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challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, War
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Measure
By Nikki Erlick
4 Stars
Nikki Erlick takes on an incredible feat by examining how humanity may react to being given a chance to know about how long they may live. She tells the story of several people and how their lives and the world around them handles this I formation. Erlick’s book really makes you think.
I went into this book expecting something more exciting, however, I was still drawn to the story and kept reading because I wanted to see what came next. I don’t want my previous statement to be conceived as saying the book is boring. It certainly is not. It’s masterful. It’s a story that draws you in by tugging at your own compassion, empathy, and humanity. I fell in love with the characters. The story itself really made me think.
This story takes on a huge concept and yet keeps you in a small space close to the characters in the book. I think this book is a good read, thought provoking and enjoyable.
There are a few trigger warnings to check out before you commit to this book.
By Nikki Erlick
4 Stars
Nikki Erlick takes on an incredible feat by examining how humanity may react to being given a chance to know about how long they may live. She tells the story of several people and how their lives and the world around them handles this I formation. Erlick’s book really makes you think.
I went into this book expecting something more exciting, however, I was still drawn to the story and kept reading because I wanted to see what came next. I don’t want my previous statement to be conceived as saying the book is boring. It certainly is not. It’s masterful. It’s a story that draws you in by tugging at your own compassion, empathy, and humanity. I fell in love with the characters. The story itself really made me think.
This story takes on a huge concept and yet keeps you in a small space close to the characters in the book. I think this book is a good read, thought provoking and enjoyable.
There are a few trigger warnings to check out before you commit to this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings
Minor: Car accident
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Pregnancy, War
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I can’t begin to describe my love of this story. I was a bit overwhelmed with the sheer amount of characters while listening to the audiobook, but the book is so well written that I didn’t get lost ever.
The idea of “if you could find out when you are gonna die, would you” question was painted in such a fun and unique way with the webbed narrative.
The parallels between modern day stereotypes and fear mongering of politicians and media did not go unnoticed.
Can’t wait to recommend this to everyone. 🙌🏻
The idea of “if you could find out when you are gonna die, would you” question was painted in such a fun and unique way with the webbed narrative.
The parallels between modern day stereotypes and fear mongering of politicians and media did not go unnoticed.
Can’t wait to recommend this to everyone. 🙌🏻
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Grief, War
Moderate: Violence, Car accident, Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Started in the summer of 2024 before school started as a hurricane ripped through Houston, this was a crazy read as I sat in Austin just hours away where things felt business as usual whereas many of my friends and colleagues sat without power. This was an inspiring read of just what DO you do when the world is upended and how you make the most of your time on this world.
Beautiful read and engaging characters, loved seeing how the story developed! I wish I had finished it sooner, but I look forward to Erlick’s next book!
Beautiful read and engaging characters, loved seeing how the story developed! I wish I had finished it sooner, but I look forward to Erlick’s next book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence
Minor: Suicide
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, Outing, War, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Grief
Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Lesbophobia
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found a copy of this book at a Free Little Library and thought it sounded interesting.
“The Measure” is a novel that follows several points of view as they all try to come to terms with the knowledge of how long their life will be. One morning, everyone over the age of 22 wakes up to find a box addressed to them with a length of string on the inside. Every string corresponds to the length of that person’s life. Now, with the knowledge of how long or short their life may be, everyone is left to decide how they want to live.
This novel follows many points of view, and not all of them are connected to all of them. I really enjoyed and appreciated this because it gives the reader such diversity in experiences. Some of the characters have short strings and some have long, some do not want this to define them, while others do not want to know the length of their string. Everyone brings a different experience to the table and I think as a reader, seeing so many people react to this, really made the story feel more plausible. I think if something like this were to actually happen, people would react in the very same way. We would have people who would think short stringers are not worth as much because they might die. In the novel, one thing people pushed back on was that politicians with short strings should not be elected because they will not be able to serve their people well. I 100% think people would react much the same way.
I think the idea of this book in general is interesting. Would knowing how long your life is going to last change how you choose to live it? Would knowing you have less time light a fire in you to live unapologetically? Would knowing you would live a long life bring you peace? I feel like part of what makes beautiful is that we do not know how much time we have, and I think knowing is such a double edged sword. Once you know, you cannot erase that knowledge.
I found this novel to be extremely well-written. With so many points of view, it would be easy for the reader to not feel connected to certain characters, but I felt invested in everyone’s stories. The author really fleshed out all of the characters, and I felt drawn to everyone, almost, equally. Additionally, I felt like the messages behind this story were well said without being heavy-handed. My one critique is that I felt like some of the character’s stories were rushed at the end.
I really enjoyed this thought-provoking work of fiction, and I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys analyzing human behavior.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A quick and easy read. It is an interesting look at the nature of mortality.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence