Reading List (Jan - June 2026)

* The Intertextual Tanakh

* Bibliotheca Vol II: The Latter Prophets

* Bibliotheca Vol III: The Writings

* Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell

* Bibliotheca Vol V: The New Testament

* Our Name is Dare by Kev Coleman

* Heraclitus Fragments

* The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and the Sophists

* Early Greek Philosophy

* The Logos of Heraclitus by Eva Brann

* Nero & Paul by Kathie Lee Gifford w/ Brian M. Litfin

* One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

* The Greek Sophists

* The Flowering Hawthorn by Hugh Ross Williamson

* Plato: Complete Works by Plato

* Philebus Plato

* Le Morte Darthur by Sir Thomas Malory

* Galahad and the Grail by Malcolm Guite

* King Arthur and His Knights of The Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green

* The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien

* Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

* The Mirror, the Mask, and the Masterpiece: A Guide to C. S. Lewis’s “Till We Have Faces” by Peter Kreeft

This is my Arthurian Month where I’ve been getting to know the Legends of King Arthur through the works of Sir Thomas Malory, Roger Lancelyn Green, and Malcolm Guite.

In this episode, recorded at Landmark Booksellers in Franklin, TN, I ask Stephen about his design process, how he got into the Arthur stories, and how we should approach his artwork. He also shares a few illustrations from the second book in the series that releases later this year.

I’ve gotten to know Stephen over the past few years. He’s helped me to see how illustrators can reveal parts of the story that authors cannot. When done right, authors and illustrators can create more than the sum of their individual contributions. The two can inform each other and help the reader see and understand in unexpected ways.

Two years ago, as Stephen was preparing for this Arthuriad project, we happened to be in London at the same time and toured the British Museum together. After perusing the Egyptian and Babylonian sections, we looked at the artifacts that bridged the gap between Pagan and Christian Britain, around the time of when the Arthur stories were said to have taken place (400’s AD). Stephen was there for inspiration for that timeframe.

Show Notes:

* Stephen Crotts

* Purchase a copy of Galahad and the Grail from Landmark Booksellers

* Free Reader’s Kit

* Malcolm Guite

* Rabbit Room Publishers

* Landmark Booksellers | Recording Location

* Merlin’s Isle Trailer -

Show Notes:

* Galahad and the Grail by Malcolm Guite

* Purchase a copy from Landmark Booksellers (2nd printing stock arriving in July)

* Free Reader’s Kit

* Rabbit Room Publishers

* Malcolm Guite

* Stephen Crotts

* Landmark Booksellers | Recording Location

* Lifting the Veil Conference | Oct 23 - 24 | Boston, MA

* Merlin’s Isle Trailer -

Books / Articles Referenced:

* Plato: Selected Myths / Translation by Catalin Partenie / Oxford World’s Classics

* Hesiod: Theogony / Translation by M.L. West / Oxford World’s Classics

* Plotinus: The Enneads on Love / Translation by Stephen Mackenna / Penguin Classics

* From Plato to Christ / Louis Markos

* God in the Dock: Myth Became Fact / CS. Lewis

* Better Than Sex! / Deacon Harrison Garlick

Plato quickly establishes the necessity for a third option in this quest - a mixture of pleasure and wisdom. It’s impossible to have pleasure without thought and memory and a life solely dedicated to wisdom would be a bit dry. However, pleasure by its nature is unlimited, and therefore cannot be ranked or measured.

Plato then distinguishes between true and false pleasures. True pleasures are those that don’t involve pain (like witnessing a sunset or hearing a beautiful piece of music). False pleasures are those based upon false beliefs (like I’m going to win the lottery), bad measurement/distance (another beer now will hurt in the morning), and relief from pain (showing the absurdity of hedonism that more pain leads to more pleasure).

Plato concludes with a ranking or Ladder of Goods:

* Goodness in Moderation

* In Beauty

* In Intellect and Reason (Wisdom from the beginning)

* Knowledge

* Good/True Pleasures (Pleasure from the beginning, only false pleasures are not allowed)

The key point in this dialogue is that the good life does not consist of getting more of either of the initial pursuits, pleasure or wisdom. Instead, it consists of getting the correct balance between the two.

The story is told across the ages by bards, poets, and kings. Glastonbury attracted pilgrims from around the world to come and see this flowering hawthorn.

Is the story true? Or is it just speculation, legend, or tradition? We may never know, but there are enough connection points in this story that make it delightfully intriguing.

I recorded this video episode at the Christ Church meadow in Oxford, England.

Photos

Here are a set of photos sent to me by Stephen Crotts who visited these sites last year. Crotts is the illustrator of the new Arthuriad, an Epic Poem by Malcolm Guite, recounting the King Arthur legend.

Books Referenced:

* Early Greek Philosophy - Translation by Jonathan Barnes - Penguin Classics

* The First Philosophers - Translation by Robin Waterfield - Oxford World’s Classics

* Lives of the Eminent Philosophers - Diogenes Laertius - Loeb Classical Library

Books Referenced:

* Early Greek Philosophy - Translation by Jonathan Barnes - Penguin Classics

* The First Philosophers - Translation by Robin Waterfield - Oxford World’s Classics

* Lives of the Eminent Philosophers - Diogenes Laertius - Loeb Classical Library

The work of most early Greek philosophers only survives in minor fragments. With Gorgias, we have some surviving full works that are simply delightful. I talk about the life of Gorgias, these surviving works, and the one thing the stuck out to me the most about this early Sophist.

Books Referenced:

* The Greek Sophists - Translation by John Dillon and Tania Gergel - Penguin Classics

* The First Philosophers - Translation by Robin Waterfield - Oxford World’s Classics

* Lives of the Sophists - Philostratus - Loeb Classical Library 134

Show Notes:

* Encomium of Helen

Books Referenced:

* Early Greek Philosophy - Translation by Jonathan Barnes - Penguin Classics

* The First Philosophers - Translation by Robin Waterfield - Oxford World’s Classics

* Lives of the Eminent Philosophers - Diogenes Laertius - Loeb Classical Library

Books Referenced:

* Early Greek Philosophy - Translation by Jonathan Barnes - Penguin Classics

* The First Philosophers - Translation by Robin Waterfield - Oxford World’s Classics

* Lives of the Eminent Philosophers - Diogenes Laertius - Loeb Classical Library

Books Referenced:

* Early Greek Philosophy - Translation by Jonathan Barnes - Penguin Classics

* The First Philosophers - Translation by Robin Waterfield - Oxford World’s Classics

* Lives of the Eminent Philosophers - Diogenes Laertius - Loeb Classical Library

Thales of Miletus is one of the earliest Greek philosophers (625 - 545 BC) and in this podcast episode, I look at his life, his ideas, and his impact both now and then.

Books Referenced:

* Early Greek Philosophy - Translation by Jonathan Barnes - Penguin Classics

* The First Philosophers - Translation by Robin Waterfield - Oxford World’s Classics

In The Logos of Heraclitus, Eva Brann considers the fragments of Heraclitus in order to arrange a cohesive philosophy containing Logos, fire, and flux. I share what I learned from this short book and how it expanded my understanding of the Logos.

Show Notes:

* March 13, 2026 Episode about Heraclitus

* Purchase The Logos of Heraclitus by Eva Brann

In this episode, I cover Heraclitus, a philosopher famous for his ideas on flux, fire, and the logos. While we don’t have his complete work On Nature, we do have fragments that provide an understanding of his main ideas. This will be a two-part episode with this first one focusing on the life and ideas of Heraclitus and the second one focusing on Heraclitus’ idea of the logos.

Here are the books I referenced for this podcast episode:

* Early Greek Philosophy - Translation by Jonathan Barnes - Penguin Classics

* Heraclitus Fragments - Translation by Brooks Haxton - Penguin Classics

* The First Philosophers - Translation by Robin Waterfield - Oxford World’s Classics

* Heraclitean Fire - Erwin Chargaff - Book 20 in 2017

* Lives of the Eminent Philosophers by Diogene Laertius - Vol 2 of Loeb.

* Major Works of Gerard Manley Hopkins - Oxford University Press

Show Notes:

Dr. Jason Staples’ Suggested Bible Reading Order (start at the 1hr 16 minute mark):

Show Notes:

Purchase The Intertextual Tanakh from Landmark Booksellers.

