Seasons of Reading

We mark the passage of time by the books we re-read

In a recent essay,

David Coggins

makes the case for annual traditions. For him, the arrival of the new Smythson Panama diary, the Masters, and fishing trips signal the passage of time. He observes the importance of sports in our collective ritual tearing-off of the days on the calendar – the Super Bowl, March Madness, the opening of the baseball season (or, for some of us, pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training – capital S and T), the college and pro football kickoffs, the World Series, the Dallas Cowboys losing on Thanksgiving Day – all offer comforting reassurance as time wooshes by.

For me, though, the tradition that truly marks the seasons is my reading. My Jesuit political philosophy professor, Fr. Schall, often repeated his maxim that “if you’ve only read a book once, you haven’t really read it.” I think about that a lot. In fact, I’ve learned that when you read a book for the first time, you’re mostly reading it to judge whether you should read it again.

Over the years, I’ve built a tradition of reading that returns me again and again to certain foundational books. These come close to comprising what my friend Ellen Fishbein calls the Reading Bible – in her case, the ten or so books that have hugely influenced her life and that she returns to for succor and inspiration. I have books I read every day, every year, and every few years. Not all of them make my “25 Books for the Rest of My Life” list (which I should update) – but they have become almost substratal to me, my sense of identity and place in the world.

Let me take you on a tour through them.

DAILY

The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living by Eknath Easwaran

For three years, I have read a verse and its commentary each evening. I suspect I will for the rest of my life.

The Treasury of Traditional Wisdom (now titled The Spiritual Ascent) compiled by Whitall Perry

I read two or three pages each morning before starting to write. It connects me with the long reach of accumulated human wisdom about what is, as Fr. Schall would say.

The Bible

A couple years ago, I read along with Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” podcast – one of the most profound experiences of my life.

A Calendar of Wisdom compiled by Leo Tolstoy

He assembled this book of quotes, almost like his own personal Treasury. I think of Tolstoy as I think of George Harrison – poets famous in their time and place, who realized that fame was not the point – timeless and placeless poetry and wisdom are.

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WEEKLY

There are no books I read from on a weekly basis. Instead, I set aside time to read the magazines, journals and newsletters that have come in that week.

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ANNUAL

Early May: The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume I: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932 by William Manchester

If I could read only one historical or biographical essay for the rest of my life, this would be the one. I read the Preamble, “The Lion at Bay,” to roughly coincide with Victory in Europe Day. My heavens, the language soars, and we know the man in his glory and his failures. “Joyously human, anachronistic and wise, capable of willful misjudgment and blinding vision, dwarfing all those around him, he was the most benevolent of statesmen and the most gifted.”

Early July: Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau went to Walden Pond on July 4, 1845 to coincide with the birthday of his beloved, deceased brother. Every year around July 4th, I read all or most of Walden – and certainly the first chapter, “Economics.”

Summer: Poems by Walt Whitman

The newest addition to my annual reading custom, thanks to my friend JG.

October: Dracula by Bram Stoker

As creeping night uncovers the Count from his sepulcher, so October cracks open this underrated story of the power of the supernatural in our world.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The book that started all of these practices. You can read my recent annual reviews here, here and here.

Christmas: A Christmas Day Sermon by John Henry Cardinal Newman

Every Christmas Eve or Day, I read one of his Christmas Day sermons. I have this edition from my class on Cardinal Newman with Fr. Fields. It’s hard to find these days, but any volume of Newman’s Parochial and Plain Sermons will contain a fine selection (or this edition includes them all).

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EVERY FEW YEARS

Coggins suggests that a tradition should occur “Each and Every Year.” Especially with re-readings, I disagree: they need not occur on a definitive schedule to become a fine tradition. At irregular intervals, some books call me back to them – maybe only every three or five or more years. When I hear the call, I obey it.

The Iliad or The Odyssey by Homer

I oscillate between them – I may read The Odyssey several times in a row, then switch to a few readings of The Iliad. But as destiny drove on god-like Achilles or the world beckoned wily Odysseus, so these books have enchanted me for years.

You can never have enough editions or translations of Homer

The Book of Revelation

My favorite book of the Bible.

Blessed Are the Peacemakers compiled by Wendell Berry

It is a useful exercise to challenge our fundamental assumptions occasionally.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

At one point, I would have claimed this as my favorite book. Not anymore, but still a wonderful account of what good a single man might do in, and for, this world.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

When I return to Holmes, I start with his incredible return, “The Adventure of the Empty House.” He returns, again, into my life as into the life of his faithful scribe, Dr. Watson. Like a can of Pringles, once I pop open a Sherlock Holmes story, I can’t stop. I have to finish them all.

To Build a Fire by Jack London

The only short story on this list, I pull it out every time I travel to a cold destination. We in the modern world believe we have tamed Nature. And Nature chuckles.

Journey to the East by Hermann Hesse

My favorite Hesse novel. It captured my heart as a high schooler and it still does. I will confess to the view that we all need to embark on a journey to the East, at least once in our lifetime.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

My friend Charles and I agree – however often we have set out with the Fellowship, each new departure brings something previously hidden, something new and lovely, to delight us.

Adventures of a Bystander by Peter Drucker

Drucker was much more than a guru of business and management. He possessed a wise, noble, and beautiful soul.

Another Sort of Learning by James V. Schall, S.J.

Perhaps the book — but certainly the teacher — that began my true education. It contains a superlative list of books to read should you, too, seek a true education.

Heart of the County by Greg Matthews

My favorite Western – even more than Lonesome Dove.

Men at Work by George F. Will

A lovely paean to the craft and mentality behind America’s True National Pastime, baseball.

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte

The data matter. How we show the data matters more.

Natural Born Heroes by Christopher McDougall

Part WWII spy tale; part amateur sleuthing story; part fitness and nutrition guide, all fantastically intertwined.

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As we come into spring — the season of new life and rebirth — I hope you will consider starting or expanding your own reading traditions. May they help you mark the seasons of your year – and your life.