Somewhat inspired by FOTB (Friends Of This Blog) Leigh and Bob, I thought it would be amusing to list the books that I read in 2025. If nothing else, it may help to illuminate the madness that is my mind.
Books are listed in order read throughout the year:
1) Rome's Enemies: The Desert Frontier - David Nicolle
2) Ultra Running for Normal People - Sid Garza-Hillman
3) Praying the Word - Enzo Bianchi
4) A Brief History of Vietnam - Bill Hayton
5) The Unfettered Mind - Takuan Soho
6) A Beginner's Guide to Japanese Haiku - William Scott Wilson
7) The Forlorn Hope - David Drake
8) Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker
9) Get Your Life Back - John Eldredge
10) Samurai Wisdom - Thomas Cleary
11) The Peloponnesian War - Donald Kagan
12) Eaters of the Dead - Michael Crichton
13) Poitiers A.D. 732 - David Nicholle
14) Mistras - Myrtali Acheimastou-Potamianou
15) Iai: The Art of Drawing the Sword - Darrell Max Craig
16) The Varangian Guard: 988-1453 - Raffaele D'Amato
17) Ultralearning- Scott Young
18) Rome's Enemies: Germanics and Dacians - Peter Wilcox
19) Granada 1492 - David Nicolle
20) Letters #1 - Basil the Great
21) Tusculum Disputations Cicero
22) Epitome of Roman History - Florus
23) The End of the World is just The Beginning - Peter Zeihan
24) The End of E-mail - Cal Newport
25) Deep Work - Cal Newport
26) Rome's Enemies: Spanish Armies - David Nicolle
27) Living in Wonder - Rod Dreher
28) Nukazuke - Nami Yamada
29) Byzantine Imperial Guardsman 925-1025 - Raffaele D'Amato
30) The Age of Charlemagne - David Nicolle
31) Byzantine Cavalryman c. 900-1204- Timothy Dawson
32) Constantinople 1453 - David Nicolle
33) The Full Moon Coffee Shop - Mai Mochizuki
34) Soldiers of the Dragon - C J Peers
35) Anglo Saxon Kings and Warlords A.D. 400-1070 - Raffaele D'Amato
36) Armies of the Muslim Conquest - David Nicolle
37) Byzantine Naval Forces 1261-1461 - Raffaele D'Amato
38) Campaldino 1289 - Kelly Devries
39) Sparta's Third Attic War - Paul Rahe
40) Armies of the Caliphate 862-1098 - David Nicolle
41) The Sultan of Byzantium - Selçuk Alcun
42) Wurmbrand: Tortured for Christ - Voice of the Martyrs
43) Hogen Monogatari - William R. Wilson
44) Troy c. 1700-1250 B.C. - Nic Fields
45) Manzikert 1071 - David Nicolle
46) The Intellectual Life - A.G. Sertillanges
47) Constantinople A.D. 717-18 - Si Sheppard
48) How to become CEO - Jeffrey Fox
49) The Varangian Guard: 988-1453 - Raffaele D'Amato (Repeat)
50) Knave of Dreams - Andre Norton
51) Uller Uprising - H. Beam Piper
52) Falkenberg's Legion - Jerry Pournelle
53) Teutoberger Wald A.D. 9 - Michael McNally
54) Heavenly Participation - Hans Boersma
55) The Hundred Rules of War - Tsukahara Bokuden
56) The Trivium - Sister Mirriam Joseph
57) Sassanian Elite Cavalry A.D. 224-642 - Kaveh Farrokh
58) Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude - Jeffrey Gitomer
59) Strategy - B.H. Liddell Hart
60) A Beginner's Guide to Prayer - Michael Keiser
61) The Rule of Saint Benedict
62) A Pilgrim's Guide to 46 Temples - Shiro Usui
63) The Way of Simplicity - Esther de Waal
64) The World Beyond Your Head - Matthew B. Crawford
65) Little Bighorn 1876 - Peter Panzeri
66) Conan - Robert E. Howard
67) Conan of Cimmeria - Robert E. Howard
68) Conan the Freebooter - Robert E. Howard
69) Conan the Wanderer - Robert E. Howard
70) Conan the Adventurer - Robert E. Howard
71) Edge of Eternity - Randy Alcorn
72) The Sword of No Sword - John Stevens
73) Cultivating Ch'i- Kaibara Ekiken
74) The Shallows - Nicholas Carr
75) If You Love The Lord - Keith Green
76) Superbloom - Nicholas Carr
77) Vikings: Lord of the Seas
78) The Onin War - H. Paul Varley
79) Conan the Buccaneer - Robert E. Howard
80) Conan the Warrior - Robert E. Howard
81) Conan the Usurper - Robert E. Howard
82) Rachel's Folly - Patrice Lewis
83) Conan the Conqueror - Robert E. Howard
84) Conan the Avenger - Robert E. Howard
85) Conan of Aquilonia - Robert E. Howard
86) Conan of the Isles - Robert E. Howard
87) Shopcraft as Soulcraft - Matthew B. Crawford
88) The Call - Os Guinness
