Books (December 2023)
Empire of Grass, Tad Williams.
Continuing my long read of Williams’ two fantasy tetrads.
De Amicitia (On Friendship), Cicero.
Lysis, Plato
So I don't normally record things I read for work, but I did read two complete Classical works this year in class. I had a Greek class read all of Plato's dialogue on friendship, which I would not recommend except to people into Platonic philosophy. I also had a class read all of Cicero's dialogue, and it is excellent. So, if you were going to read one of these, it's Cicero.
Ostracism: The Power of Silence, Kipling Williams (Review).
The Samurai, Shusaku Endo (Review).
Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
What a classic.
The Iliad, Homer, (translated by Emily Wilson).
Into the Narrowdark, Tad Williams.
Made for People: What we drift into loneliness and how to fight for a life of friendship, Justin Whitmel Earley.
A great book on friendship. Review.
Brothers of the Wind, Tad Williams.
How to Know a Person, David Brooks. Review.
Before I get to some comments, I’d also like to recommend a podcast for the month. It’s this episode of Theology in the Raw, in which Preston Sprinkle talks with Daniel Bannoura, a Palestinian Christian. It’s a couple of months old now, but it provides a lot of historical context for the current war, from a Palestinian Christian perspective, and I think that’s invaluable to listen to.
All up 120 books in a year is a very respectable amount of books. Yes, I know that everyone reading groans when I say things like this. I think if you read any books in a year, that’s a good number. If you want to read more, there are a few simple things to do, but reading is a choice, a choice not to do other things. It’s its own hobby.
I am not so much proud of having read 120 books, as I’m content and happy that I’ve reacquired reading as a practice in my life. I’d like to read less books next year, but with more substantial reflection, and without worrying so much about reading. I’d like to read good books, and I’d like to read a variety of books. So, that’s what you can expect on the book front.