters that represented all sides of strings and how they approached them. There was a character that looked at their boxes and ones who didn’t, there were short and longer stringers, and there were characters with varying approaches to how they wanted to live the rest of their lives’. Nikki truly captured all sides. The last thing I will share that I liked about this book was how thought provoking it was. While reading this book I found myself thinking about even after I set it down. Whether its intentional or not, it results in self-reflection and possible realignment with values and what you desire out of life. I would catch myself thinking if I was a short-stringer, would I take the time do this do or would I rather spend my time doing something else. Not only is this a personally thought provoking book, it also makes for an interesting book club discussion as everyone would have varying believes on how they would approach life if they were presented with box with a string inside that depicts the length of their life.
 

What I Disliked About This Book:

The writing style was juvenile at times. There was also an abundance of quotable inspirational sayings. The author used these little quotes to give the reader the view of how the character was feeling in terms of their hope and frame-of-mind. I was searching for answers just like the characters in the book and not all of them were given. I am not opposed to the choice to leave it up to the interpretation of the reader to conclude their own answers, but it would have been nice if more was given. I do like the idea that we will never know, kind of like we might never know the true origin of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
 

Would I Recommend This Book?

This is one of the best books ever chosen by a Readhead’s host, not just recently, but overall. I enjoyed my time reading this book and all the thoughts it provoked in me. I recommend this book whether you are in a book club or not. Any reader would enjoy this book and the idea of the strings. Get yourself a copy!!

Check out my book reviews for 2023!!

Check out my book reviews for 2022!!
2022 Book Rankings

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Hester by Laurie Pico Albanese
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Environmental and Sustainability Book Reviews 2022
Self-Improvement Book Reviews 2022
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Not All Diamonds and Rosé by Dave Quinn
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham 
Girls With Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman
Run, Rose, Run by James Patterson and Dolly Parton
The Summer Series by Jenny Han
A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard
The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives by Brian Moylan
Verity by Colleen Hoover
All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart 
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Majesty: American Royals 2 by Kathrine McGree
Every Last Secret by A.R. Torre

Check out my book reviews for 2021!!

2021 Book Rankings

Beach Read By Emily Henry
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Educated by Tara Westover
The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 
The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins 
We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins 
We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Klara and the Sun 
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
American Duchess by Karen Harper 
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Girl With No Job by Claudia Oshry
Down the Habit Hole by Holly Madison Book Review
My Story by Elizabeth Smart
Layla by Colleen Hoover

Check out my book reviews for 2020!!

Check out my book reviews for 2019!!

Check out my book reviews from 2018!!


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