I recently read a book that I REALLY enjoyed. It’s about a guy who decides to follow all the rules in the Bible for a year as literally as possible. Not just “love thy neighbor,” but also all the weird rules about facial hair, dietary needs, etc. I thought I’d just be amused by this book, but it’s actually made me think quite a bit! The author is not a Christian, yet he treats the Bible with quite a bit of reverence, and allows himself to be open to new ideas and theology.

I won’t go into too much detail about the book because I really feel like it’s worth the read! But part of what struck me so much about this book was the amount of research that A. J. Jacobs put into the different rules he was reading about (and the reasons behind them). He read hundreds of books during this process, and shared a lot of his findings throughout the book. Here are a few of the books that I’ve added to my wishlist as a result of reading this book:

- Reading the Bible Again For the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously But Not Literally, Marcus J. Borg
- Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture, John Shelby Spong - very divided reader reviews on this one!
- God: A Biography, Jack Miles
- Unauthorized Version: Truth and Fiction in the Bible, Robin Lane Fox - more divided reader reviews
- Daily Life in Biblical Times, Oded Borowski

Also, Jacobs uses the website Charity Navigator to help him figure out how to tithe his money. I think this is a really neat site, and I’ve added it to my bookmarks!

There’s also another website that he mentioned called MoveOn.org. I’m still not 100% what this website’s purpose is, but I’m intrigued.

And on the rare off-chance that A. J. Jacobs is “self-Googling” (pg. 151) - I LOVED your book!  I have Post-It notes all over my book and send a copy to my mom.  Thanks for the great read!

While I was perusing the blogosphere, I saw a link at Petroville for a site I’ve never heard of - Baking and Books.

Now, if you know me, you know that baking and books are two of my all time favorite things - I LOVE them both! So to combine the two in a blog just makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside. This site is FULL of recipes that look absolutely amazing (as in, I think I’m gonna need to go grocery shopping for ingredients tomorrow). And right now Ari has a really neat fundraiser going on. If you buy a raffle ticket for $5 you will be entered into a drawing for some awesome cookbooks. Four first place winners get FOUR cookbooks each, and SIXTY others will each get one cookbook. I mean, your odds are pretty darn good here!!! Go check it out!

Baking and Books » Foodies Unite! A Baking and Books Fundraiser

Because you can never have too many . . . or can you?

You Are the Furthest Thing From Grinch

You love and live for the holidays. You even love the Grinch! You’re in the holiday spirit year round… because you’re all about celebrating and giving.

Your Holiday Personality is Caring

You like to reach out to people all year long, but you’re especially giving during the holidays. Make those you love homemade presents (like cookies or scarves). Call someone who might be feeling a little down. Give to your favorite charity.

You Are Prancer

You are the perfect reindeer, with perfect hooves and perfect flying form. Why You’re Naughty: Because you’re Santa’s pet, and you won’t let anyone show you up. Why You’re Nice: You have the softest fur and the sweetest carrot breath.

You Were Nice This Year!

You’re an uber-perfect person who is on the top of Santa’s list. You probably didn’t even *think* any naughty thoughts this year. Unless you’re a Mormon, you’ve probably been a little too good. Is that extra candy cane worth being a sweetheart for 365 days straight?

You Are a Practical Gift Giver

Your gifts are useful, appropriate, and custom tailored to each person. In your opinion, the best gifts are gifts that someone will actually use. Your gifts may not be the most glamourous, but they are always appreciated.

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

Your Christmas is Most Like: Miracle on 34th Street

Sweet and caring, Christmas is about helping for you. While Santa may not exist, you try to share his spirit.

You may remember me posting this summer about a new website called PayPerPost. To recap: you sign up for a free account, pick the topics that interest you, and blog about them. Some have requirements (minimum word count, a link you must include), but nothing really intrusive. Then, after a certain validation period, you get money in your PayPal account!

Well, I just received another deposit today, so I thought I’d give it a little shoutout on the old blog, LOL! You probably don’t even know which posts of mine have been for PayPerPost. I haven’t done a lot, but the ones I have done are all things that I would have blogged about anyways. There are some oppotunities that are obviously just advertising, but they have gotten pretty good about having a wide variety of topics to blog about, so my theory is that as long as it’s something you would blog about anyways, why NOT get paid for it! Is there really anything wrong with blog advertising in a tasteful manner? I’ve made $12.50 so far, and I’ve got another $5 coming. It’s not a ton of money, but it’s $17.50 that I wouldn’t have made otherwise the past two months, LOL! And a new feature that they’ve added is that you can have the money directly deposited to a charity if you want to! They have a couple listed, and they’re adding more.

So tell me - what are your thoughts on PayPerPost?