Dr. Jason Staples’ Suggested Bible Reading Order (start at the 1hr 16 minute mark):

During preparation, I became captivated by the music, the storytelling, and the rich threads of Greek mythology woven throughout Hadestown. I also discovered that the show’s writer published a book, Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown, which opens a window into the creative process behind the musical.

In this episode, I explore:

* The Greek myths at the heart of Hadestown

* The subtle ways the musical reshapes and reimagines those myths

* The connection points between this story and narratives found in the Bible

This musical moved me in a way that very few others ever have.

Audio Recordings

Original Broadway Cast Recording

Spotify / Apple Music

Live from London

Spotify / Apple Music

This one is my personal favorite but it only contains about half of the songs. Hermes is played by a female and she just absolutely kills it. I love her passion.

Talking Hadestown: Commentary & Songs

Spotify / Apple Music

This is a neat recording where Anaïs Mitchell talks about some of the songs from Hadestown.

The Book

Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell

The Band

Show Notes:

Purchase The Intertextual Tanakh from Landmark Booksellers.

Dr. Jason Staples’ Suggested Bible Reading Order (start at the 1hr 16 minute mark):

Show Notes:

Purchase The Intertextual Tanakh from Landmark Booksellers.

Dr. Jason Staples’ Suggested Bible Reading Order (start at the 1hr 16 minute mark)

Show Notes:

Purchase The Intertextual Tanakh from Landmark Booksellers.

Dr. Jason Staples’ Suggested Bible Reading Order (start at the 1hr 16 minute mark)

Show Notes:

Purchase The Intertextual Tanakh from Landmark Booksellers

Dr. Jason Staples’ Suggested Bible Reading Order (start at the 1hr 16 minute mark)

In this episode, I share a few ideas that have stuck out so far as well as a theme that is developing that I plan to track as I make my way through the rest of the Bible.

Show Notes:

Dr. Jason Staples’ Suggested Bible Reading Order (start at the 1hr 16 minute mark)

Also, here’s a way to crush your 2026 Bible reading plan!

I’ll be spending most of 2026 ploughing the depths of Plato and Aristotle. I divide eating reading year into semesters:

* Spring Semester - March - June

* Summer Break - July

* Fall Semester - August - November

* Winter Break - December

I start each year reading straight through the Bible during January & February. The versions I’m using this year are The Intertextual Tanakh (tah knock), Bibliotheca (The Latter Prophets, The Writings, The Apocrypha, and The New Testament)

Spring Semester Book List (Subject to Change)

I started Plato during Fall Semester last year. I’ll be continuing on, but am first taking a look at philosophers before Plato since he keeps referencing them. I’ll then return to the 20 or so dialogues of Plato that I have remaining within the Complete Works set.

* The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and the Sophists

* Early Greek Philosophy

* Heraclitus Fragments

* The Greek Sophists

* Plato: Complete Works

* The Republic / Bloom

* A Commentary on Plato’s Meno / Jacob Klein

* From Plato to Christ / Louis Markos

* The Cave and the Light / Arthur Herman

Summer Break

I’m going to dedicate the month of July to Gilgamesh. I love that epic so much and am going to read some of the books pictured above. I’ve been collecting anything I find about Gilgamesh and it’s time to read those books. If you know of other books related to Gilgamesh that I must read, please let me know in the comments below.

Fall Semester (Subject to Change)

If I finish reading Plato during the Spring Semester, I’ll begin reading Aristotle in the Fall Semester. Like Plato, I’m planing on reading the complete works of Aristotle. I realize that’s excessive and may change my tune, but why not. He’s one of the greatest philosophers of all time.

* The Complete Works of Aristotle Volume 1 / Hackett

* The Complete Works of Aristotle Volume 2 / Hackett

* From Aristotle to Christ / Louis Markos

Winter Break

I’m going to explore another area of interest during December - Trees! I know nothing about these strange things surrounding us outside and simply want to know more. I don’t have a list yet, so suggestions are welcome. There’s only one book so far that I keep seeing over and over again:

* The Hidden Life of Trees

Short Great Books Reading Group

I lead a reading group in Franklin, TN and this year we’ll be covering the following books, so I’ll be interspersing these books with the list above. More details here.

* A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor - Jan 12

* The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol - Feb 2

* Our Name is Dare by Kev Coleman - March 2

* One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn April 6

* Medea by Euripides - May 4

* Apology (Defense of Socrates) by Plato - June 1

* Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis - July 6

* Billy Budd by Herman Melville - August 3

* My Antonia by Willa Cather - September 7 (Labor Day)

* Candide by Voltaire - October 5

* Jason and the Golden Fleece by Apollonius - November 2

* The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann - December 7

2025 was an incredible year of reading. I continued on in the third year of my Immortal Books project. The main focus was on Greek Tragedies, Comedies, History, and Philosophy.

In this episode, I cover the year as a whole, some of my favorite works, and some best of lists.

Here are some of my favorite podcast episodes from 2025:

In this book, the author of both the novel Braveheart as well as the screenplay that became the famous film, Randall Wallace, provides an autobiography that shows a close connection between his life and the Braveheart story. It’s an exploration of fatherhood, faith, and truth. And I loved it.

That’s how I came across Rhetorica Ad Herennium by [Cicero]. Cicero is in brackets because it’s not certain that he is the author. So, author unknown, but content exceptional. This is the oldest surviving work we have about ways to remember what you hear and learn.

This was written around 90BC and the techniques are still used today. The main idea is to place an intermediary background between your memory and the thing you are trying to remember. I always just go right to the thing. If I want to memorize a poem, I brute force my way into my memory bank by reading it over and over again. I never thought to place that poem against a background to enhance the likelihood of remembrance.

In this episode, I cover a very short 10-page section of this larger work that deals with memory. I share how Cicero or not-Cicero suggests creating a background or room in which to place images that relate to words or subject matter. The more striking and odd the image, the more likely it will be remembered.

This practice is not natural to me and it actually seems counterintuitive. But, if it’s worked for 2,000+ years, there’s something to it. I’m going to give it a try.

Book Version - Loeb Classical Library book 403 - Rhetorica Ad Herennium

These philosophers are called the Presocratics and the Sophists. They are Pre-Socrates in that their ideas precede Socrates, not necessarily that they preceded him historically. The Presocratic philosophers discussed in this podcast episode lived between 600 - 400BC. Socrates lived between 469 - 399BC.

I read The First Philosophers with a translation and introduction by Robin Waterfield. In the introduction, Waterfield says “Presocratic thought was holistic : it was an attempt to give a systematic account of the whole known universe and all its major features.” They cover ideas such as the soul, happiness, and the makeup of things. You can see not only their intellectual method but also their ideas in the dialogues of Plato.

In this episode, I cover four of my favorite Presocratic philosophers (Heraclitus, Parmenides, Pythagoras, and Empedocles) and some of their ideas. I also share the one thing that stuck out to me the most about these fathers of philosophy.

~ Alfred North Whitehead

I’ve been enjoying my Plato Project where I’ve decided to read through the Complete Works of Plato. I’ve read 9 dialogues so far and realized I needed to take a step back and learn more about the philosopher himself. This was the perfect book for that endeavor.

Robin Waterfield covers the basic known facts about the life of Plato, his friendships, his practical application of philosophy, especially with the king of Syracuse, and the Academy he started in Athens. It is a fascinating look at how Plato’s life fed into his philosophy.

In this episode, I cover the main things I learned about Plato and share the One Thing that stuck out the most.

Enjoy!

Joel J Miller has a book coming out this Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 called The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future. It’s a book about the book. It’s a richly researched account of the history of the book through the ages, how Christians played a large role in its eventual format, and how the organization and categorization of ancient and moderns libraries led to the A.I. tools of today.

I read an advance copy of the book a few months back and absolutely loved it. It gave me a new appreciation for book, the perfect idea transfer technology. In this podcast episode, I share some of my favorite ideas from the book and tie in some things Joel spoke about during a book event I attended on Thursday evening, November 13th.

