Ancient texts.

We incessantly pay attention to our Twitter or Facebook feeds as they tempt us to pay attention to the urgent. If it happened yesterday, it is stale. We tend to only look to the most recent post on the blog and disregard what has gone before. If you are reading this sometime after 17 April, 2016, thank-you for scrolling through the "stale" posts. Timeless truths are set aside for what is being said today and if we could figure out what will be said tomorrow, then it is even better. A quick look at my Amazon receipt reflects this same pattern. There are a couple exceptions; I regularly read the Bible and recently been working through The Souls of Black Folks (1903) by W.E.B. DuBois. These texts carry us away to another time an place, challenge our use of language through new (or actually old) words and help us better understand our world today. A great source for insight into recommended dusty volumes, check out the fantastic work of Maria Popova over at Brain Pickings.

What is the oldest book you have read? How do you decide what books to read? How many books do you average per year? What is a favorite text? Why do you like your favorite genre? How can you be intentional about rotating in older titles?