Intro
This is Time's Corner, a weekly newsletter by Christian Leithart. I’m the editor of Good Work magazine and the creator of Psalm Tap, a yearly colloquium for church musicians. By day, I teach, and by night, I edit this newsletter.
Here at Time’s Corner, Thursdays are devoted to your replies. On Monday, I asked:
What have you been reading lately?
From You
Laura says:
We are reading Sir Walter Scott’s 4-volume History of Scotland (written to his grandson) out loud, and it is very engaging. Some of the names are hilarious and would make good names for dogs or roosters.
My respect for Scott has grown a lot over the years. Color me interested.
Remy says:
I'm rereading The Place of the Lion by Charles Williams, which has me laughing out loud. In my youth, I was bewildered by his novels. I'm doing much better to keep up on this reading, though it is still deliciously bewildering. I'm also reading the stolid short stories of Wallace Stegner, paired with the starkness of Sarah Hall's Madam Zero.
I too tried Williams before I was ready and could make neither head nor tail of him. A few years ago, I read Descent into Hell and was absolutely blown away.
Logan says:
The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness and Effectiveness, by Epictetus; The Lord of the Rings; The Brothers Karamazov
I need to revisit LotR. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Tolkien is one of the great writers of the 20th century. We haven’t begun to delve the depths of his work.
Tim says:
I recently finished Wodehouse’s A Damsel in Distress (always fun) and just started In the House of Tom Bombadil by C.R. Wiley, which should be interesting.
Earlier this year I read Mine Were of Trouble by Peter Kemp, a memoir of a British student who volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the Nationalists. A fascinating account of a period of history I know little about.
Wiley’s book was very interesting. It would be fun to discuss it. Let me know when you’re done.
Melissa says:
What have I been reading lately? I lamented to a friend just last week that the only books I've been able to finish lately have been cheap murder mysteries. I've devoured all three of the entries in the Thursday Murder Club series in the last couple of months. They're not great literature, but Richard Osman does a decent job of creating complex plots with enough red herrings to throw me off the scent. And it's fun to read about septuagenarian sleuths.
I've started a lot of books, though, and I haven't actually given up on any of them yet: Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, which I've been reading for about 5 years now. Winters in the World by Eleanor Parker. Jesus of Nazareth: Vol. 1 by Pope Benedict XVI. The Memoirs of Sir Ronald Storrs (Storrs was a colleague of Lawrence of Arabia during the revolt in the desert). Metalogicon by John of Salisbury. The Spirit of the Liturgy by Josef Ratzinger (I think you're supposed to change the name of the author depending on what he was called at the time of publication).
Finishing books is overrated! Those books look like they’re worth spending time in, even time in small portions.
Upcoming
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Up To
Reading: Susan Wise Bauer’s History of the Ancient World. The parts of the book that cover the very distant past are yawnsville because she dismisses all the legends out of hand. I’m in the section on the Roman Republic, however, which is thorough, but not detailed—perfect for my needs at the moment.
Watching: The Office. You know, it’s just not as funny as it was when I was in college… *Prepares for Millennial backlash*
Listening: LCD Soundsystem, mostly because I re-watched the music video for “oh baby,” directed by Rian Johnson.
About
I’m Christian Leithart, a writer and teacher living in Birmingham, Alabama. I’m not active on social media, but you can read my blog here. Use the button below to share this issue of Time’s Corner, if you so desire. Thanks much for reading.