I crave books. Even more than books, I crave winning books. But more than sticking to a low book-buying budget, my motivation is the thrill of trying new authors, insights or genres. I troll websites, hang out at Goodreads.com, make comments on Facebook, and volunteer to review new releases. It is more fun than buying a lottery ticket with a greater likelihood of success.
I find myself winning books in clumps. This past weekend, I won four from Friday through Sunday. It's never just one. When that anonymous person said, "good things come in threes," they weren't kidding. I have named this phenomenon "book karma."
But "book karma" is a funny thing. A while back, I signed up for a giveaway of A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay. I am not sure what interested me in this book except she had written Sarah's Key which got great reviews. But then I read the synopsis. It involves dark family secrets and other things that make me tense. Now, why I was shocked about the plot I don't know. The title of the book includes the word "secret." My heart sank. The book contest ended the day ten other giveaways did. I remember thinking, "I 'll probably win the book I least want to read." Well, you guessed it, I won A Secret Kept.
Now, I could say "rotten luck" but I choose not to do so. I prefer to think of those times when "book karma" has gifted me in ways I celebrated outright. I will celebrate this dark book as well. After all, I just revisited Nicholas Sparks even though Safe Haven is supposedly a bit darker than his other books. I haven't read his novels in a while because they make me cry. But he didn't break my heart this time! Maybe I am supposed to read A Secret Kept as a way to continue getting over my fear of darker fiction. I feel a trend starting. That's the way my "book karma" works.
I don't consider myself luckier than others when it comes to winning books. After all, I work hard at it! But why do things happen the way they do? I am not sure. However, I tend to look for messages in my daily life, my Bible, and my meditations to guide me along. God has a way of using our lives and livelihoods to reach us. I read voraciously. Is it any surprise I have received books I needed to read at just the right moment, even if it was just for the pleasure of being distracted from the tough times in my life? For others, it may be seeing rainbows at the right time or having a stranger say the right thing out of the blue. "Book karma" for me may be "rainbow karma" or "stranger wisdom" for others. Whatever it is, God has a way of communicating with us, knowing what we need even when we do not. So I look forward to A Secret Kept and the lessons I will learn.
Have you noticed things happening in "clumps"? What messages might you be getting? Start paying attention to those Godincidences.
Peace, Julie
