My Reading Pyramid

I've dissected my reading into a handy, inspired-by-the-government's-food-pyramid pyramid. Because I'm weird. And I like to make lists. And I like to do book reports. However, I don't have a pyramid graphic. So you'll have to use your imagination.

Grains: These are the things I read to keep my interest in reading alive--things that are easily consumed and interesting, like blogs, facebook notes, wikipedia articles, and fanfiction. Grainy Faves: thepionoeerwoman.com, gossamer.org (beware: only geeks who like X-Files go here), kazooisms.blogspot.com, Mandy's blog, Jenny's blog, Dad's site, and Marissa's blog.

Vegetables: These are the things I have to read, whether I like it or not. They are generally good for me, but a little bitter going down. These include bills, bank statements, insurance policies, and 'Your Books Are About To Be Due' e-mails from the library. I would also include non-fiction in this category, although there are some that I do like (people can like vegetables, right?). Some non-fiction "healthy reads" I like are Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, A Praying Life by Paul Miller, and others by Max Lucado, Beth Moore, Phillip Yancey, James Macdonald and Chip Ingram.

Fruit: Stuff that's good for me AND sweet. Things I read that make me feel like an intellectual to some extent. I like biographical fiction, and Nancy Moser is an excellent writer in that field. Some of hers include Just Jane, a novel about Jane Austin, Mozart's Sister (wonder who that could be about?) and Washington's Lady about yes, Martha Washington. I also include classics in this category. I'm trying to read more of those to compensate for all the "sweets" I read. Currently I'm working on To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I've enjoyed works by Charlotte and Emily Bronte, Jane Austin, Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Pearl S. Buck and L.M. Montgomery in the past.

Dairy: Oh, do I love dairy-reads. These are the books I get fat on. These reads generally stay with me a bit after I read them too (like an aftertaste--are you enjoying all my food analogies?). Most often, my dairy reads are secular books that are well written and for whatever reason stay with me. All time dairy faves: The Twilight Series (Stephenie Meyer), The Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling), The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffeneggar) Lake of Dead Languages & The Ghost Orchid (Carol Goodman), The Wedding & True Believer (Nicholas Sparks), A Painted House, The Summons & The Last Juror (John Grisham), Four and Twenty Blackbirds (Cherie Priest), Fear Nothing, Sole Survivor and False Memory (Dean Koontz), The Lovely Bones (Alice Seibold).

Meats: The Good Stuff. The books I have to chew on for awhile. The ones that teach me something while I'm being entertained. The main meat course is the Bible. It's like the savory steak of reading. I don't really have a favorite book or story from the Bible, because that's like comparing apples to oranges (and this is the meat section, mind you), but I do have parts that I read over and over. I love the symbolic stories of the Old Testament, especially those of Ruth, Esther and Hosea. David is another character that has lots of layers to dissect. I also love the Gospels--this is where we really see Jesus, where we can look at his every action, word and motive and find a practical guide for our own choices. I love to put myself in the story with Jesus, to imagine that I'm the Samaritan woman, or Martha, or any of the Marys, and watch the scene unfold before my eyes--watch the Savior speak to me. Someday, I won't have to use my imagination! There are fiction meat books too, ones that have changed me in ways I didn't know fiction could. Of course, I've mentioned Redeeming Love before. I love how at first glance, this book is a simple love story. But then you get into it and you realize this book is about you. You are the broken, abused, sin-hardened prostitute and Jesus is the tender, loving, perfect man binding your wounds and washing your feet. I really appreciate all the symbolism in this book. Just about every character, every scene, every plot twist represents something else--a Biblical story or truth. I read it yearly, lest I forget what a horrid sinner I am and what a perfect Savior I have. Another very meaty Rivers' read is her Mark of the Lion series, a trilogy about the early church and martyrs. Not an easy read by any standards, but it really made me think about the cost those early believers paid for their belief. How easy we have it today, where we can share our faith in relative safety. But the boldness of those Christians, who shared Christ's love regardless of the physical pain, slavery or even death. Amazing. Favorite Dairy authors: Francine Rivers, Julie Lessman, Lynn Austin, Linda Nichols.

Sweets: The guilty pleasures. I definitely have a sweet tooth, but I'd like to think it's a "refined" taste. I admit to having a love of historical Christian fiction. I'm somewhat embarrassed by that because there are a lot of options out there that are pretty lame. But I can't help but love a good love story set in the 1800s. I learned the art of unresolved tension between the sexes from Mulder and Scully, and I've found that I appreciate that theme tremendously. I like the historical settings because it's much easier to master tension in an environment of high moral standards and societal decorum. While I don't like fluffy fiction where the pioneer girl marries the cowboy in the third chapter and they have a new baby every thirty pages or the same ol' plot of the Amish girl falling in love with the non-Amish guy (there are about 4,323 of these available), I do not require high story standards for my dessert fiction. Just high tension between the two characters. And there had better be angst all over the place. These are my easy reads that take about two days to get through. I should point out however, lest some of these authors google their names and find them mentioned in the "sweets" section of my pyramid, that some of these novels do more than satisfy that craving for a good, tense romance. They usually contain nuggets of Biblical truth and sometimes a deeply emotional story, but I confess that I seek them out for the chocolatey outer shell, and the nuggets inside are bonus. Sweet Tooth Faves: Anything by Deeanne Gist, Tamera Alexander, Cathy Marie Hake, Julie Klassen, Kristen Heitzmann, Siri Mitchell, Jamie Carie...I'm sure I'm forgetting some. While I haven't loved every book these women have written, more often than not, they deliver the sugar I'm craving....that may be the weirdest sentence I've ever posted on the web. Oh well.

There ya have it. If you've made it this far you must be REALLY bored. Or have insomnia. Or just really, really like me. So...um, thanks for that.

P.S. I want to try new foods. I think I'd really like a book that combines mystery/crime/romance/faith, but as of yet, the few I've tried have been rather bland or incredibly cheesy. Any suggestions?