There have been a number of new subscribers to this Substack lately and I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and share a bit about this reading project.
It all started in a bedroom in Blaine, Minnesota back in the 1980s. My room had a fishtank and a bookshelf. On nights I couldn’t sleep, I’d turn on the fishtank light, select a book, and clandestinely read late into the night.
That was enough of a spark to introduce me to the delight of the written word. But that delight was quickly extinguished during high school where required reading of the classics destroyed any love I had for reading.
That is until someone challenged me between high school and college to read classics as a way to seek Truth. I accepted the challenge and began to read books like Crime & Punishment, The Scarlet Letter, and Moby Dick. I couldn’t believe what I encountered. Those books took me back to that fishtank light illuminating adventures and ideas.
Soon, I was reading more for fun than for my college schoolwork. But after college, I settled into work and mainly read non-fiction. I loved what I was reading, but there was no plan and no direction.
In late 2016, I read Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss and was struck by the sheer number of book recommendations from the world’s top performers. I made a list of the suggested books hoping that by reading them, some of that top performance would rub off on me. I began pondering ways to read these books and to read them quickly.
I decided I’d challenge myself to read 52 of those books a year. I’d try for one book a week. I knew it’d be hard and that I’d be required to change some habits in my life, but I wanted to give it a try. I did so beginning January 1, 2017 and then started a podcast later that year where I shared what I was learning.
I quickly came to realize something quite obvious - that books come from books. That ideas have a path and that there was a canon of great books out there. I knew they existed because I’d been collecting them for years in the hopes that I’d one day sit down and read them.
In 2023, I shifted the focus of this reading project from reading good non-fiction and fiction books to reading The Great Books. I consulted a number of lists and created my own list of Great Books. I then decided to read those books in order from oldest to newest, knowing it would likely take a decade or more.
That’s the path I’m on right now. I’ve never had more fun reading, sharing what I’m learning, and connecting to other readers around the world.
My main line of work is in online consulting and website development. I’ve had my own company for the past 16 years now. I’m also the business manager at Landmark Booksellers in Franklin, TN. I love seeing what books people are buying, thinking of ways to make books more attractive to shoppers, and getting the right book in a young child’s hand. Perhaps they’ll flip on their light on nights they can’t sleep and explore the books in their room.
I am married to Stephanie Staples and we have two daughters.
My Reading Path