Two Books to Read for 2015

Margin TheBestYesI read a lot of books this year. Each year I plan to keep track, and each year I fail to execute that plan. Among the books I can recall reading this year, many were enjoyable. I really liked the uniqueness of the core idea in Brandon Sanderson's novella "Legion". I loved the prose and poetic language in Dave Farland's Runelords series. No one does a better snarky and sarcastic protagonist better than Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden. Right now I am reading "I am not a serial killer" by Dan Wells, which is about a teenage sociopath who knows he has all the makings of a serial killer and creates rules for himself to keep from killing people. It's a lot of fun, and Wells does a fantastic job of making a rather dark and disturbing person a likable protagonist with wit, and humor.

But of all the books I've read this past year, two stand out among the crowd. If you're anything like me, then perhaps you are at a place in your life where it has become difficult to manage and balance all the demands on your time. If you find yourself with more responsibilities than time and patience, then I highly recommend you check out these books.

In the coming days I will post a full write up on each of these books to provide more details on them, their contents, and how they really spoke to me. In the meantime, here is a brief blurb about each.

The first is 'Margin' by Richard Swenson. In his book, Swenson asks the question: "Is more really better?"

Here is the Amazon link to 'Margin'.

The second is 'The Best Yes' by Lisa Terkeurst. In her book, Terkeurst (and no, before you ask I have no clue how to pronounce her last name) asks the question: "If you CAN do something, does that mean you SHOULD?"

Here is the Amazon link to 'The Best Yes'.

Both of these books stood out to me because their premises fly in the face of modern American culture. They challenge the status quo by asking difficult questions. At their core, the ideas expressed therein push us to question what American culture has told us about happiness and achievement, responsibility and gain. I highly recommend these books to anyone who is facing an overburdened schedule, an unbalanced checkbook, or a tired, driven existence.

These books will push you, they might even offend you. As I am writing this I can think of several people who would chastise me for recommending them, because the ideas expressed are so contradictory to their lifestyle, ambition and beliefs regarding the meaning of happiness. But having read them and faced the truths in those pages I believe more people would have peace and happiness in their lives, if they simply adhered to the simple truths preached within their pages.

Check them out today. I venture to say you'll be glad you did.

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