Latest adventures in reading.
Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price I’ve always been fascinated by the Vikings – more so since I discovered that my own family tree has a branch that leads back to those hearty Scandinavian marauders (my Scottish heritage goes back to a Norman invader from 1066). So I was excited to see “Children…
Events and duties conspired to make September’s reading list small, tardy, and lacking in the eclectic variety to which you, gentle reader, have become accustomed. Nevertheless, here it is. In compensation, October’s list promises great things. The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan I’m in a race to finish Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” books before…
The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce I’ve been working through F.F. Bruce’s “The Canon of Scripture” for the last couple of months, and it has been time well spent. Bruce here does a deep dive into how the canon of our Bible came to be the 66 books we know today. While my commitment…
Troy by Stephen Fry Several months ago I read Homer’s Iliad, and, I must say, I found Stephen Fry’s retelling of the epic story in his latest work, “Troy”, to be much more enjoyable. As with his previous two works, Mythos and Heroes, Fry engagingly brings to life the ancient Greek narratives without sacrificing their…
Some solid books in this month’s list. Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson With the completion of “Arcanum Unbounded” I have now read every book in Brandon Sanderson’s “Cosmere” collection. Until he writes another one, that is. For those making their way through the Cosmere, I would highly recommend leaving this one for last. Not only…
The Republic by Plato How does one write a brief review – of the type I am accustomed to offering in this space – of Plato’s “Republic”? Short answer: one does not. In light of this, what follows are just a few short blurbs containing impressions that I came away with after reading this classic…
A very frustrating month where I read a ton, but only finished one book. Things are looking better for May though… On the Future of our Educational Institutions by Friedrich Nietzsche My Philosophy professors this summer have developed a maddening habit of assigning portions of books for us to read. The result is that I…
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson I am in awe of how Brandon Sanderson can be so prolific, and at the same time maintain the quality of storytelling that he does. Each one of the four “Stormlight Archive” books is over a thousand pages long, and yet there was never a single moment where I…
The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul Yet another book to add to my growing category called “why didn’t I read this before?” R.C. Sproul does a masterful job of putting high theological truths into accessible languages. His down-to-earth illustrations – using an NFL game to illustrate the beauty of holiness, for example – make…
Mythos by Stephen Fry My 2021 reading got off to a strong start with Stephen Fry’s “Mythos”. Known mostly as a humorist, Fry is also a student of Greek mythology. In this book (the first of two) he provides a delightful account of how the denizens of Olympus came to be, as well as helping…