Page Holding Book Gadget

Kimbooktu is the reigning queen of book gadgets, but I came across something that I just had to share. Sorry, Kim, I would have sent it to you, but I haven't posted in a while and I was feeling guilty :-) It's called Thumb Thing, and you use it to keep the pages open while you're reading: Pretty cool, huh? Read more about it at the Thumb Thing website.

Scare Your Friends with These Gag Books

From Matthew at Gizmodo: This toy is shaped like a row of books, and includes a sensor that triggers spooky noises and pushes out one of the books when someone walks past. Read more about the books or order them at Things You Never Knew Existed.

How to Make A Secret Hollow Book

If you're looking for a clever gift to make for someone who loves books, try taking an old hardcover and turning into a secret hiding place. From How to Do Stuff.

Free Ice Cream Today Only

The good people over at Lifehacker remind us that today is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's. I don't do dairy products anymore, so I'll pass, but you probably deserve a treat so go get one.

Top 10 Catholic Prayer Books - Daily Devotionals

With the Easter season rapidly approaching, this is a great time to re-commit to daily prayer. Here is my top ten list of the best Catholic daily devotional books. Each of these books is designed to be used every day, and most of them are interwoven with the liturgical year. The Liturgy of the Hours: Also known as the Divine Office, this is more than simply a daily devotional; the Liturgy of the Hours is the public prayer of the Church, the official set of prayers for each day of the year, as many as seven times a day. Those who pray the Office join with the entire body of Christ in praising God. The bulk of the prayers come from the book of Psalms, arranged for daily use. There is a pretty steep learning curve for praying the Liturgy of the Hours, but the benefits far outweigh the beginning struggles. They are a continual source of inspiration and guidance for me. I'd be happy to help anyone who wants to learn to use them. Email me or leave a comment if you have any questions. The Vatican II Daily Missal and the Vatican II Sunday Missal: Here you will find the complete texts of the scripture readings used during Mass for each day of the year, accompanied by useful meditations and reflections. My Daily Catholic Bible: This Revised Standard Version of the Bible is arranged in 20 minute segments that are meant to be read over the course of a year. Prayers and Devotions by Pope John Paul II: This collection of meditations is drawn from the documents, writings and homilies of the late Pope John Paul II. This is a beautiful edition, containing some of the most eloquent and spiritually nourishing words of the twentieth century. Fr. Peyton's Rosary Prayer Book: Of the several rosary meditation books I've used, this is the one I keep coming back to. The meditations are clear, simple and relevant to everyday life. Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel: This book of meditations has probably been the one that has influenced me the most in my spiritual growth. The wisdom pours out of this book like the wine poured out at Cana, miraculous and surprising with each new sip. The only difficulty is that since it was written before the Second Vatican Council, it can be challenging to find the correct meditation for the day. This is not a major problem, though, since a person could read straight through it, regardless of the day. I do NOT recommend the updated version. In Conversation with God: This set is a major investment, but the price is worth it. You get seven volumes of meditations covering every day of the liturgical year. Each day contains a set of three extensive meditations, usually based on the gospel text for that day's Mass. The reflections are thoughtful, relevant and challenging, and the dust covers are beautiful works of art. Lives of the Saints for Every Day of the Year: Simple and brief, this collection is great for sharing with your family. We use it in our house each day at dinner with the kids. Thirsting for God by Mother Teresa: The profound wisdom of Mother Teresa is served in bite-sized portions in this collection of daily thoughts. Perfect for morning meditation. Daily Readings in Catholic Classics edited by Fr. Rawley Meyers: This is the one book on this list that I don't yet own. Judging by the brief preview I saw on Amazon it looks terrific. Meditations include excerpts from works by Aquinas, Augustine, Chesterton, Guardini, Maritain, Merton, Pascal, Sheen, Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux.

The 10 Best Books for New Catholics

Do you know someone who is joining the Catholic Church this Easter? Maybe you're enrolled in RCIA classes yourself. The following books are what I consider to be the best books for newcomers to the Catholic Church, and would be especially appropriate to read during Lent, as preparation for Easter Vigil (assuming one already has a Bible). With exception of the first two titles, they are not listed in any particular order: The Catechism of the Catholic Church: next to the Bible, probably the most indispensable book for Catholics The Basic Sixteen Documents--Vatican II: An excellent collection of the results of the Second Vatican Council, for those two young to have experienced it, or too far away from the Church to have noticed or cared The Catholic Sourcebook: a great reference book full of tidbits and lists and definitions; helpful for absorbing Catholic culture and tradition (with a small "t") Being Catholic Today by Bert Ghezzi: A terrific survey of what it means to live a Catholic lifestyle, written in an accessible, friendly format; includes reflection and discussion questions, as well as practical action ideas The Words We Pray by Amy Welborn: A beautiful explanation of the origin and meaning of many of our formal prayers, including the Our Father, Hail Mary, Act of Contrition, and the Jesus Prayer; don't miss the chapter on the Liturgy of the Hours The School of Prayer, an Introduction to the Divine Office for All Christians by John Brook: Speaking of the Liturgy of the Hours, this book is the defintive resource for learning how to pray the official office of the Church; okay, it may be a little intimidating for new members of the Church, but I'm sure there are some who would appreciate it, and I can't resist putting in a plug for the Liturgy of the Hours whenever I can The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions by Mike Aquilina and Regis J. Flaherty: A basic primer on Catholic devotions, from morning offerings to offering it up, from novenas to scapulars, from First Fridays to...well, you get the idea Catholic Christianity by Peter Kreeft: Dr. Kreeft does his usual superb job of taking difficult concepts and making them clear and logical; this would be an excellent supplement to the Catechism of the Catholic Church Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly: One of the church's most energetic young minds brings a hopeful message to all Catholics Catholic Social Thought: One of the Church's least appreciated heritages is its social justice teaching; this book gives the full text of her most recent documents regarding work, labor, war and peace, poverty, and other social concerns; again, maybe too much for a new Catholic to digest so soon, but essential nonetheless I'd love to hear your comments on these choices, or your suggestions for people preparing to enter the Catholic Church this year.

Free Literary Valentines

Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen in Pride and Prejudice Does your special someone love to read? This gift will put a little spark into your relationship on Valentine's Day, and it'll only cost you a little time and some printer paper: customized classic literature. Find a piece of romantic literature that's in the public domain using Project Gutenberg. Let's use Pride and Prejudice as our example. Download the text to your computer and prepare it for eReading using these instructions. Now for the fun part: using the Find and Replace feature of your word processor, replace the names of the romantic leads with your name the name of your beloved. In Pride and Prejudice, for instance, I would replace the name Elizabeth with the name Brenda (my wife), and replace the name Darcy with my last name. Make sure you check for nicknames as well. Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, for example, also goes by Lizzy, so you would want to replace that name as well. Picking a familiar book will help with this. Add page numbers, change fonts, do anything else you want to do to make it look fancy and/or romantic, then print it out. You can embellish it with pictures (clip-art or personal pictures from your digital collection), you can bind it in a decorative three-ring binder, or you can just staple the pages together and give it as-is. Here are some other books that you might consider: Emma by Jane Austen Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott Try it out!