Confessions and Marian Keyes

In my last post I mentioned a change of tone, so be warned there are "Christian Themes" at some point in this post.

I picked up the Whitcoulls Top 100 books list this week, it's something I like to review from time to time and use it as a guide to read something new. I tick off books I've read and total them up in the aim of feeling self-righteous because I am so incredibly literate.

Twenty three.

That's how many books I ticked off. Out of one hundred. Lit-er-ate.
That includes all 6 Harry Potter books too. High brow reading.

In my defence there are books on the list that I don't actually ever want to read:

• Anything by Marian Keyes,
• Same goes for Diana Gabaldon,
• The Notebook, Chocolat, Captain Corelli's Mandolin - forget it.

That removes ten books (Marian Keyes to blame there), but even so twenty three from ninety is hardly a sterling record; a fraction over 25%. Fail.

I could cheat a little, as there are books I have started but never finished, and usually only a few pages in. I could almost count them. Almost.
I am quite content to stop reading a book if I am getting nowhere (unlike my mother who forces her way to the end of everything; including Marian Keyes).

But if I decide to cheat, I run into problems. There are two books on the list (every time!), that cause considerable issue:

1. The Edmonds cookbook. Yes it's a classic. It is also a recipe book. I am not tempted to absorb it from cover to cover, but yes I do turn to it to perfect a lasagne cheese sauce.
2. The Bible. For the unobservant, this is where the entire post has been heading (Christian themes...), because as a Christian I obviously place the Bible as the most important book written, bar none*.
   

But I must confess:

I haven't read it all.

I have certainly read a lot of it, and that amount is slowly increasing (currently quite well, other times not so much); but there are many passages that I am completely in the dark over - Old Testament books mostly, for whatever reason.

Does familiarity breed contempt? No; but familiarity does breed apathy.
It's like the teddy bear you have had since you were a child; it's been there for thirty years and you like having it around because it's a piece of your life; but it isn't like you need to look at it, just know it's around...somewhere.

So it's time for the confession. Because recently it has become obvious that in order to be a 'better' Christian a sound knowledge of the Bible is not just important, it's essential. Essential.
It doesn't sound like an amazing revelation, and it's not, but that's how it goes; better to do something about it now than leave it longer. It might take time but it is worth it.

So, all going to plan the next time the Whitcoulls Top 100 list comes out, I should still have twenty three books ticked off; but at least I can say I've read them all cover to cover.

Well, except that Edmonds Cookbook...



*collection of books to be more precise