I have not really heard of Bro. Michael Lobrin before I heard of his newest book. No surprise there though because even if I consider myself a devout believer, I am not particularly abreast with the whole “preachers scene”.
Laugh with God Today! is a collection of funny short stories and reflections on and for the Catholic faithful in the Philippines. There are a total of 21 chapters (or stories, if you like) in the book. Each chapter runs for about 2 to 4 pages so they’re really quick reads. These are split up into three sections grouped by their intended point for reflection: faith, generosity and God’s love. With this type of format, there’s bound to be sequels. And that’s good news because Bro. Michael is truly a talented preacher.
Bro. Michael’s book has received several commendations from the religious (Bishop Bacani and Fr. Orbos) and laity (Boy Abunda and Bo Sanchez) folks alike. Their encouraging messages are included in the book and though at first I felt they ate too much space, I later determined that they only add more fun and meaning to it.
Continue reading “Laugh with God Today – Michael Angelo Lobrin”
Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged Bro. Michael Angelo Lobrin, catechism, Catholic, faith, Laugh with God Today, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, religion, Tagalog |
I debated a bit on whether to publish this post here or on my general personal blog. In the end, I decided Pottermore belonged here. The act of reading is really platform-agnostic regardless of what purists might say. On paper, on the web or on stone tablets – it’s never been about the medium but the message. And if there’s one person in this world right now who has the power to begin a revolution in the reading experience, it’s J. K. Rowling – the author of the #1 bestselling book series of this generation. As an avid reader and fan of the Harry Potter books, of course I’d like to be a part of this literary event as early as possible.
After 3 days, I finally got into the Pottermore early registration promo dubbed as the Magical Quill challenge. I didn’t have much time the previous days because I was busy with another personal Potter project of mine – to be revealed later this month here.
Unlike the previous questions, (really, I’m not that obsessed to memorize Quidditch scores or the number of animals in shop signs) Day 4’s question was a cinch.
Continue reading “Pottermore confirms… I am magical!”
Posted in Book News | Tagged Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, Magical Quill, Pottermore |
I’ll never forget this book but not for the reasons you might be thinking. It is rather because I’ve read the first hundred or so pages of it for about 5 times! I’m not kidding. I’ve been picking up and shelving this book in cycles for almost a year. Ten years from now, the sharpest bit of memory I’ll have of this book series is the Grand Canyon scene. It’s been indelibly stamped on my brain now. Anyway, I’m glad I didn’t give up because it would have been sad to miss the greater adventures of the “other demigods”.
My slowly deteriorating paperback copy. Really should have gotten the hardcover.
“The Lost Hero” is the first book of Rick Riordan’s “The Heroes of Olympus” series. It’s essentially a continuation of the Camp Half-Blood stories he wrote in the 5-part Percy Jackson books.
Does this mean you need to read Percy Jackson first? No. This series stands well on its own and although prior knowledge to the modern Olympian universe is helpful, it’s not necessary. Non-Percy Jackson readers will not be left out in the dark because Riordan introduces the essentials fairly well here.
The world in which these two book series revolves in is a kind of a parallel reality between mortals and gods. The Greek and… yeah, myths are brought to life by these stories as they are shown to be present here in the modern world co-existing with mortals. And Riordan has certainly shown now that he’s quite good at mixing the myths with our present day events and places that it’s almost become believable. I would not give too much for the synopsis because I think this series works better (especially for non-Percy readers) without a lot of introduction.
Unlike with Percy Jackson, this time there are 3 main characters. Well at least that’s what we can deduce from the first book only. Also, chapters are not titled by events but by whose point-of-view (POV) it’s being told. It’s either Jason, the demigod with an amnesia, or Leo, a (possible) best friend of Jason, or Piper, the (perhaps) girlfriend of Jason. Although Jason looks to be the more important character, Leo and Piper do get the same amount of attention here. I am generally skeptical of this POV format but it worked really well in “The Lost Hero”. All three characters have distinct personalities that I have no problem in choosing a favorite: Leo.
Continue reading “The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan – Book Review”
Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged book review, percy jackson, rick riordan, The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune |
I didn’t plan on buying a book each day of FullyBooked’s sale at The Block but that’s what I ended up doing. These events coincided with the release of the last Harry Potter movie so it’s been quite a busy weekend for me. But it’s now officially the best weekend in the history of all best weekends!
Day 1 – July 15 (2nd Day of Harry Potter finale!)
A day before Day 1, I got a text message from FullyBooked telling me that my reserved copy of “Ignatius Catholic Study Bible – New Testament” has been transferred to their SM North Edsa branch. I was inside SM North’s IMAX theater the time I got the SMS so I didn’t read it until much later. (I was in Unplottable territory, so to speak.)
The Harry Potter movie finale made July 14 the best day of 2011. But more good news like this was just too much for me to handle! After being exhausted by the last Potter movie discussions, I devised a plan. I cleverly waited for the next day so I could get the book for 20% less. Tee-hee!
Continue reading “FullyBooked 3-Day Sale Acquisitions”
Posted in Book News, Bookstores | Tagged A Very Short Introduction, Bible, Catholic, Catholic Digest, fully booked, Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Joshua Harris, magazines, new books, Oxford, Study Bible |
I Had Seen Castles – Book Review
I’ve been having a huge interest in war stories recently. I think it all started with the Bruce Willis movie “Tears of the Sun” to which I cried my eyes out. Seriously, I did.
This was followed by “Black Hawk Down” which I had seen before but hadn’t really taken seriously. It affected me the same way as Tears did and now I’ve got DVDs of both.
Shortly thereafter, I saw “Pearl Harbor” which I previously ignored because of the romance, much to my regret. That breathtaking sequence where the Japs attack the American base is the bomb! And it certainly overshadows whatever flaws the film may have.
All of these happened over the span of a year so it wasn’t a continuous love affair with death, guns and tanks. Much earlier, I saw a movie primarily set in a World War II concentration camp. The ending of this story of a boy wearing striped pyjamas is utterly gut-wrenching.
What I’m trying to say here is that, somehow, without meaning to, I’m being drawn to wartime stories. I was in Booksale last month and wasn’t really looking for it but I ended up getting this book.
I had never read a war novel before. I have “Black Hawk Down” but I bought it because of the movie. Then I realized I didn’t have the time to read such a long novel. This book, on the other hand, doesn’t look as daunting.
Continue reading “I Had Seen Castles – Book Review”
Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged book review, commentary, Cynthia Rylant, DVD, I Had Seen Castles, movie, Pearl Harbor, soldier, World War II | 2 Responses