I read a lot. But my reading is slow compared to Nina Sankovitch. She started last October reading a book a day for a year. That's right--everyday for a year she read a book. And--the next morning she wrote on her blog a brief review of the book she had read the day before. Wow.

During this project she decided not to read any book she had read before, and not to read more than one book by any author.Obviously she didn't have a job.

Most people concerned about education in our country say that one of the most important things parents can do is to read to their children when the children are young. Get them into the habit of reading. Show them how books can be fun. And set an example. Children who see mothers and fathers reading books regularly will see how important it is.

Nina's reading project seems extreme, but stirs my imagination. However, how many books one reads is not as important as how one reads. Actually, in the Christian tradition, there has been an emphasis on slow reading. We might call it meditative reading. The Christian name for it is lectio divina. This ancient method of reading Scripture is seeing a revival in our time. There are many books out now about this spiritual discipline.

Here's the way it works. There are four steps. First, lectio: choose a Scriptural passage and reading slowly...meditatively...read out loud...savor the words. Second, meditatio: choose a word or phrase from the reading and quietly mull it over in your mind...repeat the word or phrase slowly over and over...let it sink into your heart. Third, oratio: talk to God about what is happening in your meditation...listen to what God is saying to you...ask God what he/she is saying to you through this passage. Fourth, comtemplatio: now just rest in God's presence...let go of thinking or analyzing...just be with God.

You don't get much reading done this way. You can't read through the Bible in a year doing this. But you get more out of what you read. This is a prayerful way to read Scripture. It's a way of letting the Bible read you.

So, Nina accomplished a great deal in her reading. She challenges us all to be more committed to our reading habits. But there's more than one way to skin a catologue of books.

A list of the books she read, her reviews, and more can be seen at her site.