Dragon Age: The Masked Empire by Patrick Weekes review - Open this book to jump into the aristocratic, grandiloquent world of Orlesian culture. Taking place during the events of the game, DA: Inquisition, you leave the Mage-Templar conflict behind to gain more insight into the struggles and discrimination of elves and, at least for me, leaves you despising the Empress Celene for her immense hypocrisy concerning the matter, considering her close relationship to Briala, her elven maid. Before this book, I somewhat admired Celene for her candidness, but the book gives a deeper look into her character that reveals just how contemptible she really is. Much as the prequel, ‘DA: Asunder,’ left me desiring to play DA: Inquisition again to re-experience the narrative, ‘The Masked Empire’ left me with the same desire, but only so I might allow Celene to be stabbed in the back (literally). While she does genuinely care about Orlais, she cares more about her political image than aiding the destitute elves. You also meet Gaspard here, whom we first meet in Inquisition, who is just as bent on war in the book as he is in the game. The chevalier, Michel de Chevin, has an admirable sense of honour that makes the book more bearable, although he is quite gullible, reminding me of Alistair’s naïveté in DA: Origins. ‘The Masked Empire’ doesn’t bring much depth to the entire DA universe, but rather just provides further insight into the “Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts” mission in Inquisition. You can skip reading this book onto the next one without missing much at all, but reading it does make your decision in Inquisition much easier to make if you don’t meet the requirements to find a peaceful resolution among all parties. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⚫️ #bookstagram #bookreview #DragonAge #dragonageinquisition
Christ and Calamity by Harold L. Senkbeil review - Published in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this short booklet can be summarised with the following quote, “In life’s tough spots, focus not on your faith, but on God’s faithfulness” (p. 18). This book is not a book about the coronavirus but about trusting in God’s promises during any time of calamity and uncertainty, whether illness, disease, depression, divorce, etc. When everything seems uncertain—what the world is becoming, how long your pain will last, how much longer you have to live—Rev. Dr. Senkbeil guides the reader to see by faith that even when we falter, “God remains steady and firm” (p. 14). That is why he encourages the reader to focus not on your faith but on God’s faithfulness because faith is not rooted in how you feel, which is as fickle as the wind, but rather in God’s unchanging promises. Senkbeil does not try to warm you up with fuzzy feelings and neither does he ignore or make light of your suffering. He challenges your understanding of suffering while also making it all about our Saviour: Jesus and His cross are front and centre. My only critique is that Senkbeil should further develop what he means by saying our suffering is sanctified in Christ’s suffering. It’s a bold statement, and I’m keen to agree, but I’m not entirely sure what he means by this. If he simply means our suffering is “holy” rather than meaningless (since Christ suffered for us), then I suppose the meaning is self-explanatory in the word itself. Nonetheless, whatever it is you’re going through, I highly recommend you purchase this affordable booklet; and keep it nearby for when calamity strikes again to be reminded that Christ, who suffered for you, is always present when you suffer. For my brother pastors, I recommend you purchase this book for your shut-in members as my Elders have done. Senkbeil also offers wonderful prayers in the back that you can pray at any time, in the morning, and in the evening not only by yourself but also with others, which would go wonderfully with your family as the head of the household leads his family in prayer. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #bookreview #suffering #lutheranism
Callings for Life by Jeffrey Leininger review - In this book, Leininger steers the reader away from the me-focused tripe of attempting to discover “my purpose driven life” through a subjective mountaintop experience of spiritual meditation (whether literally or figuratively). One simply does not have a grand calling that will give deep meaning to their life. Rather, Leininger focuses on one’s CALLINGS (plural) in life—the faces, places, and spaces God has given you. These might seem insignificant and mundane to us, but it is in the ordinary in which God does His extraordinary work. Leininger pleasantly roots all these vocations in one’s Baptism—one’s status as a child of God. Drawing largely from Luther’s theology on vocation, Leininger helps the reader (especially young readers) to see how there is deep meaning and purpose in the various, simple vocations (callings) God has placed you, whether this be spouse, parent, student, classmate, church member, and so on. Although Leininger tends to be a bit repetitive in the book, he nevertheless leaves the reader with the relief that one does not have to embark on a fantastical adventure to discover their purpose in life, but rather God Himself gives them multiple purposes in the beauty of the ordinary. He does this by providing several case studies to show the realism of the Lutheran theology on vocation. This was annoying most of the time; you don’t need a case study or two for every single point you make. This might be helpful for some readers, but I found it pedantic and repetitive. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book to anyone who might be struggling with finding meaning or worth in their life, especially youth and college students. Adults can also largely benefit from this book, and the discussion questions provided at the end of each chapter make it easy for use in a Bible study group. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⚫️ #bookstagram #bookreview #lutheranism #vocation #calling