If you live in the Nashville area, Joel will be at Landmark Booksellers on the book’s release date of Tuesday, November 18th at 6pm. Jeff Goins will conduct the interview.

You can also order a signed copy of the book from Landmark Booksellers. I think you’ll enjoy it.

In attempting to define the Sophist, Plato must overcome a snag put forward by the philosopher Parmenides. Parmenides has stated that false statements are impossible:

“This should not ever prevail in your thought: that the things that are not, are; rather do you keep your mind well shut off from just this way of searching.”

Basically, don’t think or talk about things that have no being; things that don’t exist. However, if that is the case, there is nothing false and everything a person says is true. Everything is relative.

In order to define the Sophist, Plato must show that something that is not, is. He does this by saying that the false is something other than or different from the true. Plato’s Forms must be true. Do things that are false also have Forms? No, they are simply other than or different from Forms.

Therefore, the Sophist is one who makes false imitations of true things. He is not a philosopher.

This dialogue hurt by brain. I read it three times using different translations in an attempt to struggle through it and try and understand it. I share what I learned in this episode and I hope the work makes it so that you see the dialogue in a fresh way. As always, if I’ve gotten anything incorrect, please help me learn by commenting below.

Show Notes:

Book Versions I Read:

* Plato Complete Works - edited by John M. Cooper - translated by Nicholas P. White

* Plato: Collected Dialogues - edited by Edith Hamilton & Huntington Cairns - translated by F.M. Cornford

* Plato Sophist: The Professor of Wisdom by Eva Brann, Peter Kalkavage, Eric Salem

The Division Thicket (from the introduction in Plato Sophist: The Professor of Wisdom):

This division occurs until the discussion partners Visitor from Elea and Socrates the Younger describe the statesman as a shepherd or herder of humans. That doesn’t work, and so a Deus Ex Machina of sorts jumps in through the telling of a myth. In the myth, the ages of Cronus and Zeus are contrasted and the dialog is set on a different path. That path leads to a definition or essence of the statesman as more of a weaver of disparate parts.

The dialogue then gets into different types of governments and the role of law within each set. It posits the best form of government (rule by statesman through special, expert knowledge) but admits that such a person is unlikely. The next best thing is the rule by imitator (Sophist?) who rules by the existing set of laws, despite the likelihood of injustice.

I loved this dialogue. The surprise appearance of the myth was so delightful and the discussion about law, types of government, courage, and governance utterly fascinating. In this episode, In this episode, I give an overview of the arguments and take a look at the myth and it’s relation to the definition of the statesman.

Show Notes:

* Want to discuss White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky? Simply become a paid subscriber here on the Books of Titans Substack and you’ll receive details about our November 12th Zoom call to discuss this short novel.

That book ended up being my favorite for many years. Here was a man claiming that it was possible to develop a spiritual life amidst hell on earth. Amidst hunger, torture, unbearable loss, and despair. There was a flicker of hope.

Last week, I led a reading group through Man’s Search for Meaning. It was my first time re-reading it since late 2017. It was startling to see how I’ve changed in that time, both personally and in my reading life. I mark up my books and use different color pens on re-reads, so it was clear what stuck out the first time and what stuck out these 8 years later.

I’ve also read a number of books I hadn’t read before my first Frankl reading. Those books have impacted me, have deepened my convictions, and have perhaps provided another angle on Frankl. One of those books, The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, was life-altering. I read that one late 2019. In re-reading Man’s Search for Meaning, I see a number of similarities between these two books.

In this podcast episode, I share some things that stuck out to 2025 Erik that didn’t stick out as much to 2017 Erik. I also share some important similarities between Man’s Search for Meaning and The Gulag Archipelago.

If you’d like to listen to the original podcast episode after the 2017 reading of the book, you can do so here:

Cratylus believes there is a correct name for each thing, one that belongs to it by nature. Hermogenes believes that names are agreed upon by the community. Socrates leads the discussion to determine if “names are given in accord with nature.”

I found this dialogue so interesting and delightful because Socrates spends most of the time guessing at the origin of words of gods, concepts, and names.

In this episode, I share some of my favorite word descriptions and ideas from Cratylus.

It’s the opening question of this dialogue. Echecrates is asking Phaedo if he was there when Socrates drank the hemlock and died in prison. He was there. This is Phaedo’s account of the final day of Socrates.

I wonder what I would do knowing I had a few hours to live. Would I be frantic? Would I conduct a dialogue about the soul as Socrates does here? Would I calmly drink my death sentence that 500 of my peers had bestowed upon me? I doubt it. Socrates was calm. He died as he had lived.

There are some incredible parts to this dialogue. With a few hours left to go, we find Socrates “versifying” the Fables of Aesop. He’s setting prose to poetry. He’s not creating anew. He’s improvising on what already exists. It’s an incredible thing to consider. Socrates didn’t leave any writings, but he did apparently leave some poetry.

The bulk of this work considers a questions that would be on the forefront of anyone’s mind about to exit this world. What’s next? Socrates argues that we have a soul that will continue into an afterlife. In fact, he argues that that soul pre-existed embodiment and that our learning was simply a recollection of Forms or Ideas encountered in that state. Socrates was being completely rational then in his calm willingness to die. This was simply a continuation of how he had lived his life, a betterment of the eternal part of him. His life as a philosopher was preparation for death.

In this episode, I cover the main arguments, talk about three things that stuck out to me, ask 6 questions that I hope to get answered in other Plato dialogues, and close out with the One Thing I always hope to remember from Phaedo by Plato.

Book Versions Read or Consulted:

* Plato Complete Works - edited by John M. Cooper - translated by G.M.A. Grube

* Phaedo - translated by David Gallop - Oxford World’s Classics

* The Last Days of Socrates - translated by Hugh Tredennick and Harold Tarrant (intro) - Penguin Classics (just read the intro in this one)

But Socrates says “we must examine whether we should act in this way or not, as not only now but at all times.” Would it be right for Socrates to escape?

This short dialogue allows us see if Socrates will remain true to what he has preached throughout his life.

Show Notes:

Book Versions:

* Plato Complete Works - edited by John M. Cooper - translated by G.M.A. Grube

* The Last Days of Socrates - translated by Hugh Tredennick and Harold Tarrant (intro) - Penguin Classics

* Defense of Socrates, Euthyphro, and Crito - translated by David Gallop - Oxford World’s Classics

Allen Levi is the author of Theo of Golden. In this conversation, I asked him about this book, his inspirations, his life, and potential movie adaptations. Enjoy!

Here’s Part I of a conversation with author Allen Levi that took place on Saturday, September 6th in Franklin, Tennessee, at the historic Franklin Theatre. Part I releases this week and is the discussion from the 3pm event. Part II releases next week and will be the discussion from the 7pm event. Each event was sold out and questions were different for each event.

Please Note: Static interference is present at various points throughout the interview. I've worked to minimize it, but it is still audible at points.

Allen Levi is the author of Theo of Golden. In this conversation, I asked him about this book, his inspirations, his life, and potential movie adaptations. Enjoy!

* Not recognizing the gods recognized by the State

* Manufacturing new gods

* Corrupting the youth

If you are expecting any contrition on the part of Socrates, you’ve come to the wrong place. Here, apology means a defense speech in a legal proceeding, and Socrates is anything but apologetic in the sorrowful sense. Here we see a defiant man unconcerned with death but rather in continuing on in a life of justice and piety despite the threat to his life.

It’s quite startling actually. The defiance of Socrates in the face of 501 of his peers. But it’s also quite disturbing that a society that produced such great works of art around this exact time (399BC) could also kill one of its best citizens. Can civilization handle this level of truth telling?

In this episode, I consider Socrates’ defense to the three charges, look at Aristophanes’ Clouds and another account of the trial, Xenophon’s Apology.

Show Notes:

Book Versions:

* Plato Complete Works - edited by John M. Cooper - translated by G.M.A. Grube

* The Last Days of Socrates - translated by Hugh Tredennick and Harold Tarrant (intro) - Penguin Classics

* Xenophon Apology - translated by Martin Hammond - Oxford World’s Classics

* Xenophon Socrates’ Defense - translated by Hugh Tredennick and Robin Waterfield, with an excellent intro by Waterfield - Penguin Classics

Socrates has asked Euthyphro if piety and impiety take on an essential form. Poor Euthyphro thinks he is wise by giving particular example after particular example, but Socrates is after something deeper. Will we get to a form of piety and impiety that can be referenced in all circumstances? The stakes are high. Socrates has just been charged with impiety in corrupting the youth, creating new gods, and forsaking the old gods. If he can’t answer this charge, he’s in trouble. He’s hoping Euthyphro can give him a piety form. Or is Socrates just prodding Euthyphro to see if he knows what he is taking about?

