The deadline has been and gone and the random number thingy has selected a winner:
It's bettyl from My Views of New Zealand.
Congratulations! Could you please leave a comment with your postal address and choice of book (the comment won't be published).
Thank you to everyone who entered. Here are the results from the reading survey, including my responses:
1. How often do you pick up a book (daily, nightly, fortnightly, randomly, hardly ever, when I get a chance etc)
Daily
Daily (I do my Bible reading in the morning and usually a bit of something else in the evening). Sometimes - those rare moments when my TO DO list is by and large dealt with or I feel like having some down time - I will read in the day time too.
Sporadically
Daily
My response: I used to read daily, but since Rory was born I now read very sporadically.
2. What sort of books do you read the most? (fiction, Christian books, self help, biographies etc)
Whodunit, detective, historical fiction, biographies, Christian non-fiction
The Bible, Christian books, and during the school holidays I read fiction. I can't read fiction during the term because other things need to be done, as well as books being read.
Christian fiction and historical fiction
Currently textbooks, some fiction, the occasional biography
My response: I usually alternate between fiction, Christian non-fiction, and the occasional biography. I would read a Christian book, then a secular book, and then another Christian book and so on. In the past few months I've mostly read parenting books, although I'm cutting down as some I've found to be unhelpful. I don't feel I have the mental capacity to read and digest a Christian book right now, but I'm hoping this will change soon.
3. Where/when do you usually read? (in bed before going to sleep, during breakfast, on the train on the way to work, sitting in the car waiting to pick up the kids, in the hammock etc)
The most common time is in bed before going to sleep (every night, I find it hard to go to sleep without reading). I also read when I'm siting in a waiting room, sometimes on the train (though I don't ride the trains regularly).
I have a chair in the front room and a sofa in the back room. If no-one is home I read out the back because the sun streams in that window for most of the day and it is lovely. If everyone is home then I read at the front of the house where it tends to be quieter. And I read in bed in the evening.
On the couch in the evening
Eating breakfast, curled on the couch with tea, longish train trips, waiting for family
My response: I used to read every night in bed before going to sleep (unless it was a late night). I haven't done that much since Rory was born as I mostly tend to crash into bed and want to go straight to sleep. Now Rory goes to daycare for a few hours a week so I can get some respite and I either read or watch TV series then.
4. What is one Christian book (other than the Bible) that you recommend all Christians should read?
I would say all Christians should try to read at least one Christian biography a year, picking someone they can relate to (as opposed to someone who is a kind-of super-hero Christian).
Knowing God
God Must Like Dandelions
God's Big Picture
Operation World
God Smuggler
Adventures in Prayer
My response: The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission by John Dickson (which is one of the books on offer). It's so hard to pick just one though.
I may just make this a yearly giveaway so stay tuned.... :)
