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.

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.