Reading

Books read this month

Reading / /

Company K by William March
I pulled this off my bookshelf at random while looking for the next book to read, and after skimming a few pages, I was sucked in. It’s considered one of the best war books of all time for a reason. Each chapter (and they’re short chapters) is a different soldier’s account of the war. It’s fiction, but I got more insight from this book than from many of the nonfiction books I’ve read this year. It’s seriously so, so good.

Epictetus: The Complete Works by Robin Waterfield
I’d been meaning to read this book for a while, and I’m so happy I finally dove in. This newer translation of Enchiridion and Discourses—two works I’ve been obsessed with since first reading them nine years ago—feels like a fresh conversation with an old friend. Epictetus himself never wrote anything down; everything we have comes from the careful notes of one devoted student.

One of my biggest takeaways: A person might be physically stronger than you. Five people could tackle and restrain you. A person may be smarter, healthier, more beautiful than you. But none of that makes them superior to you. The only thing that can make a person superior is their use of superior reasoning. If you wish to truly improve yourself, Epictetus insisted, improve your reasoning.

Also, he will make you laugh:

“‘So am I the only one who’s going to be decapitated today?’ What are you saying? Would you want everyone to have their heads cut off? Would that make you feel better?”

“Don’t complain. Don’t say, ‘Everyone hates me!’ Who wouldn’t hate someone who carries on like that?”

Oh, Epictetus. Always a pleasure.

Courage Under Fire by James Bond Stockdale
I bought this book (it’s more like a pamphlet—only about 21 pages) on vacation last year at The Painted Porch Bookshop. I’m not sure why I pulled it off the shelf this month, but it turned out to pair perfectly with Epictetus: The Complete Works, as Stockdale used Epictetus’s teachings to get through seven and a half years as a POW in Vietnam.

Socrates by Paul Johnson
Before Socrates, philosophy belonged to society’s elite—an abstract pursuit reserved for those with leisure and education. Socrates changed that. He brought philosophy down to earth, turning it into something practical, something any person could use in daily life. What is good and what is bad? What’s worth chasing and what’s worth avoiding? How should we define justice? At its heart: What makes a good life? Socrates laid the groundwork on which Stoicism would later be built. It’s no wonder he was Epictetus’s hero.

Discipline Is Destiny by Ryan Holiday
I reread this book—well, technically I listened to the audiobook for the first time—on a whim while driving to the Grand Canyon. It’s amazing how much I’d missed the first time through. If you haven’t read Discipline Is Destiny, you’re truly missing out. Also, the afterword is one of the best reflections on the writing process I’ve ever read.

Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor
Oh my gosh, this book is absolutely brilliant—and haunting. It’s the ultimate example of “words as weapons.” It’s short, too—you can probably read it in under an hour. By the end you’ll be smiling and thinking holy shit at the protagonist’s brilliance.

Reading Etty Hillesum in Context edited by Klaas A.D. Smelik, Gerrit Van Oord, Jurjen Wiersma
As I may have mentioned, I LOVE Etty Hillesum. After reading An Interrupted Life and Letters from Westerbork by Etty Hillesum, Etty Hillesum: A Life Transformed by Patrick Woodhouse, Enduring Lives: Living Portraits of Women and Faith in Action by Carol Lee Flinders (the section on Etty), and The Jungian Inspired Holocaust Writings of Etty Hillesum: To Write Is to Act by Barbara Morrill, I had to read this textbook that Morrill recommended. If you want a deeper understanding of who Etty was and the world in which she wrote her diary, this is the book to pick up.

Books Read This Month

Favorite Books, Reading / /

Etty Hillesum: A Life Transformed by Patrick Woodhouse
The more I read about Etty Hillesum, the more in awe I am of her. This book deepened my understanding of what shaped her spiritual awakening—and I still don’t have the words to do it justice. There’s so much I want to say about it, and about Etty, but at the moment it would just come out as word vomit. (Case in point: the other day I asked Courtney to come to my office and she assumed I wanted to read her another Etty passage.) So for now, I’m holding back until I can write about it properly. Suffice it to say: this book is brilliant. (Also, the section on Etty in Enduring Lives: Living Portraits of Women and Faith in Action by Carol Lee Flinders is worth the price of the whole book.)

So Gay For You by Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig
I love a good memoir, and after reading a sample of this one on Amazon, and laughing out loud, I bought it on the spot. It opens with Leisha Hailey recalling the moment she first heard about a new TV show that would eventually become The L Word:

“I was at a barbecue in the Hollywood Hills talking to an ex of one of my exes (in keeping with gay tradition) when she mentioned the lesbian pilot. “Oh, did they finally find Amelia Earhart?” I asked. She chuckled, which made no sense to me, since I was genuinely invested in the aviator’s whereabouts.”

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of one of my all-time favorite memoirs, High School.

On Solitude by Montaigne
I love the way Montaigne writes. (He is the inventor of the modern essay, after all.) He follows his curiosity wherever it leads, flowing from one thought to the next like he’s having a conversation with himself. But what really makes this worth reading is the wisdom inside. It’s like eavesdropping on someone who’s thinking things through in real time—and stumbling on truths that still hold up centuries later.

Still Writing by Dani Shapiro
I loved this book. It’s full of writing wisdom, yes, but more importantly, it’s full of encouragement. One idea that especially stuck with me was about lowering the stakes: a writer friend of Shapiro’s set out to write a short, bad book. That was the goal. No pressure, no perfection. Just a short, bad book. It ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize.

