Finally. I finished a non-fiction spirituality book for the first time in months.
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible.

A.J. Jacobs, writer for Esquire magazine and NPR contributor, caught me with the premise: to try to live "exactly by the word of the bible," for an entire year. Knowing the wacky things that the Bible often proposes (or at least the human's interpretation of its words) I was fascinated to see what Jacobs would find out. I loved the way he went into this so open-minded (for an agnostic, that is pretty good!), and what he took away from it. He especially opened my own eyes as to the Bible's words, and how easily they can be interpreted in so many ways, depending on the reader's intentions and beliefs. It just reinforced my own spiritual beliefs (which are constantly evolving anyway), that people create and find the religious practices that fit their needs, and find God in their own way and that none of these ways is "the only one truth." Of course, laughing out loud every few pages didn't hurt, either! My only concerns were the discussion of animal sacrifice and his experience with the kaparot, where live chickens are swung around your head and then slaughtered in front of you and other humiliating/disturbing practices. Still, four stars for the insight and humility! ****

I also finished Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer, which concluded the Twilight series. I think that this was my favorite out of the four, probably because Bella got married and got pregnant, two things I can relate to! I loved how Bella finally got vampire powers, a backbone, and an active role in what was going on around her. The conclusion was a little unsatisfying - lots of buildup and climax to a blah resolution, but Meyer isn't know for her fight scenes and honestly, isn't it good to have non-violent resolution to some things in life?? Three and a half stars *** 1/2