Well, the good news is that I finally finished one more, The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. I'm also happy because this is the first book I read on my "new" Kindle! Jacobs is a journalist who works for Esquire. His first book was about his quest to read the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica. He succeeded and his next quest became to live the laws of the Bible as literally as possible for an entire year. Hey, he tried.
As I began the book, I was frustrated. Jacobs is an agnostic Jew who was raised in a secular home. Though he claimed to be doing this project in an attempt to find God so that he if there was a God, he could be a better father to his infant son. However, it seemed to me to be just a book project and lack sincerity. But I was interested in the project and kept reading. Though written simply, it did not disappoint. The book was written in a blog/journal type format and was a quick and easy read but with enough depth to satisfy.
I found it interesting to see what this guy did. He wore a tunic, added tassels, threw out all clothes of mixed fibers, grew out his beard, refused to be near his wife at "less than pure times" (its amazing he's still married), respected the Sabbath, painted his door frame, etc. He contacted spiritual leaders of all religions and used them as spiritual advisors. He visited Israel, a creationist museum, Jerry Falwell's megachurch and a church that preachers snake handling. He did a lot, but what truly made me excited was the changes the year produced in his life. Being so legalistically focused on his character actually helped him tell fewer lies and be a more positive person. Though morality is a central tenet of most religions, it was comforting to see the words of the Bible overall have such an impact, even just on a guy working on a book project. 
Overall, a great read. One I'd recommend...
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