...The Host

Guys...I just read The Host by Stephanie Meyer.

Despite the fact that it's mainstream fiction and they just made a movie from the novel, and it's a romance no less, it was actually pretty decent.

Before you go all crazy and try to argue with me about why you like or dislike Stephanie Meyer, let me just give a disclaimer: I am not a Twilight fan. 

There. You happy?

However, in both the Twilight series and The Host, I was pulled (rather unwillingly) into the story and for the most part, could not put it down. This says something to me about the author's skill. I do not call myself a fan because I am not. The Twilight movies did not live up to any expectations (in other words, they were crap). I am not a fan of of fans who tend to be overly obsessed with anything. And I am not a fan of Stephanie Meyer's fondness for confusing and psychologically mind-boggling love stories.

The thing that got me with The Host is that it reminded me of the personal inner struggle I've had lately with the Holy Spirit. There's an alien living inside a girl's body (creepy, right?) and somehow the girl's brain is able to still function in the back of the alien's mind. Like I said, confusing.

But that's how I treat the Holy Spirit. I keep basic control of my mind -sort of- and if I sense Him in the back of my mind, so to speak, I argue with Him. I certainly act like I don't want Him around. It's a constant inner war that can be severely exhausting, both mentally and emotionally.

It leaves me not knowing where I stand in all of this.

The Host somehow managed to mirror that struggle for me, in a way. I'm not saying that it's a Christian book or something or that you "need to read it because it might be spiritual." I'm just letting you know that it's not...horrible.

Also, I've decided to take a 30-day fast from chick flicks/romance novels of any kind. Not that I've been over-indulging lately. But it seems that even the occasional one continues to reinforce the societal perception that life is only being lived if you're living it within a romantic relationship.

What do you guys think about fasting? The Host? Stephanie Meyer?

Goodreads

I have recently become addicted to goodreads.com. I don't like adding more website accounts to my life (things start getting complicated when I have to have more than 3 passwords to remember), but this was an exception. Ever wanted to have a complete lists of books you want to read? Say no more. Ever wanted to keep track of every book you own or used to own? Done. It's a limitless database of literature and I love it. I'll never be satisfied with an online library, but so long as it's not replacing my physical one, I'm happy. 

So what's on your "to-read" list? Mine keeps getting longer. Somehow, I find myself wanting more suggestions, though. 

The Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker (I just dove into Black today) 
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith 
The Great Gatsy by F. Scott Fitzgerald 
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 
Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks 
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux 
C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy 

Give me your list and maybe we can trade. Also, if you own one of the books on my to-read list, might I borrow it? Then you could borrow one of mine and we'd practically have a book club! I adore this idea.