02/05/2026
Just some brief comments on some of the books I’ve read the last few months…
Against The Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity by the brilliant English writer, prophet and poet, Paul Kingsnorth | This is the most disturbing book I’ve read in a long time as he explores the all enveloping technological matrix we live and participate in, and the impact on our humanness. It’s a book that once you read, you can’t unsee things. His work reminds me a lot of the French philosopher and theologian Jacques Ellul. So don’t read if you like your naïveté.
The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life by Helen Whybrow, who lives on a farm in Vermont. | This may be the most beautifully written book I’ve read in a long time. This piece in particular reminded me a lot of Annie Dillard’s 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Just such beautiful and descriptive prose.
Byung-Chul Han | I am late to the party reading this South Korean born, German philosopher. He has written a ton — and nowhere to be found online — and his thinking is profound on a lot of different topics. Very hard to read. But The Burnout Society got me started and I worked my way through The Scent of Time and The Crisis of Narration. Will keep on reading his work.
Table for Two by the American novelist Amor Towles | This was a beautiful piece of fiction, across multiple stories and time periods. He’s one of those fiction writers that makes every word count. It explores themes around relationships and identity (which I love as a therapist)…and much more. I still think his book A Gentleman in Moscow is one of the best pieces of fiction I have read.
So if you are looking for beautiful writing that challenges your thoughts and life. I highly recommend.
