The Sunday Post #383

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Readerbuzz, and Book Date.

The Sunday Post

 

On The Blog Recently

• I'm In Love With A Sentient Object
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• My Favorite Historical Fiction Books Ever
• Quotes From Classic Books
• Books Featuring LGBTQ+ Characters

In My Reading Life

Baby Brooklyn gave me a disease. I spent most of last week slumped in a chair like a gently microwaved corpse. Since I had no motivation to stand up, I read three books. Nicely done, me. Way to be productive without moving.

First, I read How To Be Prefect: The Correct Answer To Every Moral Question by Michael Schur. It's a philosophy book (obviously), but it's not a tedious philosophy book! Almost all of the philosophy I read in college was insufferable. I wish we had read this book instead.

I love the structure. The author asks a moral question at the start of each chapter and then examines how different famous philosophers would answer the question. Some of the questions are pretty straightforward, such as "Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?" Then they become more complicated: "How much money should I donate to charity?" It's an engaging way to structure a book because each philosopher has different answers to the questions.

I felt called out by the "happiness battery" part. Happiness batteries are people who spend so much time taking care of others that they don't develop their own interests. Then they become boring, and no one wants to hang out with them. Yeah . . . that's me during the summer. I work all the time and am boring because I have nothing except work to talk about. I wish the author had mentioned how being a happiness battery will make you cynical. You meet a lot of people who take, and take, and take.

I think you'll have a greater appreciation for this book if you're already a fan of the author. He's a comedy writer who has worked on The Good Place, Parks And Recreation, and other shows I've never watched. If you don't like his humor, you won't enjoy the book. He devotes a lot of page space to talking about his life and morals. I knew nothing about the author before I picked up his book. I've never seen the shows he's written. I sometimes got frustrated and wanted him to talk about the philosophers instead of the TV shows. You probably won't have that problem if you like his shows.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It's a quick read that makes philosophy less tedious.

Then I read Wild And Crooked by Leah Thomas. It's a young adult contemporary novel with no romance! "No romance" is the entire reason I read it. I reject the idea that every young adult book needs a romance.

The main character, Kayln, moves back to her hometown to care for her grandmother. She has to attend high school under a pseudonym because her father committed a murder in the town, and the townspeople are still (understandably) pissed off about it.

Kayln quickly befriends Gus and Phil, two socially awkward outcasts. At first, everything is fine, but then Kayln learns that Gus is growing up without a father. That's because Kayln's father murdered Gus's father. Oops. Their friendship gets a bit awkward after that. It becomes even more awkward when Kayln's real identity is exposed.

For a book about murder, it's surprisingly funny. The characters are quirky and have strong voices. There's a compelling mystery that made the book hard to put down. Kayln believes her father is innocent, and she's on the hunt for evidence that could overturn his conviction. I was very interested in how the book would end.

I don't like the end as much as the beginning. It's too kumbaya for my tastes. The characters team up to solve Gus's father's murder. Then the author ignores how the fallout from their investigation would impact the characters' lives. Also, since the book is set in the US, there is always a cop inside the high school. The school cop is useless. When the kids get into fistfights, he breaks up the fight, and then does nothing. It just feels like the consequences in the story are glossed over.

I would still recommend this book. It kept me entertained. And, no romance! Just extremely messy friendships.

The I read Being Mortal: Medicine And What Matters In The End by Atul Gawande. The author is a surgeon who works with cancer patients. He talks about his personal experience with people who are at the end of their life, and he shares his research on nursing homes and other options for people who can no longer live independently.

I love this book because it's relevant to every reader. We'll all die eventually. The author argues that medicine isn't always the answer to every health problem. Medicine has advanced so much that we can keep people's bodies alive long after their brains are dead. Should we be doing that? Are we prolonging life, or just prolonging suffering?

For me, the most interesting part of the book is the conversation about what makes life worth living. That's a question that each individual person has to think about. Ideally, it's something you think about and write down before you become sick. Do you want a long life if you're unconscious and being kept alive by machines? Do you want a long life if the pain medication stops working? What about food and mobility? Could you live the rest of your life with a feeding tube? What if you're conscious but unable to move on your own?

Planning for the end of your life is uncomfortable, but it's worth the discomfort. If you're dying, you probably want to spend time with your family. You don't want to spend time making complicated decisions about what happens to yourself and your stuff.

This is one of those rare books that I recommend to everybody. I think every reader could get something out of it.

In The Rest Of My Life

What's been happening lately?

I'm still doing the 75 Hard Challenge. I'm on day 56. For 75 days, I'm giving up junk food, doing 90 minutes of exercise a day, and drinking a US gallon of water a day.

Last week, the challenge lived up to its name. It was HARD. I blame the disease that Brooklyn gave me. I couldn't go to the gym because I was a biohazard, so I had to figure out my own exercise instead of signing up for a class. Then I half-assed the exercise because I was sick and unmotivated. The food cravings came back with a vengeance. I don't want turkey and broccoli. I want pizza and chocolate chip cookies. Don't feel bad for me. I brought this misery on myself. I somehow made it through the week without cheating or failing, but it sucked. It still sucks.

In better news, I had a Zoom call with Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction. We've been typing to each other for 10 years, but we've never actually talked. Admittedly, I was not on top of my mental game during the call, but that's okay because I'm rarely on top of my mental game. We talked about books and writing. It was fun. Nicole is very nice in person and in typing. You should read her book.

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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!