Here are the four versions I read:

* Complete Works - edited by John M. Cooper - translated by G.M.A. Grube

* Penguin Classics The Last Days of Socrates - translated by Hugh Tredennick and Harold Tarrant (intro)

* Loeb Classical Library - translated by Harold North Fowler

* Collected Dialogues - edited by Edith Hamilton & Huntington Cairns - translated by Lane Cooper

One of the most powerful ways I’ve found to remember what I read is to apply basic summary frameworks during and after the completion of each book. In this article, I’ll highlight the most powerful frameworks that you can write in the back of the book, in a journal, or in your notes app upon completing a book.

The best part about these ideas is that they take a short time to complete but can greatly enhance your reading memory and comprehension.

The One Sentence

Last week, I had breakfast with my friend DT Slouffman. He’s a contender for the most interesting man alive and one of his roles is teaching the art of storytelling at a college. In that course, he writes the following sentence on the board as a tool for students to apply to fiction:

________ wants ________ but ________ so ________ .

What I love about this simple sentence is that it requires you to identify the protagonist, his or her desire, the challenge, and the path towards growth, resolution, or fulfillment. Going backwards, it identifies the change required to overcome an obstacle by the main character. It’s an encapsulation of the hero’s journey and it forces you to consolidate the book down to one sentence. If you can then remember this one sentence that you crafted, chances are you’ll be able to recall a large portion of the book.

Here’s a One Sentence example I made from The Great Gatsby (yours may be quite different):

Jay Gatsby wants Daisy but she is married so chaos and death ensue.

I purposefully kept this one simple and short. I could elaborate on each fill-in part and you might choose to do so. The lack of a joyful resolution immediately identifies the work as a tragedy. By highlighting death, I immediately think of those situations in the book. I can picture Daisy and Jay as I did while reading the book. For properly recalling a book, sometimes you just need a simple hook that calls up other memories. This One Sentence framework is that hook.

The One Thing

A major focal point of this reading project is to attempt to remember just One Thing from each book that I read. It’s counterintuitive and may even sound wasteful, but I found that if I tried to remember many things from a book, I would forget them all, but if I just remembered One Thing, I could usually recall it, and it would in turn unlock other parts of the book.

This idea is easier to impose upon works of non-fiction, but I’ll provide ideas for fiction as well. Here are a few ways to remember One Thing in different types of books:

* For self-help books, instead of trying to remember One Thing, simply implement One Thing, immediately. If you are reading a book about personal finance, implement one idea from the book in relation to debt, budgets, or investments. If it’s a book about fasting, begin fasting. Running, apply one of the tips on your next run. You will always remember that book if you implement one idea into your daily routine.

* For biographies and works of history, try to remember one story from the book. For example, in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Einstein, there was a story about Einstein being invited to a women’s prayer group in the USA during WWII. They prayed together in a circle and when it came to Einstein, he took out his violin and prayed through his instrument without saying a word. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall. That story helps me recall why Einstein was in the USA at that point, what he was working on, and other aspects of his story.

* For works of fiction, write out the One Thing you can’t get out of your brain. Maybe it’s a theme you see across a variety of books. Perhaps the protagonist confronts a problem you’ve had in the past and your One Thing is how that person dealt with their situation.

In general, you want to highlight the One Thing that stood out to you the most about that book. If you can remember that, it will help you to remember other parts of the book as well.

Identifying Stakes

This is another tool that my friend DT teaches his children and students. The idea here is that most books will present things of value or desire that are put at risk. That creates a stake and that stake must be paid by the end of the book. The exercise here is to create a two column list in the back of the book, in your journal, or in a notes app and write the stake on the left and its resolution on the right. If a stake is introduced and not resolved, you have a sub-par book (or movie, or tv show, etc.).

Here are a few stakes from The Great Gatsby:

* Jay Gatsby builds a mansion across the lake from Daisy in an effort to impress her with his wealth. That can’t just remain neutral, either it will have an impact or not. The stake must be paid in one way or another.

* Jay tells Daisy’s husband Tom that she never loved him. That creates a stake that must be paid in one way or another by Daisy’s response.

* Daisy’s husband’s mistress is killed by Daisy and Gatsby in a car accident. That creates a stake that must be paid through the legal system or through personal revenge.

By highlighting these stakes and payments, you are generating your own framework for the book and are actively seeing each stake through to its conclusion. This will help you to remember key occurrences in the book. This tool can be applied to nearly all fiction and many works of non-fiction, including biographies and histories.

What are some tools you apply to the art of reading that help you remember what you read?

Why not? Plato has an outsize influence on what comes after him. His ideas are ingrained in our heads. We see some things through his eyes. I’m largely approaching Plato blindly. I read The Republic in 2017 and remember next to nothing. I’ve avoided philosophy out of a deep fear of not understanding it. I’d like to change that. I’d like to dig into Plato, get to know his writings, ponder his ideas, and explore his works.

I recorded this podcast episode as a time stamp of sorts. I want to see if there is something that happens to a person after they read Plato. Will there be a “before Plato Erik” and an “after Plato Erik?” We’ll see. I hope you follow along on this journey. I plan to cover most of Plato’s works on this podcast over the coming weeks and months. And I’ll see if I can finish this large tome by the end of 2025.

The Last Sweet Mile is a long letter written by Allen Levi to his family that covers the last year of his brother Gary’s life. They had a special relationship. A relationship we all long for. They were remarkably close. Gary was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2011 and died an exact year later on July 22, 2012. Allen called that year with his brother the best year of his life.

Allen wrote this book before his latest novel, Theo of Golden. I have Theo on my mind, and so I naturally compared the two books despite Theo being a work of fiction and The Last Sweet Mile a work of non-fiction. I see a lot of Gary in the character of Theo. The sacredness of small things. The signposts of beauty. Sadness. Joy. Laughter.

When I finished reading Theo of Golden last December, I had a one word response–Stunning. I had that same one-word response after finishing The Last Sweet Mile. It’s heart-wrenching, it’s sad, but it’s beautiful, for it portrays a life well-lived.

It was fascinating. I learned so much about The Odyssey and about his translation choices. It shed new light on the epic. You can watch the event here and here are some of my main takeaways.

The book I cover in this podcast episode is one that Dr. Mendelsohn wrote 8 years earlier in 2017. It’s account of an Odyssey cruise he had taken with his father, Jay Mendelsohn. His father decided to audit his son’s seminar course about The Odyssey and after that course, they took this cruise that stopped at all of the major locations in Homer’s epic.

The book is a fascinating look at Homer’s Odyssey, a relationship between a father and a son, and a dive into major themes through out the epic. I learned a ton. I share some of those things in this podcast episode.

I really enjoyed this book. It was not just an intellectual endeavor, it was a journey of the heart. The book is beautifully written and the format allowed for deep literary analysis, heartwarming father/son dynamics, and wonderful insight into the intangibles that make a marriage last forever.

Dorian Gray makes a Faustian bargain to retain his youth in exchange for his soul. A painted portrait then takes on his “passions and his sins” while his body does not change. We witness him go from age 22 to 38 with no visible change in his physical appearance. This makes it difficult for people to believe the horrible rumors they year. Surely someone so good looking and youthful could not do such things.

Despite being written 130 years ago, this novel feels modern. Youth is still highly prized and now we use social media filters and botox to keep the facade alive. We are still really good at covering the degradation of our lives like Dorain covers and hides his portrait. It’s Adam & Eve all over again. An immediate desire to cover and hide when exposed by the Coldplay Cam.

This novel is a tragedy but does fate guide Dorian’s actions? Is he irreparably influenced by Lord Henry to where there’s no turning back? Or does Dorian have a choice in the matter? What if he did change course? Would the portrait change back to what it was? Or would it remain the same?

