Rooms

Today is officially day two of my fast from all books except for the Bible. It's both easier and more difficult than I thought it would be. I normally read just over a book a day and blog almost all of them, so I turned down a ton of blog tours between now and April 1. Some were incredibly difficult to turn down. There were books by authors that I absolutely adore and I've had the books on my wish list for months, so to have the chance to get it for free and have to turn it down, it's definitely been a sacrifice.

I did have a few books I just couldn't say no to, so I went on a reading spree early this week in order to finish them all up before midnight on Ash Wednesday. I will be posting a few reviews next week, but I finished them all before my fast started. I also overbooked myself on tours starting with the last week of January, so I feel like I've been doing nothing but reading for the last three weeks. As I could see the start of my fast approaching, I felt relief at not facing the schedule I regularly place myself on. It felt good to know that there would be no expectations upon my reading time. I started a to-do list of things that I usually procrastinate away.

However, the point of the fast wasn't just to not read books, but to spend just as much time reading the Bible. So far it hasn't exactly worked out that way. I haven't touched my to-do list, I've played far too many games of Bejeweled on Facebook, and added a couple hundred people to my Ancestry family tree. I keep thinking: I've got 42 more days of this?? I normally have one entire bookshelf of books from the library, plus three of books people have asked me to review, and one of books to blog tour. The library shelf is empty (except for Mia's library books on pandas), the blog tour shelf it empty, and the other three shelves weigh me down with guilt.

But I've got to stick to it. My son, Doogie, is giving up smoking for Lent (with the hope that it will break the habit for him), and we've agreed to be each other's accountability partner. I've gone through periods in the past of book burnout where I've read too many in a row. It usually takes about 24-48 hours for me to get over it, and then I'm back burning up the pages.

I've learned a bit about the actual Lenten season in my research in preparing for my fast. It technically lasts 46 days instead of the 40 most people think of it, because Sundays are always to be a day of celebration and never fasting. It also ends at sundown on Holy Thursday, April 1 (the day before Good Friday), which is good because I booked my first blog tour for April 2. It was Jane Kirkpatrick's An Absence So Great; I couldn't help myself!

I have given myself one exception to the reading books rule: I will continue to read Mia her bedtime stories at night. I will also read my magazine subscriptions: Entertainment Weekly and TIME, plus Publishers Weekly from the library. That way I can torture myself by adding even more books to my ever growing wish list!

I don't know that I'll blog every day as I usually do, but I will be sharing what I'm learning through my focus on the Bible. Right now I'm reading The Message for the first time, and I'm really enjoying my trip through Genesis.

Rooms by James L. Rubart is an incredible debut novel about living the life God desires. Micah Taylor is living at the top of the world; his software company has made him a multimillionaire and his partner will soon be his fiance. He receives a letter from his deceased great-uncle Archie, whom he's never met, informing him of a house that Archie built for Micah in Cannon Beach, the hometown he left behind along with all of the bad memories associated with it. Archie's enigmatic letter goads Micah into checking out the house with the intention of selling it, but when he enters, he discovers that it feels like home. Each room has been perfectly designed with everything that Micah loves, plus there are some extra rooms that appear out of thin air exposing parts of Micah he isn't always ready to face. He soon finds himself spending more and more time in Cannon Beach, but as he spends time there, things back home in Seattle start to change in frightening ways, forcing him to choose who he wants to be forever. Rubart has written a thrilling and romantic novel that will encourage readers to take a close look at the decisions they've made in their lives and how one choice can impact so much more. Rubart is definitely an author to watch in the future.

Thank you to B&H Fiction for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

Today's pic is from Cute Overload.