Intro
This is Time's Corner, an occasional newsletter by Christian Leithart. I’m co-founder of Little Word and editor of Good Work magazine. By day, I teach, and by night, I edit this newsletter.
Time’s Corner hasn’t been a weekly newsletter in a while now, and I’m afraid that trend is going to continue in 2025. I will, however, send one newsletter at the end of every month to keep you abreast of my activities. (See below for a list.)
And now to your replies. On Monday, I asked:
What are some of the best books you’ve read this year?
From You
Remy says:
Without consulting my shelf, the books that stick out in my reading this year are Ordinary Time by AG Mojtabai, Borne by Jeff VanderMeer, and the book of poetry I read every year, The Book of Nightmares by Galway Kinnell. I also enjoyed my reread of The Christmas Carol, the first two Dune books (but the third once again killed me), and a run of Superman comics from the late 80s.
Matt says:
Probably the best book I read this year was Going to Church in Medieval England but Micholas Orme. It's not exciting, but rather filled with dense, dry history. However, it's very well-researched and well-written and wonderfully concise. Delightfully, there is no filler. Having spent my whole life in evangelical churches, I cannot count how many times I've heard the phrase "the church is not a social club" during sermons. The main thing that seems obvious after reading this history is that (among other things) the church is indeed a social club and that has long been one of it's primary functions.
I was reminded of this recently when my wife and I got to visit England for the first time earlier this year, and happened to visit St. Paul's in Covent Gardens, which has long been known as the "Actor's Church". Although it wasn't officially sponsored by a guild like many medieval churches where, it was frequently attended by all the local theatre nerds who worked in the nearby West End.
Daniel says:
A few of my favorite books I read this year:
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain - George Saunders
The Remains of the Day and An Artist of the Floating World - Kazuo Ishiguro
My Antonia - Willa Cather
Roman Stories - Jhumpa Lahiri
Soldier Sailor - Claire Kilroy
Orbital - Samantha Harvey
Star Wars: Phasma - Delilah S. Dawson
(I planned to just list two or three, but looking through my list, there were so many good ones)
Tim says:
I enjoyed reading the first few books of the Little House series to my girls. First time reading them as an adult and as a father, I was struck by how hard Ma and Pa worked. Also the books are surprisingly well written.
Thanks for the replies, everyone!
Dispatch from Broken Bow
Here are a few of the projects I will be working on this year, described with varying levels of specificity.
Little Word - We have two books ready for release in 2025, a field guide to liturgical worship and another board book. We’re also working on a Sunday school curriculum. Keep a weather eye out!
Good Work - Since 2023, there have been three issues of Good Work. I’d love to publish it more often (bi-annually or even quarterly), and I’m hoping to raise some funds this year to make that happen.
A canto-by-canto commentary of The Faerie Queene in podcast form. More info soon.
Another stage play. Can’t be more specific right now, but I’m very excited about this one.
A long fiction project (also known as a novel) set in the northwest. Again, no specifics, but I can tell you that parts of it will feel like Earthfasts by William Mayne.
Up To
Reading: Coot Club, part of the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome
Watching: The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2024
About
I’m Christian Leithart, a writer and teacher living in Birmingham, Alabama. 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.