This is an endlessly fascinating novel. One with vivid pictures that have stuck with me for 23 years. It’s a novel I think about often. In this podcast episode, I talk about themes, questions, and my One Thing.

Those clay tablets, lost to history for 2,400+ years, now mostly reside in the British Museum, where Cuneiform scholars work their way through works of astrology, exorcism, medicine, entrail divination, lamentation, and literature. The most and best preserved copies of The Epic of Gilgamesh come from Ashurbanipal’s library.

This book looks at three main things: Cuneiform, Ashurbanipal, and the contents of Ashurbanipal’s Library. The author, Dr. Selena Wisnom, connects ideas from the surviving works to our own. We see how ideas that seem completely foreign to us are not that far removed from our experience. She shows how the Mesopotamians discovered many things long before others. In turn, these discoveries made our modern world. We’re continually learning more and more from what was discovered in Ashurbanipal’s Library.

In this podcast episode, I talk about the book, Cuneiform, Ashurbanipal, and the contents of his library.

The Education of Cyrus differs from Xenophon’s Hellenika and Anabasis in that it is largely a fictionalized account of Cyrus’ life. It allows Xenophon to share his moral philosophy and teachings through a famous person. It’s exciting and informative but also quite weird in that Cyrus repeatedly prays and sacrifices to Zeus and Hera, something Cyrus would not have done. It’s a mix of fact and fiction.

Some have found it helpful to think of this book as a novel. Others as a moral treatise. It influenced Machiavelli’s The Prince and Thomas Jefferson was said to be fond of it. I felt like I was gaining secret knowledge in parts of it. Other parts moved slowly along before moving into the brilliant strategic move to take down the Babylonian empire.

In this episode, I provide an overview of the book, discuss the fact or fiction debate, highlight wise leadership by Cyrus, and share the one thing I can’t get out of my head.

Show Notes:

* Version of The Education of Cyrus that I read

Anabasis means a movement upwards, but can also refer both to an advance and a retreat. Both occur in this work, with Xenophon not only authoring the work but being a main character in the history.

Xenophon was both a friend and a student of the philosopher Socrates. He was also a leader of these soldiers and he used what he learned from Socrates to try to persuade his men.

This is an action-packed thriller of a tale. The Greeks meet unique people groups with wild customs, eat some mad honey, and party with clowns. All the while, they are longing to return home, a place many of them will never see again.

But that’s not how books work. Re-reading a book creates a new experience, not a recreation of the first reading. I’ve changed during readings. Life experience clues me into things I missed the first time around. I’m reminded of people, places, and things that stuck out the first time that made an indelible mark on my life.

Many experiences in life can deteriorate with continued exposure. Reading a great book multiple times over the years is not one of those experiences.

What I hope to do in this podcast episode is to encourage you begin re-reading certain books as part of your reading life.

The Frogs was first performed at the City Dionysus festival in 405BC. It won first prize. This was one year after the death of Euripides and 51 years after the death of Aeschylus.

In this episode, I talk about The Frogs, discuss aspects of comedy that had bothered me just a week ago, and share the one thing the stuck out the most. Enjoy!

This quest drives the father, Strepsiades, into the school of Socrates (likely in attendance at the play in 423BC) to learn the “wrong argument.” What ensues is a hilarious series of scenes masking some serious commentary on truth, justice, and persuasion. Arguments in the form of Right vs Wrong are even personified by actors, with the fourth wall between the audience regularly broken.

I’m new to comedies, but what I’ve seen so far is a mix of Saturday Night Live and a roast. SNL for the cultural commentary and a roast for the tremendous abuse inflicted in person against notable people in the community. It’s funny, but it borders on cringe. I’m amazed that this was allowed in Ancient Greece, but I also wonder if this play set a path that led to the death of Socrates 24 years later.

In this podcast episode, I highlight some key themes, give an overview of the story, and share the one thing that delighted me the most.

In this episode, I share about my experience, cover the major themes throughout those plays, and talk about my favorites. These stories will be with me for the rest of my life. They cover ideas we hear daily in politics, news, and conversation. The plays are utterly thrilling and breathtaking.

And we only get to read them. The lucky audience 2,500 years ago got to experience an all-encompassing extravaganza of dance, song, music, and acting. It must have been astonishing. When the time machine is invented, I’m typing in the 400s BC in Athens.

Show Notes:

* Suggested Greek Tragedy Reading Order

The women who follow Dionysus are called Maenads or Bacchants. They worship outside of the city (Thebes in this tragedy play) and partake in rituals that are at first described as orderly. In fact, Tiresias, the blind seer, says that “Even in a Bacchic revel, a woman who is really virtuous will not be corrupted.”

We see quite quickly that the rituals are far from orderly. The revels quickly descend into chaos, with the Maenads attacking a nearby town, stealing children, and ripping animals apart.

Pentheus, the king of Thebes tries to stop this madness by battling Dionysus himself, who has taken on human form. Dionysus’ goal is to show that he is indeed a god. He convinces the king to explore his curiosity and witness one of the dances by the women. This is forbidden and so Pentheus must don women’s clothing. Perched upon a tree, the women see him, get him down, and promptly rip him to shreds. His mother leads the charge, unaware that she is killing her own son.

The recognition scene of all recognition scenes has Pentheus’ mother slowly realize she is not carrying the head of a lion but rather the head of her son. Dionysus has not only destroyed an enemy in Pentheus but has destroyed a devoted worshipper, Pentheus’ mother. Dionysus leaves destruction in his wake, but all those involved do end up realizing he is a god.

There’s a lot going on in this play. I had to read it twice to understand it. The lines of the chorus were beautiful. The verbal battles between Pentheus and Dionysus were fascinating. The tragedy at the end, brutal.

That’s the storyline of Helen by Euripides. It brings into question perception vs reality. It provides Helen a way to redeem her name. And it makes for an absolutely brilliant and entertaining tragedy play about the most famous woman in Greek literature.

In this episode, I cover the storyline, main themes, and the one thing that struck me most about this tragedy.

Her name is Iphigenia. She’s the daughter of Agamemnon, the King of the Greeks. This play takes place before the Iliad, before the Trojan War. The Greeks with their 1000 ships are headed to Troy to reclaim Helen. But Agamemnon has messed up. He hunted one of Artemis’ sacred deer. The winds have stopped. The winds that are required for the Greeks to sail to Troy. They are stuck in Aulis.

There’s only one way to fix this. Artemis demands a sacrifice. Not your typical sacrifice. This one will hurt. And it will hurt Agamemnon. Artemis demands the human sacrifice of Iphigenia in order for the winds to pick back up and lead the army to Troy.

I’ve seen this story referenced often in Greek literature. I’ve wondered how it actually happened. How did Agamemnon justify this? Did Clytemnestra his wife know what was about to happen? Did she try to stop him? What did Achilles think of all this? His name was used as a pretext to lure Iphigenia to Aulis in hopes of a wedding.

This is tragedy at its finest. An impossible situation. Damned if you do; damned if you don’t. Necessity brought by the gods.

This is my favorite tragedy play by Euripides of his surviving 19. This helps in understanding the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles in the Iliad and between Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in The Oresteia.

In this episode, I give a brief outline of the tragedy, share themes and things I learned, and talk about the one thing that stuck out the most.

Show Notes:

I read the Penguin Classics version of this play translated by John Davie with intro/notes by Dr. Richard Rutherford

Orestes if a fascinating character study. He kills his mother Clytemnestra in vengeance of her killing her husband, Orestes’ father, Agamemnon. Agamemnon had sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia. Orestes thinks he is just. Clytemnestra thinks she is just. Agamemnon thinks he had to do what he had to do.

Who is just? How is that determined? Can justice be meted out eye for an eye? What about in the case of a death? The wronged party cannot seek justice. Someone must do it on their behalf. How does that cycle end?

These are the questions that come up in Orestes. It caused me to think about ways in which these cycles of violence could end. I share this ideas in this episode.

Free Speech by Jacob Mchangama presents a thorough and fascinating look at the history of free speech through the ages. What’s amazing is that free speech is a rather recent phenomenon, is quite fragile, and most of the people I consider to be the bulwarks of free speech were not as principled as I thought.

