Bedside friends
ON MY BEDSIDE (and study) table are books that keep me company at night. When I have reached my daily quota for human interaction for the day, I retire to my bedroom and read my books, one of the few moments when I'm quiet.
If, for example, I want rowdy male companionship—something I miss since my blockmates are no longer at PGH—I turn to Roddy Doyle's novels. The Commitments, the first in his Barrytown trilogy, was a laugh trip; it's a novel about a group of ambitious but ignorant Irish lads who decide to form a rock band. I'm currently reading The Snapper, which still involves the same group of people, except that it focuses on Jimmy Rabbitte's sister who got pregnant. I'm a fan of anything Irish, so I also read Dubliners by James Joyce on the side.
If I want personal ruminations or if it gets too hot during the day, I read Karl Ove Knausgaard's My Struggle. This voluminous work—so far, only three of the six biographical novels have been translated into English—reads like an expanded diary. I imagine how cold Sweden must be while the Philippines suffers sweltering summer heat. I can almost feel Karl Ove's lungs fill with warm smoke when he goes out of his balcony while the snow is falling. (Also, please quit smoking if you haven't yet—this public service announcement is coming from a person who has had more than his share of witnessing smoking-related deaths).
If I want to be jolted out of my spiritual slumber and indifference, I turn to Proclaiming a Cross-centered Theology by Mark Dever, et al., a compilation of preachings during the 2008 Together for the Gospel conference in the US. Kuya Vance Espino, my Bible study leader, gave it to me last Christmas. This morning, just after I woke up, I read John Piper's “How Does the Supermacy of Christ Create a Radical Christian Sacrifice?” It's a great—and rebuking—essay on the book of Hebrews.
Of course, there's always my new Harrison's, but the exam is still a month from now, so why bother?
If, for example, I want rowdy male companionship—something I miss since my blockmates are no longer at PGH—I turn to Roddy Doyle's novels. The Commitments, the first in his Barrytown trilogy, was a laugh trip; it's a novel about a group of ambitious but ignorant Irish lads who decide to form a rock band. I'm currently reading The Snapper, which still involves the same group of people, except that it focuses on Jimmy Rabbitte's sister who got pregnant. I'm a fan of anything Irish, so I also read Dubliners by James Joyce on the side.
If I want personal ruminations or if it gets too hot during the day, I read Karl Ove Knausgaard's My Struggle. This voluminous work—so far, only three of the six biographical novels have been translated into English—reads like an expanded diary. I imagine how cold Sweden must be while the Philippines suffers sweltering summer heat. I can almost feel Karl Ove's lungs fill with warm smoke when he goes out of his balcony while the snow is falling. (Also, please quit smoking if you haven't yet—this public service announcement is coming from a person who has had more than his share of witnessing smoking-related deaths).
If I want to be jolted out of my spiritual slumber and indifference, I turn to Proclaiming a Cross-centered Theology by Mark Dever, et al., a compilation of preachings during the 2008 Together for the Gospel conference in the US. Kuya Vance Espino, my Bible study leader, gave it to me last Christmas. This morning, just after I woke up, I read John Piper's “How Does the Supermacy of Christ Create a Radical Christian Sacrifice?” It's a great—and rebuking—essay on the book of Hebrews.
Of course, there's always my new Harrison's, but the exam is still a month from now, so why bother?
Labels: daily
posted on June 17, 2015
4 Comments:
Yes, why bother? So much more to read and do. Hehe.
Batchmate ba kita? You certainly sound like one.
parang si brother carlos.
Hehe, no, Lance. I'm your loyal reader who's more than a decade older. Clue: I like sci-fi and fantasy and I used to prefer anonymous comments before blogger came up with this unknown Google account sign in option.
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