The Bible in 90 Days and 4 Books at a Time

I don't know what I'm thinking right now. There are not enough hours in the day already and I have now added stuff.

I started reading through the Bible in 90 Days right after Thanksgiving. Today is my Day 70. I should finish on Day 89. I'm less than three weeks from my second reading of the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. This takes at least 1 full hour each morning, which I do as soon as I wake up with a giant mug of coffee to help.

As you know, I listen to audio books when I'm in the car. I started The Winds of War by Herman Wouk a few weeks ago and I'm about 1/3-1/2 way through it. It is very good, a nice blend of history and fiction. I am enjoying it very much. However, it has been paused while I listen to a (or a few) short abridged audio book(s) narrated by Richard Armitage.

Richard Armitage as John Thornton
in North & South

See, after watching North & South last weekend, I learned that RA narrated a few regency romances and I was curious about them. And he has a nice voice, so I thought I would enjoy having him talk to me while I drive to and from work. I was right. He is a very good narrator (in keeping with my theory that actors make the best narrators because they act the books and don't merely read them). So the past few drives have passed by with my listening to Sylvester by Georgette Heyer as narrated by RA. I got the other two he narrated and I plan to listen to them as well.

In the meantime, for my limited evening reading I had started An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan. It's a revisit of Pride & Prejudice, but from Darcy's point of view. I'm about 1/3 in and I'm trying to decide if I like it or if it's crap. I think it is crap and that I like it. Help me.

And then, because of my curiosity about the book version of North & South (Elizabeth Gaskell), I started reading that this weekend. This one surprised me by hooking me in pretty quickly. The characters are so richly written and the reader is put into their heads. So while the actors' portrayals were very good, there was much in their internal struggles that just could not be conveyed on television. Most particularly, I find that Mrs. Thornton is much more sympathetic, John Thornton is more heart-breaking in his vulnerability, and Margaret Hale is more haughty and yet still likable. I read the proposal scene yesterday and it is even more tense because it is from Thornton's perspective and his despair is so touching.

Anyway, all this means is that I'm reading a lot as I can fit it in during the day. I wish I could get paid to read all day long. I excel at it if given the chance.