I got to meet Jacob last week and hear more about this book at an event at Landmark Booksellers. I talk a bit about that and the question I asked him as well as cover some key themes from his book.

If you’d like to watch the event at Landmark, you can do so here:

He thanked me for the book and said it was the first full book he had read since college. This was a man in his early 30s, which means he hadn’t read a book in nearly 10 years.

I think that’s where a lot of adults find themselves. Life gets busy. Work becomes the focus. Family, kids, activities, yard work. And now, all of those minutes in the margins are consumed with scrolling. It’s an addiction few of us can break.

So how can we get into reading and then become better at it as adults?

That’s the focus of this podcast episode. I hope you enjoy.

I think Euripides’ choice is so interesting. Not only did he select the Phoenician Women as the members of the chorus but they also occupy the title of the play as well. The play could just have easily been named Jocasta, a character who ties all the others together and who starts the entire play recalling the recent family history.

I love reading these retellings of the myths. I love seeing these slight changes and trying to figure out the reason by behind the choices. I love the themes that keep popping up and the ways these ideas are discussed amongst characters in the worst of circumstances.

These and other topics encompass episode 244 of the podcast.

* The Saying

* The Person

* The Time/Location

If you just read The Analects, you get all of the sayings and if you’re very diligent (or use a commentary), you can get to know the people Confucius addresses in his responses. What’s difficult to gather from The Analects is the historical context (time/location) in which each statement was made.

That’s where Annping Chin’s book comes in, The Authentic Confucius. Organized along the path of Confucius’ life, Annping takes us through the various political situations, locations, and career points that align with many of the sayings of Confucius. This book provides a very helpful analysis of that third part of each saying, while also being an interesting look at the life of this great teacher.

I was surprised to learn that Confucius was not a religious teacher (he was a philosopher), that he would deeply ponder a question before answering instead of spouting off an answer based upon a set worldview, and that he was very politically minded.

In this podcast episode, I talk about these things that surprised me, some things I learned about Confucius, and cover The One Thing, my key takeaway from The Authentic Confucius.

Here’s my episode about The Analects:

As well as an article about something Confucius said that I’m thinking about a lot:

I was expecting a religious text but this read more like wisdom literature. The focus was on the rites and rituals that provide a path to moral virtue. The goal was to become a gentleman worthy of a life of politics. Confucius pursued (and pushed) a love of learning, speaking only when necessary, and leading by example.

In this podcast episode, I cover ten themes found in The Analects and share the One Thing I’m still thinking about having read the statements of this greatest of Chinese teachers.

I read the following versions / translations of The Analects:

* Arthur Waley Translation (1938) / Everyman’s Library

* Annping Chin Translation (2014) / Penguin Classics

A friend of mine, Larry Carson, suggested I read God’s Secretaries by Adam Nicolson to get answers to these questions. I share them in this podcast episode.

Here’s my episode about reading the King James Bible:

I divide this podcast episode up into three sections:

* The things that stuck out in the Bible.

* Highlights of the beautiful language found in the King James Version.

* Info about the Moser Bible and my process of reading through it.

Show Notes:

Previous Bible Reading Episodes:

2020

2024

Documentary:

My Articles about the Barry Moser Bible:

Bible Reading Tools:

In this episode, I contrast these two men - Lyndon B. Johnson and Robert Moses.

Show Notes:

I had always been baffled by that statement. Is that a trembling fear? A sense of awe?What am I supposed to make of this idea of fear and what does it mean in terms of how I relate to the Lord? I actually found part of the answer in the Book of Proverbs itself. That’s one of my key points in this episode.

I re-introduce the episode at the start and add some more recent experiences with the Fear of the Lord that occurred in 2024. I hope you enjoy!

And so he did not resist in the small ways that a man might, and in time the accumulation of such daily choices of acquiescence hardened into a kind of moral muscle memory, such that resistance was no longer even a possible option. For almost nine years the man had been rehearsing his surrender.

~ The Places Beyond the Maps, Douglas McKelvey

If I were required to pick the single most important idea I’ve come across during the 8 years of this reading project, it would be the importance of direction.

The idea is quite simple. We’re all moving in a particular direction that is mostly dictated by the small, seemingly insignificant choices we make on a daily basis. Nearly all of these choices are unseen in that they take place in our minds and oftentimes when we are alone.

It’s at once a deeply encouraging yet frightening idea. Your very next decision could change the trajectory of your life yet your “daily choices of acquiescence” could alternatively be weakening you to a point of no return.

The most important paragraph I’ve come across regarding direction was penned by C.S. Lewis in his masterpiece Mere Christianity:

“I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature…Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.”

As a child, I would spend hours pretending that I was saving my classmates from the bad guys. Fueled by action films starring Van Damme, Schwarzenegger, and Seagal, I would play out the role of the hero. I hoped that should the occasion arise, that I would rise up to meet the moment in the real world.

As I grew up, I learned the hard truth that my heroic ideals oftentimes did not play out in real life. Cowardly unseen “choices of acquiescence” would spill out with harmful public consequences. The “muscle memory” of those poor choices made any public heroics all but impossible.

I came to understand the statement by Archilochus that "We don't rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training." Put another way, we don’t rise to the level of our heroic ideals; we continue in the direction of our daily choices.

The books I have read for Books of Titans have provided an incredible view into the direction of the lives of both fictional and historical characters. Robert Caro shows us how the stated ends of Lyndon B. Johnson were corrupted by the very means he used to attempt to reach those ends. Douglas McKelvey shows us a father who lacked the strength to save his own daughter, to be the hero when it absolutely mattered, because of the “accumulation of such daily choices of acquiescence.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn shows us that survivors of the Soviet Gulag had decided upon a certain path during easier times and that “those people had been corrupted in camp who had already been corrupted out in freedom.”

I knew in my own life that were I to be the man I wanted to be, to be someone who could be counted on in the most difficult of circumstances, that I would need to start moving in that direction in small, unnoticed, daily decisions. I needed to begin creating a “moral muscle memory.”

David Goggins was once running when a driver pulled up and asked what he was training for. Goggins replied that he was training for life. He knew that avoiding the run that day made it easier to avoid it the next day and the day after that. That run was setting a direction for his life. It was an important daily choice.

The great thing about viewing life through the prism of direction is that it applies to so many areas. Health, faith, work, exercise, raising children, self-improvement. Direction can take what seems like an impossible future and break it down to your next decision. To be a hero in a tough circumstance can start with what my friend Garrett Gravesen calls 10 Seconds of Insane Courage.

Direction is not just a helpful mental model for yourself, it’s also a great litmus test to evaluate a church, school, business, or political party. Simply look at the stated ends of a group and see if the means are leading in that direction. Crooked means will corrupt utopian ends.

There are very few overnight successes. Very few heroes of the moment. The truer story is that of the person slowly moving in a particular direction, day by day, decision by decision, over a period of years. There will be many diversions along the way. The direction will not be a straight path. But the beauty of this idea is that your life can change direction with your very next decision. If you screw up, make the next right decision. This is the lesson of some of the world’s great literature.

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. The trick is to focus on the first small thing. Starting small is still starting, and small beginnings often lead to extraordinary endings.”

~ Vincent Van Gogh

Here are the four questions:

* What are you learning about yourself as you read?

* Has your heart changed with these readings?

* How has your view on the universe/humanity changed/expanded?

* Are there any readings which have shown views that have harmed us / entrenched harm?

2025 is the year I shift from the Greek playwrights into the philosophers. It’s year 3 of my 15-year Immortal Books reading project, where I read the greatest books ever written in chronological order.

In this episode, I share my plan for the year, give a brief history of this reading project, and highlight the books I’m most excited, scared, and curious about for 2025.

I mention a Short Great Books reading group I’m leading this year. I’d love for you to join. To do so, simply become a paid member here on Substack and you’ll have access to each monthly meeting. Learn more here or subscribe below.

Have you found yourself lost in mid-life? Not sure what direction to take? No focus or purpose? This is a book about continuing intellectual curiosity throughout life, of lifelong learning. It’s a book with practical advice on how to pursue the life of the mind. I wish I had read this book in my teens.