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger review - Most people read this book in high school as an American literature assignment. I’m glad I had the option to choose between this and the legendary ‘The Great Gatsby’ because I don’t think I would’ve had the patience to finish it then as I did when I read the book 10 years ago. The protagonist, Holden, is a self-absorbed depressive teenager. (Now that I think about it, I might’ve liked the book back in high school because I, too, was a self-obsessed depressive adolescent.) There’s nothing remotely interesting about Holden’s life. Reading about an average, unexciting life is about as interesting as living one. Maybe that makes the book a satire; if so, it’s not written very well, as is evident in the insipid narrative itself. Obviously, I find the book abhorrent. If you wish to die from boredom, by all means, pick up the book. I graduated from high school 14 years ago, so I hope by now American literature teachers have students read much more worthwhile American classics like ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ by Steinbeck or Hawthorne’s ‘The Scarlet Letter.’ The only redeeming quality of the book is that it reminded me of myself when I was a teenager, thus revealing how narcissistic I was and could therefore learn from my past. And that wasn’t all too pleasant either. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⚫️⚫️⚫️ #bookstagram #bookreview #thecatcherintherye
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury review - It is illegal to read books. There is a holocaust of printed materials as homes that hide them are burnt along with them. Books like Whitman, Dante, and Faulkner, even the Bible. Anything that’s printed is being burned. Yet without books, we lose our history. Without books, we lose table fellowship. In a society that has become totally enchanted with the vain self-indulgence of television, sports, and anything else that doesn’t require us to think, they have become totally disenchanted from the world and its kaleidoscope of ideas printed in books. A fireman named Guy Montag who makes his living burning books and houses meets a young, eccentric woman named Clarisse who, unbeknownst to him, introduces him to the beautiful world of books—its curiosities and humble joys. As Montag questions the way things are—the monotony of his own life and profession, the beauty of the ordinary—the reader is left to wonder: what might happen if WE continue to overindulge ourselves with television and forget to enjoy reading? We’ve already started erasing history by destroying statues. Books are not far behind. Just as the history of firemen was rewritten, we also seek to rewrite history (e.g., the movie “The Woman King”). Furthermore, are we truly socialising by gathering around a TV? Where’s the thoughtful conversation? People don’t talk about anything in the world of ‘Fahrenheit 451.’ They just stand on subways and not talk. So do we. We stare at our phones and don’t talk. Where’s the independent thought instead of believing what the TV tells us to believe? ‘Fahrenheit 451’ stands as a warning against times I’m afraid we’re already slipping into. If we keep going down this road Bradbury warned us about, it makes one wonder if ‘Fahrenheit 451’ will be burned at 451°F to silence its prophetic warning, along with the other two books in the dystopian trilogy: ‘1984’ and ‘Brave New World.’ I didn’t plan on finishing this in one day, but it was a quick, easy, and fun read. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #bookstagram #bookreview #fahrenheit451 #dystopia
It by Stephen King review - It’s a good thing ‘It’ is a real page turner, otherwise I would’ve never made it all the way through the 1,153 pages of this horror epic. Of course, ‘It’ is more than just a horror story. In his Creative Writing Honors Seminar, the college aged Bill Denbrough challenges his over-analytical professor and classmates, “Can’t you guys just let a story be a STORY?” (p. 128). That’s how I want to leave ‘It,’ but I’m afraid I’m too much like Bill’s pompous professor and peers. ‘It’ is a story about fear—how, if not confronted, it can gain tyrannical reign over your life. Whether by cosmic coincidence or divine providence, a rag tag band of misfits bond over their fears to defeat Fear incarnate. Thus, as ‘It’ manifests Itself in the form of the children’s (and their adult versions’) worst fears—their worst nightmares literally come to life—it is a story about confronting those fears, whether these are fears borne of trauma or self-delusion. You can choose to be a slave to it or a master of it. So, I suppose the question we all must ask ourselves is: Am I willing to face my fears? Not those fears that cause you simple anxiety, but truly paralysing fears. And if so, it’s best not to do it alone, making it a story about friendship as much as it is about facing your fears. Critiques: the book could’ve been written in at least half the amount. I also could’ve done without that… unmentionable scene in the sewers at the end (too controversial to put in the film adaptations). Nevertheless, on a personal note, I’m proud of myself for having read a book over 1,000 pages—the longest book I’ve ever read (besides the Bible). I never thought I’d be able to. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⚫️ #bookstagram #bookreview #It #stephenking
The Lutheran Column 