So recently I have cut out almost 100% of the TV I used to watch. I have given myself a “TV allowance” of no more than 2 hours per week (with NO rollover minutes!!). I’ve done this because I have found that the more TV I watch, the more I want to watch & the more I want to watch, the more I actually end up watching. It’s like an itch or an addiction. It just turns into this neverending vortex of TV-zombification & 0-productivity.

In exchange for TV I’ve replaced it with reading. I’ve always loved reading & I always used to give the excuse of “I don’t have time,”…Well blah, blah, blah, whatever! Let’s be real, I do have time I’ve just been spending it elsewhere on less productive things.

With my reading I always try to keep a few different “genres” or categories going in my “currently reading” section of Goodreads. I try to always have at least 1 non-fiction book (because it’s always important to be learning new things daily), at least 1 thought-provoking fiction novel, & at least 1 other general fiction novel. I rotate reading these during lunch breaks, in the evenings before bed, & during spare time I have on my days off…like when I’m taking a weekend road trip with my hubby…like today…;-)

So, here’s what I have been reading throughout September (& still am reading now):

* Fire-Starter by Stephen King (general fiction): So this is my first-ever Stephen King novel & let me tell you, I L.O.V.E. his writing style. It’s descriptive & it really gives you a sense of the thoughts & emotions the characters are feeling. Even though it is descriptive, it is not slow at all. His writing style makes you want to read faster, to turn the page so you can find out what happens next. Even more interesting about this is the way it makes you consider a few things 1) government experiments…what lengths does/would the government go to for the sake of power & national security; & 2) how would a child handle a “super power”? His story is like the original X-men but with a lot more psychology involved. It makes you kinda sad to think about how a child like Charlie McGee, confused & sensitive, would have to learn how to balance emotion, protective instinct, & self-control…& do so mostly on her own while being pulled between the desires of government & what her parents taught her is truly right & wrong.

*Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (thought-provoking fiction): This novel has been on my “want-to-read” list for a long time, but honestly, I don’t know why. I had heard a little about this book but I really had no clue what it actually was about. I just knew, I wanted to read it. Let me tell you, though, I am SO glad I’ve started it. I was hooked from the very beginning. Her writing style is so realistic that it feels like you’re there with the characters. I don’t know about you but I feel like I side with the “movers & the shakers” in her story & I get frustrated at everything & everyone they have to deal with & go against. It seems like the whole world is out to get them. The world enjoys the benefits from their work, but condemn them as the “greedy & evil” & they tells them how they should “share” with the rest of the world. The mind-boggling thing is this book was written in the 40s & 50s but is coming true in today’s society. I can’t wait to see how it ends…& if our world plays out similarly. *duh duh duuuuuuhhhhh*

*The Power of A Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian (non-fiction): I’ve been reading this book slowly over a long period of time because, honestly, it’s a lot to digest & a lot to think & pray over. It’s difficult because praying for your husband requires you to be willing to make your heart submissive to God & His heart for your husband. It requires you to think & pray less about yourself & more about your husband. It requires you to repent of your own sins, selfishness, & pride because as the Bible says, God will not hear you if you hide iniquity in your heart. It is hard because it challenges you to change your perspective- to change it about your husband, his actions, behavior, & reactions in different circumstances. And it challenges you to do so whether your husband changes or not. But it is so worth it because it will grow in you a passionate fire for the Lord & for your husband. As I said, I have had to read it slowly- to give myself time to let it simmer & stew in my heart & mind before I am ready to pick it up & keep going. I think once I’ve read the whole thing, I will pray over one topic for my husband as a theme for each week. I can’t wait to see how God uses him, myself, & our marriage.

* The Bible: So I’ve been using an app called Read Scripture(a project put together by Francis Chan, Crazy Love Ministries, & the Bible Project) to read the Bible during my daily quiet time & over the span of a year. During the month of September I read from mid-Deuteronomy through 1st Samuel. I used to think the first few books of the Bible were boring, but by taking more diligent, careful time to read during my quiet time, I am learning so much more about the incredible character of God & how much He truly loves us. It is amazing to see the humanity of the “pillars” of the Bible- to see their faults & failures, to see the constant forgetfulness of the entire people of Israel, but then watch God endure, correct, & redeem them over & over & over again…until it eventually points to the enduring redemption of Christ on the cross & His empty tomb 3 days later. Some say the God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New but I absolutely disagree. He always, ALWAYS has been a holy, fear-inspiring, jealous, just, but infinitely loving (which we’ll talk more on later) God, & He always will be. Read it for yourself with an open heart & mind, one ready to learn from Him rather than bending His word to fit your life.

What things are you reading? Any suggestions of what I should read next?

Be blessed, friends!