I love to read- and I love buying books.  I have never been a library type of person.  I think it's something about the deadlines; or maybe that I have to give them back after I'm done... I don't know.  And frankly I don't care to give it much more thought than that. 
A few days ago I got some new books in the mail- some I had found in footnotes of other books I had been reading, and some looked interesting from my "recommended for you" list on Amazon.com.  I began going through my normal ritual of holding and smelling each one (kind of like some folks do with a new box of crayons) and flipping through the pages to see if anything jumps out at me that I need to attend to this minute.  Then I put them on the table and longed for  morning to be here so I could start one of them.
Later in the day I talked to Beth (who is, by the way, very much the "library type") and she was telling me about the new book she is reading.  Of course it had all the markings of a great read- (she is the smartest person) and she went into detail; selling me on both the storyline and characterization. I glanced at my stack of "to read" with the packing slip, still attached halfway to the bottom book, gracefully dangling off the table.
"I got some new books today too," I said.  And gave her the titles.  I guess I should mention at this point that I have read possibly one fiction book in the past five years.  (Outside of children's books, that is) My bookshelf is filled with non fiction books; instead of titles like "The Girl With the Pearl Earring" and "Water For Elephants", there are titles like "Self Deception and Wholeness in Matthew and Paul," or "Violence and the Sacred." 
Beth and I had a good laugh at our differences.  She is like my lifeline to many things- she keeps me abreast on all things current in literature, politics and world events.  I relay ideas on composting and theology of scapegoating.  (In an augmentative style of course... )  And every now and then I get a hankering for a good story that hasn't been watered down or "tech"ed up  by movies.  But the truth is, I love what I read.  Even if it seems 'unbalanced' to some- or 'too dry,' to others. 
I thought about the years that I spent my spare time trying to keep up with best selling authors, classic novels or "must read" fiction.  And although much of what I read did form and shape my thinking (everything we do has a part in building who we are) I am finding myself at a place where in my spare time, I read what I like.  Give me a cup of coffee and a theology book and I'm happy.  Afternoon tea with a 'how to homestead on a quarter acre' paperback and I am in heaven. 
What are you reading lately? Are you enjoying yourself? Just food for thought...

I've been noticing over the last few days that many people on Face Book are going to try giving up social networking for Lent.  I'm guessing the reasoning behind such decisions have to do with the amount of time people spend on those sites; time that could otherwise be spent doing something else more constructive.  An admirable quest to be sure- I'm all for living more of life than watching life play out on a screen. (well, except maybe for movies but you know me...)
But I'm wondering, if in giving something time consuming up for Lent will enable us to have time for other things, what will folks planning on filling that "extra" time with?  Anything that we "give up" will be replaced by something.  So unless we think through what we will do in the time we have freed up, we may find ourselves in a bit of a quandary come Ash Wednesday.
And this has less to do with FB than it does the whole concept of giving something up for Lent in the first place. 
When we decide, hopefully with some forethought, assessment of lifestyle and hopefully prayer, to alter our lives for seven weeks, what is the reasoning for doing so?
No answers, just food for thought...