What I Read Q4 2025

Donna Tartt's The Secret History; Frankenstein and Dracula; More on Traditionalism from Pallis and Coomaraswamy; on freewriting; and the beginning of…

Jan 1 • Russell Smith

3

5

1

December 2025

It’s Christmas Day! The Spirits Have Done It All in One Night!

Reflections on my 30th annual reading of A Christmas Carol

Dec 18, 2025 • Russell Smith

6

9

1

O Christmas Teas O Christmas Teas

Reviewing 12 Teas for the 12 Days of Christmas

Dec 4, 2025 • Russell Smith

6

6

1

November 2025

Solvitur Ambulando

We Transform Ourselves When We Walk

Nov 20, 2025 • Russell Smith

10

4

1

For It Is In Giving That We Receive

A 2025 Holiday Gift Guide

Nov 13, 2025 • Russell Smith

5

6

1

October 2025

A Conversation with Sophia and Sarah Boese of Louisville Tea Company

On tea regions and types, why we drink tea, the beauty of kintsugi, and my favorite teas

Oct 30, 2025 • Russell Smith

1

4

1

56:02

What I Read Q3 2025

Slowing down; Mishima and Marquez; more on The Bhagavad Gita; much more mythology; Chernow's biography of Ulysses S. Grant; and our last hero, Henry…

Oct 16, 2025 • Russell Smith

9

12

1

A Conversation With Writer and Lay Zen Teacher Sara Campbell

On modern community; the writers who inspired her; becoming a Lay Zen teacher; what students owe a teacher and what she owes them; and why we must stay…

Oct 2, 2025 • Russell Smith and Sara Campbell

2

2

2

1:08:50

September 2025

I Love You, Mom. We Love You. We Are Very Proud to be Your Sons

Eulogy for My Mother, Mollie Gaines Smith

Sep 16, 2025 • Russell Smith

24

20

1

August 2025

We Play for the Sheer Joy of Play

Katy Bowser Hutson discusses her upcoming book, Play Book; why adults need play; and how play and philosophy are "kissing cousins"

Aug 29, 2025 • Russell Smith and Katy Bowser Hutson

2

5

1

56:59

A Conversation With Debut Novelist Sarah Landenwich

On her book The Fire Concerto; her writing -- and walking -- habits; her persistence in finding an agent; and loving the genius of forgotten female…

Aug 6, 2025 • Russell Smith

3

2

2

59:30

July 2025

Revisiting Lonesome Dove and Leadership

Celebrating 4 years of Solvitur Ambulando

Jul 17, 2025 • Russell Smith

2

2

1