A big formal launch of a book club is coming.
The topic for it will be announced soon.
Along with it, likely, my video series will get up and running.
The delay on the video series: we shot a bunch of footage, and the mini documentary is great, but I was somewhat aimless on the direction of my videos. Since getting on Substack, my focus has sharpened.
Also, I moved back to Colorado. I miss Boise. I miss my dream, custom built-in bookshelf I had built, and miss the wonderful state of Idaho. It’s a model of good governance. And Boise is a charming and idyllic place to live.
But my wife is pregnant with our first, Josie Clair is on the way.
They say having a kid changes perspective. Well, Boise, as wonderful as it is, and as much as we loved our house there, proved too far from family. My wife’s family is in Omaha, and my family is split between Boston, New York City area, and sprinkled throughout Florida. We underestimated the difficulty of traveling east from Boise. For family and for our daughter, we moved back. As of this writing I’m still settling in. All of my books are in boxes, with the exception of a handful I ordered on Amazon. I had a plan to announce the bigger launch of the book club, but that topic is in a box somewhere, and I’m waiting until the custom bookshelf is built here to unpack my books.
But I want to test the book club concept before I go full into it.
I’ve picked the book.
The Lives of the Caesars by Seutonius - Tom Holland Translation
This is a brand new translation.
I heard Niall Ferguson on a podcast say he’s reading it, that the translation is superb, and it’s a perfect book for our time.
I heard my favorite, Victor Davis Hanson, saying The Lives of the Caesars is a critical book to read right now to understand the decadence and rot appearing in our current culture.
Here’s how it’s going to work.
I just started Jews vs. Rome by Barry Strauss. Once I finish, I’m guessing around two and a half to three weeks or so, I’ll start Seutonius.
If you’d like to join this somewhat test launch of the book club it’s simple: you need to be a paid subscriber.
Order the book, get the Holland translation.
I’ll start a new thread in my Chat. If you’re joining say hello in the Seutonius thread.
I’m likely going to test video calls or live video with this soft launch.
You don’t need to be an expert, nor do you need to expect reading deadlines, or any of that. My goal is good discussion on the work. My selfish secondary aim is to figure out how to best use Substack features for a book club.
You also don’t need to be reading at the same pace I am, or hammering through. I’ll keep the discussion ongoing so you can read at your own pace. I’ll be available on the chat to answer questions if you pick this up later.
Again, if you’d like to join, buy the Tom Holland translation, say hi in the Seutonius thread, and once I finish Jews vs Rome we’ll begin. I’m guessing around two and a half or three weeks, maybe less, we’ll see. And again, you don’t need to start when I start, you can join later.
This is for paid members only, so upgrade your subscription here:
Upcoming
My summer, aside from buying a new house and moving, was the summer of David Mamet. I have a Recommends article on him coming.
And Recommends are coming on the following:
- The Praise of Folly by Erasmus
- The Soul of Battle by Victor Davis Hanson
- Dashiell Hammett
I have a longer article coming up regarding the modern dating scene, especially in Denver, which was inspired by my reading of Knut Hamsun’s Hunger. It’s written, I’m letting it sit before I edit.
Another one coming up, which I may do some videos on, and this one is also written, is about traditional masculinity, inspired by my reading of The Iliad.
Back to Mamet.
David Mamet hooked me this summer, and I read four of his books, almost in all in a row. I ordered one before a trip, but it didn’t arrive in time, so I read Soul of Battle by Victor Davis Hanson. Mamet left a trail of books he read that fueled his personal revelation that he was not a Liberal but in fact a Conservative. It’s a great list of books. A few of them I will do for the book club, and the first one is not at all on politics, rather it’s a famous book on story and story structures.
When I get to that book, I don’t know yet. After Seutonius, I’m going to inhale a few parenting books and then see where I’m at.
Letters To Josie
This is a new series upcoming to my paid members.
Ever since finding out my wife is pregnant, that I’m going to be a dad, I wanted to write letters to my daughter. Those letters, what spoke to me on my walks thinking of her, will be part memoir, part reflection, part culture, and part observations on life.
I’m currently working on the first one which is on the meaning of Home.
I hope to see some of you join me in reading of The Lives of the Caesars.
