After further review I’ve decided to change course in my reading of the Great Books for two reasons. One, there are 474 books/works in the series, and at one per week that would take me about 9 years. I don’t have the health or longevity at this point to commit to that, whole-hog. Two, my chronic fatigue gives me very little energy to do really heavy reading, and if I give an hour a day to the Great Books, I have little left for heavy theology and Biblical studies. I find it best to do that heavy reading in focused bursts, according to my energy levels and topical interests.
I think an exhaustive, slow reading of these great books is best left to future Adam. Once I am more widely read and more intellectually mature, I will be better prepared to make decisions to skip certain sections while focusing on those more important. I recognize my own inability and don’t think I have the complete discernment to make those decisions yet, at the level required to get all I can from the set.
So my goal isn’t to exhaust the set but to peruse it topically and learn organically as I discover new connections and ideas that inspire me. This leaves me free to explore and free to back totally off and just do light reading if I need to rest for a few days.
The New Methodology
I will post at least once per week on some big idea from the books and will include a quote I found enlightening in my research. Each of these posts will still be tagged “The Great Books” so you can see them all aggregated there.
The point: you will be seeing much more randomness as I pull key concepts from across multiple disciplines as I find things that inspire me and educate me in some way. The model I’m shooting for is something like Maria Popova’s incredible site, Brainpickings and Shane Parrish’s FarnamStreetBlog. Instead of a few long-form treatments, you will get many single ideas, plus a few long-forms as I continue to produce essays and reviews.
Additional Changes and Personal Updates
Book Reviews
Also, I have been recruited to review some books for a couple Christian publishing houses, so you will see more classic book reviews as I work through those. My goal, as always, is to put quality material in your face, and these changes are a necessary next-step as I grow into that effort.
Tech for Academics
Another change in blog content will be in a new focus: technology for Academics and students. I hope to post a whole series on that, so if you find it unhelpful, skip them. My hope is that as I build a base of posts on it I can spread that around and help many online who seriously need help doing research and staying above water. God has given me some time the past couple years for me to just sit still and hammer these things out, so I hope to communicate that as well.
A New Book (?)
I am beginning to focus on compiling the curriculum for my current Sunday School class into book form for potential publishing. I will probably post snippets of that from time to time. I covet your feedback and interaction, and your prayers.
Fiction
I write lots of fiction, but post none online. I think as I continue to hone my skills, I will post some short stories to the blog as well. Again, feedback is encouraged!
TheTruthWiki
I will post updates as they come, but for now, I’m still planning this project and hope to come to a conclusive mission statement and vision very soon.
Thank you for reading my little blog!