The author, A.G. Sertillanges, says this life is possible with just two hours a day. But what you quickly realize is that dedicating those two hours will permeate the rest of your life, even your sleep!

In this episode, I share the three main ideas that stuck out to me, share some advice found throughout the book, and highlight the one thing that hit me the most. I hope you enjoy. But more than that, I hope you end up reading this book.

Join my 2025 Reading Group - One Great Book a Month

Purchase The Intellectual Life from Landmark Booksellers

2024 was My Big Fat Greek Reading List. I’m reading through The Great Books The Immortal Books in chronological order over the next 15 years, and the time frame for this year was all Greek. Greek epic poetry, Greek tragedies, histories, and even fables.

It was an absolutely delightful year of reading, the most enjoyable in my 44 years of living.

In this episode, I cover the year as a whole, some of my favorite works, and some best of lists.

Here are some of my favorite podcast episodes over this past year:

Actually, art is oftentimes forged through intense suffering in the life of the artist. It’s suffering we know well as we also experience it to varying degrees. That’s the power of this book. It highlights Sacred Failures.

In this episode, I cover three artists, what I learned about them, and how that shifted how I now see their art.

I bristled at that. I’m not a professional. I don’t teach eager students at the local high school. But after reading this book, I hesitantly acknowledge that I am indeed a teacher. I’m a teacher to my children, to those I work with, and perhaps to those I reach with this podcast. This book convinced me that I do indeed teach.

But this book goes much deeper. It talks of the close connection between learning and teaching. How we all have an innate desire to share the beauty we encounter, be it physical or intellectual beauty. How the best teachers are those most desirous of learning.

This is a book about the methods of teaching, not about which subjects to teach. It covers three main modes of teaching, famous teachers (and their students), and the role of parents in teaching their children.

In this episode, I share some ideas I came across and how I’ve seen them play out in my own life through great teachers and even greater teaching styles.

Xenophon begins his history with these words. The “after this…” refers to the writings of Thucydides, which abruptly end in the midst of the Peloponnesian War in 411BC. Xenophon takes up the mantle and takes us first to the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404BC and then on to 362BC.

Xenophon’s work takes us through the decline of the Athenian empire into the rise of the Spartans, Boeotians, and then Thebans. Throughout the work, the Persians are making their presence known as well.

It’s a fascinating history, one that sets the stage for the eventual Macedonian takeover. I kept thinking about the literature and philosophy being composed during these years. Some of the world’s greatest works were created during this period of history.

In this episode, I share the main things that stuck out about topics such as government, justice, and tradition.

This book was gifted to me by a publisher well acquainted with the written word. It’s her job to quickly work through books and see if they have merit. She read this book and then promptly read it four additional times. She was stunned.

I now see why she wanted to do that. I plan to read it again later this month.

I loved this book. It reminded me of Sir Gibbie by George MacDonald and Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. In this episode, I share a few of my favorite things about this incredible book. I hope you read the book one or maybe five times!

Bonus: Two Conversations I Had with Allen in September 2025

The Peloponnesian War took place between 431 - 404BC. This work covers years 431 - 411BC, abruptly ends mid-year, and is then picked up by Xenophon in Hellenika.

Thucydides uses speeches (141 of them) to add tension & drama to the narrative. We as readers become part of the action, reading the speeches and wondering how the audience will respond. Thucydides also highlights themes of movement, technology, panic, and forms of government to compare and contrast the Athenians and Peloponnesians.

In this episode, I give a brief overview of the work, share some themes and favorite quotes, and close with the ideas that stuck out the most through this work.

Show Notes:

* The Speeches of Pericles - Books of Titans Podcast #229

* Intro to Thucydides - Podcast episode mentioned

* Book Version - The Landmark Thucydides

This tragedy begins with Andromache grasping the alter of Thetis in Thessaly, begging for her life. Her and Neoptolemus have had a son, which has made Neoptolemus’ Spartan wife, Hermione quite jealous. To top it off, Hermione, the daughter of Helen of Troy, is barren and is seeking to kill Andromache and her son.

The Iliad permeates this tragedy in both storyline and direct quotes and references. There are some beautiful themes of justice and monogamy and other not so beautiful themes of jealousy, strife, and injustice.

This is an incredible look into the horror of the life of a woman on the losing side of a war, forced to live with the victors as a slave. I love the painting above. Everyone is dressed in color except Andromache, veiled in black, lost in her personal tragedy. This is “peacetime,” and yet there is no peace for Andromache.

In this episode, I walk through the tragedy play highlighting the story, themes, and beautiful dialogue. I also refer to two other tragedy plays by Euripides:

Awaking from this madness, Heracles is confronted with the most cruel situation—he must live out his days knowing he killed his family. He opts for suicide but is saved by an act of great kindness.

In considering the historical timeframe, this must have been sweet balm to soldiers returning from war who had experienced or were experiencing their own form of madness. What can save someone in that situation?

I love reading Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War alongside these tragedies and considering what was happening in and around Athens while these plays are being written and performed. It adds a fascinating element in the consideration of their content.

This is a wonderful tragedy play, with elements of humor, despair, and deep insight. In this episode, I walk through the play, cover important scenes, quotes, and themes.

Related podcast episodes:

You, Aphrodite, lead captive the stubborn hearts of gods and of mortals.

Aphrodite conquers all. Or nearly all. Zeus is under her spell and only a few, Athena and Artemis among them, have resisted her.

Love is so powerful a force that it can even cause a step-mother to lust after her step-son. That at least is the premise for this tragedy and so the battle of Aphrodite (love, desire) is fought against Artemis (chastity) through Phaedra’s forbidden love for Hippolytus.

Humans are quick to judge and often seek revenge before knowing the full story. This requires pardon and Hippolytus must decide whether to grant it to both his step-mother Phaedra and his father Theseus.

This tragedy play won the award in Athens in 428BC, amidst the Peloponnesian War. It’s a stunning play and I try to capture its beauty and power in this episode.

These speeches create a beautiful blend of history and exploration. Thucydides presents the historical facts of war—the size of armies, the results of certain battles, and naval vs land strategies. But it’s the speeches that allow him to explore the mindset, beliefs, governance, values, and national habits that play a role in those battles.

Gone are the gods of Homer. Can democracy, courage, experience, and dialogue take the place of the gods? How do the strategies, preparations, provisions and levels of courage differ between the people of the Peloponnese and the Athenians? We learn about these things in these speeches. We learn about the leader’s ideas and the feelings of the populace. It’s a fascinating way to present history.

In this podcast episode, I cover two speeches by Pericles and then compare a set of speeches by the Peloponnesian commanders and Athenian leaders. All speeches covered occur in book 2 of 8 in Thucydides great masterpiece.

Myths:

* You don’t need to have all of the answers.

* You don’t need to have an advanced degree.

How to Prepare:

* As you read the book you will cover, use different color pens/highlighters each time you read it. This will help you identify observations you had and will be helpful when you are leading the group.

* Find podcast episodes that cover the book.

* Find book guides that contain questions for the book.

Facilitating the Reading Group:

* Set expectations - expected time commitment, number of meetings, etc.

* Limit the group to between 5 - 15 people.

* Require an assignment:

* A paragraph or an essay due a day before the meeting.

* Use a shared Google folder so everyone can read the work of each other.

* This has the added benefit of encouraging completion of the reading a day before the meeting. It also prepares the attendees to have a thought-out idea to address during the meeting.

* Translation - attempt to use the same translation if it’s a work in another language. This will help everyone easily be able to locate the passage under discussion.

Rules:

* Use the first meeting to get to know each other. Don’t cover the book at all.

* Discourage the reading of the book’s introduction. Just have them start right in with the book.

* No outside influences - attempt to just discuss the book, not other books.

Your Role as Facilitator:

* You are not the teacher. The book is the teacher.

* Ask questions that facilitate the discussion.

* Keep the discussion on track.

* Don’t give away spoilers to those who haven’t read the story. Keep the magic alive.

Tools Specific to The Iliad

* The History of Literature Podcast: Homer and His Iliad (with Robin Lane Fox)

* Ascend the Great Books Podcast (incredible resource with a podcast episode per book of the Iliad)

* Iliad Reading Guide (probably the single most helpful resource outside of the actual epic)

* Young Heretics Podcast

The glory of the Iliad is over. The Muses are being summoned to sing a funeral dirge, a new song of mourning for the city of Troy.

