LENT
It's Lent and time to think about making a sacrifice for God.
A book friend decided to give up buying books during this time. Pretty big sacrifice.
One of my friends actually suggested that I might give up...gulp...reading! As if that were possible...as if I could stop breathing....
And, honestly, would God really want me to sacrifice books?
OTHER MATTERS
In other matters, I'm reading a lovely book today. It's And I Shall Have Some Peace There. I wish it had arrived last Saturday instead of yesterday so that I could have been reading it all this week during spring break. Author Margaret Roach leaves her big job as editorial director at Martha Stewart Living for real living in the country. Very relaxing read.
And it's time to start planning for Dewey's 24-Hour-Read-a-thon. It will be the weekend of April 9th.
I'm still reading the two books I planned to read during spring break, George Dohrman's Play Their Hearts Out and Joyce Carol Oates' A Widow's Story. Dohrman's book, a look into youth basketball, was sad and Oates' book, the story of the devastating loss of her husband, was sad. I finally set both down; when my azaleas start to bloom, it is hard to read sad books and when my azaleas bloom and my pear tree buds out, it is impossible.
I always choose a food-based sacrifice (this year no snacking between meals) just to keep my precious books safe.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about sad books not mixing with blossoms and flowers. I agree. We've been having amazing plum and cherry blossoms here lately which is a nice change of pace from the grey and the cold.
ReplyDeleteRegarding sacrificing books for Lent - not buying them I could manage (perhaps) but not reading?! Lent is about sacrifice not utter torture!! ;)
I agree we shouldn't stop what's good for us - reading! Love the pictures that promise spring - we are still in the overcast, rainy, cold season.
ReplyDeleteI gave up buying any new books for lent, which for me is extremely hard despite my towereing TBR pile!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for Dewey's Readathon! It's so exciting and fun to prepare for. I'm not sure I'm going to host another mini-challenge this year, but I do plan on doing some cheerleading!
I think it would be extremely hard to give up reading books too. Books (for the most part) bring a type of inner peace for me. As for the sad books, I couldn't read 2 back to back. I have to have something light and funny in between. Love your photos. Spring is finally coming. :)
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
I could see giving up buying new books, but reading. That would be torture to me.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the readathon. I've never done that, but it sounds like fun.
Yes, better to give up a favorite food than reading...
ReplyDeleteI have A Widow's Story on my stacks, and really want to read it soon!
I would love to read And I Shall Have Some Peace There...I found this one on Library Thing and spotlighted it for a WOW meme.
Your flowers are lovely...
It's raining out right now (here), and I have to think of the positives...more flowers, plus I can curl up and read some more today.
Here's MY SUNDAY SALON POST
One of my blogging friends has given up reading anything but the Bible during Lent. I admire that kind of fortitude and dedication! (Couldn't do it myself, though!)
ReplyDeleteI just read A Widow's Story too...heartbreaking, and very brave of her to write so candidly. She has recently remarried, I heard :)
I am excited about the read a thon also. I live alone now so I should be able to do better that I did last Oct.
ReplyDeleteI could never give up books for Lent. 40 days without reading? Impossible!!
Give up books? I'm with you. No way.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have to give up buying books, though, because I don't buy that many anyway -- mostly because I'm broke :(. Good thing I work at a library. Whew.
Glad you found something relaxing to read and not sad. I love Margaret Roach's website. Will you review her book?
ReplyDeleteI will, Robyn. About fifty pages to go.
ReplyDeleteGoodness, I'm glad that you decided not to sacrifice reading for Lent. I'm sure God would not want you to give up something like that. Giving up book-buying...I could understand that, but not giving up reading. :) I'm sure you chose a proper sacrifice for Lent this year.
ReplyDeleteAnd how I wish I could participate in the Read-a-thon, but it falls on my Saturday to work, so alas I'll have to wait til October to participate.
Thanks for the heads up on the Read-a-thon! I will also be working that weekend, but still would like to mention it to my readers as well.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... maybe I should have sent the "snail" book instead! ;-) A Widow's Story is so sad... I guess I wasn't thinking about that aspect when I recommended it! Hope that you do get a chance to finish it though and enjoy it for the author's writing!
I finished it this morning. The last few chapters of Widow's Story made up for the endlessly sad middle chapters. And yes, beautiful writing. Thank you so much for sharing it, Suzanne.
ReplyDeleteYou have me intrigued with The Widow's Story. I couldn't give up reading either. :)
ReplyDeleteI gave up resolutions for Lent. So far it's working fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThose are two very sad books. I have A Widow's Story but haven't read it yet. I think of reading as breathing too so I'm glad to hear you didn't give it up. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteIn Lauren Winner's Girl Meets God, she gives up reading for Lent, and she loves reading even more than I do, maybe. At any rate, she must love God more than I do, because I could not do it. There are some things that are not even negotiable: reading is one, coffee would be another.
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