The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman & A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy
No matter how many times I read these books—at this point, it’s probably five or six times each—I always discover something new. When I first read The Daily Stoic in 2016, it felt like a launching pad for the rest of my life. Nine years later, I’m still learning from it. It’s written in a page-a-day format, and this year Courtney and I have been reading a page aloud together each night after dinner. A Calendar of Wisdom has been life-changing, too. I picked it up for the first time in 2019, and now I read a page each night before bed. Somehow, the insights still land as if I’m hearing them for the first time.

Books Read (June 2025)

Reading / /

An Interrupted Life and Letters from Westerbork by Etty Hillesum
I almost didn’t include this on the list because there’s nothing I can say that would do this book justice. All the great things I want to say inevitably fall short; it’s simply one of the best books I’ve ever read, probably in my top three. How had I never heard of Etty Hillesum? She was a Dutch Jewish woman who began keeping a journal at twenty-seven—just nine months after Hitler occupied the Netherlands in 1941. Two years later, she was deported to Auschwitz, along with her parents, and killed in a gas chamber. But her journals and letters to friends survive—and they’re remarkable. Actually, remarkable doesn’t even come close. Through her writing, we watch her grow—spiritually, emotionally, philosophically—in the face of unthinkable horror. She writes with a clarity and depth that reminds me of the Stoics. In Westerbork, the transit camp, she describes walking beside the barbed wire fences and feeling…joy. She wasn’t delusional or in denial—she knew full well her likely fate. Yet her awareness didn’t lead her to despair; it led her to presence, to love, to lightness. I told Courtney how obsessed I am with Etty. And I meant it. I’ve already started ordering more books about her, including…

The Jungian Inspired Holocaust Writings of Etty Hillesum: To Write is to Act by Barbara Morrill
As I mentioned, I’ve been obsessed with Etty Hillesum ever since I read her diaries. This is a powerful companion to her writing, offering deeper context about the world she lived in and the Jungian philosophy that helped shape her inner transformation.

What You’re Made For by George Raveling and Ryan Holiday
I really enjoyed this one. One of my favorite takeaways: before ending a conversation, Raveling tells the person he loves them (if they’re not a stranger) and asks sincerely, What can I do for you? I’ve been trying to remember to ask that question to everyone I talk to.

Vertigo by Louise DeSalvo
I’ve been reading Louise DeSalvo ever since I read Writing as a Way of Healing. There’s something deeply comforting about her voice—clear, honest, easy to read but never simplistic. Every book of hers circles the same theme: how we make space for our creative work while still thriving in the real world.

Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
Wow. This book opened my eyes to the problems we face as a country and what we can actually do to solve them. Really thought-provoking and, surprisingly, hopeful.

Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton
I’ve been reading published journals lately, and I really enjoyed this one. May Sarton captures a year of her inner life—writing, reflecting, and navigating the tension between solitude and connection. She calls time to think and be the greatest luxury, and wrestles honestly with how to use it well.

Books Read (May 2025)

Reading / /

–The Art of Slow Writing by Louise DeSalvo
So, so good. I only put it down when I absolutely had to.

–The Courage To Create by Rollie May
I loved this one so much that the second I finished it, I searched for more of his books and ordered Man’s Search for Himself. He’s brilliant.

–The Artist’s Way Toolkit by Julia Cameron
This reminded me what my morning pages are really for: taking action. It led me to another one of her books…

–Write for Life
Easily one of the best books I’ve read about writing. It does what every book on writing wants to do: it makes you actually write. That’s her whole motto—just write. Even if you have nothing to say, write. And if you want to better understand Morning Pages, read The Artist’s Way.

–Fahrenheit 182 by Mark Hoppus
Blink-182 was my favorite band growing up, so when Mark Hoppus released this memoir in March, I had to read it. It’s hilarious and surprisingly moving. One of the best memoirs I’ve read.

–Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change by Ben Austen
Courtney has been telling me to read this for like two years, and holy crap. I apologized for five days straight for not reading it sooner. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. It completely changed the way I see the justice system—and this country’s obsession with mass incarceration. It also made me furious. I said to Courtney, “How the hell is it legal for a person with zero critical thinking skills to determine someone’s future? Shouldn’t they be required to, I don’t know, prove they’ve ever read a book? Jury members are screened for bias—why aren’t parole board members required to show they can think beyond ‘tough on crime’ political soundbites? How is any of this legal?” The answer: it shouldn’t be. Everyone needs to read this book.

Books Read (April 2025)

Reading / /

–The Mind on Fire by Robert D. Richardson is an epic biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Wow. Wow. Wow. It’s a long one, but every page is full of gems.

–Drawing From Life: The Journal as Art by Jennifer New and 101 Things I Learned in Product Design School by Sung Jang, Martin Thaler, and Matthew Frederick were quick, fun reads.

-Oh my gosh, Writing as a Way of Healing by Louise DeSalvo is INSANE. So good. I originally picked it up to explore writing for emotional well-being, but it also doubles as a guide on how to write a book. I underlined or starred something on almost every page. You can see my enthusiasm scribbled all over the inside cover.

It’s one of my favorite books about writing, along with Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and Write For Life, Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, Verlyn Klinkenborg’s Several Short Sentences About Writing, Stephen Marche’s On Writing and Failure, and…

–The Art of Slow Writing also by Louise DeSalvo—a book I found going down the rabbit hole after reading Writing as a Way of Healing. It’s incredible. If you’re a writer, you need to read it. I love how she writes and what she writes about. So I of course had to pick up her memoir Vertigo, which is STELLAR so far. (More on that one next month!)

–The Autobiography of Malcolm X by, well, Malcolm X is just as powerful as everyone says. Super eye-opening. I considered things I hadn’t before. And it’s incredibly inspiring: a man reads his way through a prison library and becomes one of the most powerful activists in the world. He would be so sad to see the state of our country today.

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