89) Orthodoxy - G.K. Chesterton
90) Epictetus Vol. I
91) The Last Days of Socrates - Plato
92) Early Samurai 200-1500 A.D. - Anthony J. Bryant
93) Letters to Freya - Helmuth von Moltke
94) The Coaching Habit - Michael Bungay Stanier
95) Praying Hyde - Basil Miller
96) Hitler's Cross - Erwin Lutzer
97) Tecumseh: A Life - John Sugden
98) Prayers and Community: The Benedictine Tradition - Columba Stewart
99) Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Michael Van Dyke
100) The Rubiyat - Omar Khayyam
101) Knights Templar 1120 - 1312 - Helen Nicholson
102) Thermopylae 480 B.C. - Nic Fields
103) Catalunian Fields 451 - Simon McDowell
104) The Mongols - Steven R. Turnbull
105) Attila and the Huns - David Nicolle
106) St. Thomas Aquinas/St. Francis of Assisi - G.K. Chesterton
107) Epictetus Vol. II
108) The Forlorn Hope - David Drake (Repeat)
109) Dark Piper - Andre Norton
110) The Wizard and The Warlord - Elizabeth Boyer
111) The Sword and The Satchel - Elizabeth Boyer
112) Waiting for God - Simone Weil
113) The Punic Wars 264-146 B.C. - Roger Bagnall
114) The Advice Trap - Michael Bungay Stanier
115) Harpax Legomena Vol. 1 Spring 2025
116) Bruce Lee: The Art of Expressing The Human Body - John Lee
117) Tractes/Consolation of Philosophy- Boethius
118) Juran on Leadership for Quality - J.M. Juran
119) The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg
120) Hagakure - Yamamoto Tsunetomo
121) The Harper's Handbook - Laurie Riley
122) Ecclesiastical History of The English People I - Bede
123) The Gallic War - Caesar
124) Christ In the Carols- Christopher and Melodie Lane
125) The Bible
Looking over my working shelf of reading (not as organized as yours it seems) I have only one book in common with your list. But it's a daily read, sometimes more when I am disturbed about something.
ReplyDeleteMichael - I think 90% of these are ones that I have here in the house with me. Over the years I found most libraries never had the works I wanted, so I started buying them. That habit has stuck with me through the now-endemic availability of everything online. There is just something more satisfying about a physical copy.
DeleteMy mind doesn't have the focus anymore to get through that many books a year. Maybe 50 is all I can do anymore. Although when I relapsed my 35 year ban on fiction last fall, I probably upped that number a bit last year though I plan on returning mostly to non-fiction this year so I'll slow back down again.
ReplyDeleteEd, I have always been a pretty heavy reader - and to Nylon12's point below, at least a quarter of those are Osprey Publishing works, which are 80 - 100 pp.
DeleteThat said, I am working on trying to be a bit more targeted in my reading this year.
Interesting list there TB, a few I intend to look into myself. Let's hear it for Osprey Publishing! Huzzah! (grumbling coming from my wallet/credit card)
ReplyDeleteNylon12, you have a sharp eye sir!
DeleteOsprey Publishing is my bane. They produce a great product (I can scarcely think of any of their books that have not been at least moderately informative, even if the art was hit or miss). I can always seem to find room for one more.
If you are looking to buy more, try Thriftbooks.com. They often have what I am looking for and free shipping over $15.00.
The reading list that just keeps going! TB, I always enjoy hearing your thoughts about books you've read/are reading, and at least one is on my shelf due to you (The Benedict Option). I have a couple of the books you list here (Wurmbrand and The Call) - maybe you will inspire me to read finally read them. Wanting to get back to reading, I put an adjustable-height, desk-top book holder on my gift wishlist. Youngest son got it for me, so I'm eager to see if it makes reading, especially hardbacks and thick books, easier.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, what a list! I read "Why We Sleep" years ago and found it fascinating. Read Cal Newport's "Digital Minimalism" and does not surprise at all that he has one titled "The End of E-mail." Going on the TBR!
ReplyDelete