Reading Recap: Nov 2024 Books & December Schedule
Want to join a monthly reading group in 2025?
I set aside one post per month to highlight my reading life. Books of Titans is a reading project aimed at seeking Truth & beauty through the world’s Great Books. My goal is to immerse myself in 200 Great Books, reading them in chronological order over the next 10 - 15 years. Thank you for following my journey.
November Reading Recap
The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides | Oct 8 - Nov 12
Incredible work about a war between the Athenians and the Spartans that lasted between 431 - 404BC. Here are some things that surprised me:
nearly the entire war was fought through proxy in locations outside Athens and Sparta
sea power heavily determined the outcome
the Persians played a large financial role.
Here’s my podcast episode about this work:
Andromache by Euripides | Nov 13 - 14
I worked in a quick tragedy between these two huge works of history. I love the Greek tragedies so much. Andromache is a woman who probably suffered the most of any person in Greek Literature. This play shows the life of a female captive.
Hellenika by Xenophon | Nov 15 - 30
Xenophon takes off close to where Thucydides abruptly ends, providing details about the end of the Peloponnesian War. He then continues on after the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404BC into a period where Theban power begins to rise and take on both the Athenians and the Spartans.
Podcast episode coming soon.
December Reading Plan
I structure each reading year in the following manner:
January & February | Straight through a different version of the Bible
March - June | Spring Semester of the Great Books
July | Summer Break
August - November | Fall Semester of the Great Books
December | Winter Break
That means December 1 kicked off my final month of reading with books that have been piling up in my To-Be-Read stack.
Here are the books I'm reading this month and why I chose each one:
The Intellectual Life by Antonin Sertillanges
Deacon Garlick highlighted this book in his podcast and a bookselling friend at Landmark Booksellers told me I absolutely need to read this book.
The Art of Teaching by Gilbert Highet
This book was recommended by a friend a Latin teacher at a local high school. I'd also like to move in the direction of teaching, whether through book groups or the like.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
I kept hearing people mention this book and then Malcolm Guite said Susanna Clarke was heavily influenced by George MacDonald and that piqued my interest even more.
Van Gogh has a Broken Heart by Russ Ramsey
I love learning about the lives of artists and really enjoyed Russ' first book on the topic, Rembrandt is in the Wind.
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
A publisher gifted this book to me saying she read it 5 times in a row. I've also heard that it has made grown men cry. Allen Levi is also a big George MacDonald fan, so I'm excited about reading this one. It will be first on my December list.
Heaven and Hell by Bart Ehrman
In reading The Great Books, I've been struck by mentions of the afterlife. I was also surprised to see little mention of heaven in the Old Testament and Hades being used both in Greek literature and the Bible. I want to learn more about ancient cultures and their conception of the afterlife and thought this might be a good place to start.
Shadow of Doubt by Brad Thor
I love a good thriller and Brad is a good friend at Landmark Booksellers. Each year, he signs his latest book for our customers and I enjoy talking to him about his books.
See my full 2024 Reading List here - https://books.booksoftitans.com/2024-reading-list/
My Bookish Life
I’m going to begin including a new section in these monthly reports highlighting my bookish life. I am the business manager at an amazing bookstore in Franklin, TN called Landmark Booksellers. In this role, I regularly pinch myself in disbelief at who I get to meet, conversations I get to have, and connections I get to make. I thought it’d be fun to begin highlighting these things on a monthly basis.
During November, I had the chance to speak about The Reading Life at Eventide in Forsyth, Georgia. Here is my talk including some Q&A time at the end.
Join my 2025 Reading Group
To close out, I want to let you know about a reading group I’ll be leading in 2025. Here are some quick details:
It will meet once a month.
Each meeting will cover one short Great Book.
I’ll lead one in-person session at Landmark Booksellers and a separate online session each month.
Come and go as you like. Since it’s a different book each month, join all sessions or pick and choose the books you’d most like to read.
To join the online sessions, the only requirement is that you are a paid subscriber to this Substack at one of the three levels ($5/month, $99/year, or $500/year).
I’ll be sharing more details this month including dates, book selection per month, and other information. Let me know if this is something you might be interested in or become a paid subscriber to get added to the list.
I would definitely be interested in a come and go reading group.