This tragedy takes place in the immediate aftermath of the Trojan War. The Greeks have gotten past the famous Trojan walls, not by force but by trickery. They’ve entered the city, killed the men and children, and taken the women as slaves.

In this period between the fall of Troy and the sailing back by the Greeks, these Trojan Women have become slaves and are being doled out to the Greek Warriors. Each Trojan Woman is paired to a Greek as a slave for the rest of their lives.

These women have just witnessed the brutal deaths of their loved ones and have seen the city they loved burned to the ground. Helen is amongst them. She is one of the Trojan captives. Helen of Troy.

At this point, everyone wants her dead, including her ex-husband, Menelaus.

In this episode of the podcast, I give a brief introduction to this tragedy play, talk about three characters who stuck out to me, and share the one thing I’m still thinking about after having read The Trojan Women by Euripides.

It’d be fun to imagine an alternate ending. One that doesn’t involve the utterly tragic death of Iphigenia and a father being forced to kill his own daughter.

That’s what happens here. Euripides provides some Ancient Greek Fan Fiction, an alternate history. Iphigenia is saved at the last moment in a scenario similar to Abraham and Issac where another sacrifice is provided at the last moment.

Iphigenia is then whisked away by Artemis to Tauris where she becomes priestess at the temple of Artemis. One lovely job requirement is to sacrifice any Greeks who arrive in Tauris. Orestes, a Greek, and Iphegenia’s brother, arrives, setting up the remainder of this story.

In this episode, I give a brief overview of the play, talk about some major themes, ask some questions I hope you’ll help me answer below, and share the one thing I’m still thinking about after reading Euripides’ Iphigenia in Tauris.

These tragic elements are balanced with comedic release in the arrival of Heracles amidst this tremendous household grief. It turns this play about Necessity, marriage, and hospitality into a satyr drama to lessen the blow of the questions raised.

In this episode, I give a brief overview of the play, talk about the key themes, and share the one thing I’m still thinking about after reading Alcestis by Euripides.

This play starts with one of her only surviving sons, Polydorus, appearing as a ghost and telling of his demise. Hecabe doesn’t know he’s dead yet, but we soon find out she has something else to lament. The ghost of Achilles has demanded the sacrifice of Polyxena, Hecabe’s daughter. Hecabe pleads with Odysseus to spare her daughter to no avail.

The fact that Agamemnon shows up in this play is quite striking. Ten years earlier, he had sacrificed his own daughter Iphegenia to ensure favorable winds to Troy for the Greek ships. Here, he’s present while another sacrifice, this time from the Trojan side, is required to bookend the Trojan War. The damning thing in these tragedies is that it’s the innocent who usually suffer the most.

It’s also fascinating that the last page provides a prophecy about Hecabe and Agamemnon. Hecabe is told (through Dionysus as told by Polymestor) that she will be transformed into a dog. It provides some insight into the effect of overwhelming grief on the mind. Agamemnon is told that his wife will kill him with an axe upon his return home (and that she will also kill Cassandra, another daughter of Hecabe). It makes you wonder if that was going through Agamemnon’s mind as he returned home to Clytemnestra.

In this episode, I give some backstory to Hecabe, share the themes and quotes that impacted me the most, and close with the One Thing I keep thinking about from this incredible tragedy by Euripides.

*Correction - in segment 1, I mistakenly say Priam killed Achilles. It was Paris that killed Achilles.

Unsurprisingly, Medea doesn’t take kindly to being scorned and she plots her revenge. But this isn’t Clytemnestra type revenge of killing the perpetrator. This is much darker. Her revenge will take away all things dear to Jason while leaving him to live in the aftermath. It’s next step cruelty.

Medea kills wife #2, the king, and then stabs her two sons (shown above in a chariot pulled by dragons (or snakes depending on the translation). Medea tells Jason “your sons are dead.” He responds:

“Dead? No! They live to haunt your life with vengeance”

It’s a powerful line. And it begs the question—can you kill someone? Physically, yes. But what about mentally, morally, spiritually? It’s a question Dostoevsky explores in Crime and Punishment. Raskolnikov knows he can physically kill someone and get legally get away with it due to his superior intelligence. But the question is whether or not he can get away with it on another level. Can he look at himself in the mirror at night? Will he have Furies chasing after him? Paranoia? Depression? Mental degradation?

Can you truly kill someone?

It also provided a number of ideas that I highlight in this episode. I share three things that stuck out to me and got me thinking and then talk about some of my favorite bookstores over the years.

Someone suggested I pick up the Loeb Classical Library version of Babrius and Phaedrus to dig deeper. I’m so glad I did.

We don’t have actual writings or fables from Aesop. We do have collections from 600+ years later from these two, Babrius and Phaedrus, who collected, added, and made innovations to Aesop’s Fables. Babrius wrote in Greek and Phaedrus in Latin. So, technically, this Loeb book should look like this:

Here’s my original episode covering the illustrated Aesop’s Fables:

In this episode, I provide a brief overview of the play, highlight three fascinating themes, and conclude with a question on whether Odysseus or Neoptolemus is wiser.

Fragments are phrases, sentences, or even paragraphs of content that were mostly referenced by other writers like Aristotle, Athenaeus, and Plutarch. They were aware of these plays that have since been lost to us and so they may have quoted a line within their own works. That’s how we have most of these fragments.

And the fragments are within familiar mythological stories, so we have a rough idea of the content of the play and then try to fit these fragments into particular characters, contexts, and situations. It’s thrilling!

There is an element of discovery and adventure in these fragments. Is this something Sophocles believed or did he have a character say it to prove another point? How did Sophocles expand on ideas from the seven play that have survived in his other plays?

In this episode, I cover fragments I liked, things I learned, and share a partial answer to a question I shared in last week’s episode about Sophocles’ Women of Trachis:

The Women of Trachis follows a set of characters as “Fate is on the march.” It’s a fascinating case of one of the women, Deianeira, the wife of Heracles, going “wrong trying to do right.”

There are so many connection points in Women of Trachis to other tragedy plays. In this episode, I cover some of those connections, talk about fate, Zeus, and characters moving things along, and close with that question about law.

* All Over but the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg

* Gravedigger’s Daughter: Growing up Rural by Debra Raye King

Ajax shows the aftermath of an altercation over the honors that warriors feel are due to them after battle.

I love that this is a theme that shows up strongly in the Iliad as well. In fact, Ajax has so many connection point to the Iliad that it’s almost required reading before this play.

Sophocles highlights so many themes that were perhaps birthed in Homer and have started percolating deeper with the tragedy writers. Some of these include:

* Force vs Persuasion (Ares vs the Areopagus)

* The will of the gods

* Fate

* Honor

* Glory

In this episode, I talk about some of these themes, how they relate to other Greek literature, and what we learn about them in Sophocles’ Ajax.

“Why should a man or woman of noble character and good intentions have to bear a life of suffering?”

If Antigone is the woman of nobel character and Creon the man of, arguably, good intentions, why must they suffer? Why must bad things happen to good people?

Sophocles uses character, circumstances, and divine agency to address this question.

In this episode of the podcast, I highlight the themes, important ideas, and the one image I still have in my head after having read Antigone by Sophocles.

Books of Titans is a listener-supported podcast. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In this podcast episode, I talk about the two Sophoclean plays about Oedipus and share what I learned about Sophocles’ discussion of prophecy, the Greek concept of a curse, and the little tiny light at the end of this disastrous tunnel of tragedy.

I read translations by David Grene, Paul Woodruff, and Robert Fagles.

I highlight the following three contrasts I’ve found throughout Greek Literature and share what we learn within these Aeschylean plays:

* Fate vs The Will of Zeus

* Ares (force) vs the Areopagus (debate/civilization)

* Family Curse vs Human Agency

Show Notes

* Aeschylus

* Purchase The Oresteia

* Support the Podcast - Hire EPR Creations for Online Consulting

* The Books of Titans Book Subscription with Landmark Booksellers

* The Great Books Reading List

* 2024 Reading List

* Reading Resources

* Books of Titans Website

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