12 Books I'm Reading in 2024

What, how and why I read

Since I’m often asked what I’m reading, here’s my plan for 2024. Most books aren’t worth reading, and life is busy, so it’s important to be selective. It’s also important to remember that the point of reading isn’t to be able to sound cultured. The point of reading a book isn’t to be able to say you’ve read it; the point is to understand reality better and become wiser.

These books, then, are the ones I’ll be reading with that aim in mind. I’ll read others, too: my work as a literature tutor involves daily reading of classic literature — novels, poems and plays. And I’ll also be reading the Bible, Church doctrine and daily practical meditations. But these are the books I’ll be studying and taking notes on.

My notes are minimal and help me to remember the right thing at the right moment. They’re also how I engage in conversation with the writers and distill what’s truly important. I write as I read because it’s all part of the same activity: feeding and forming the mind. And I don’t note something down just because it impresses me in the moment. I let some time pass until the novelty has worn off.

1. Aquinas, Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

   Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics was one of the last books I taught at Eton before I was fired. It’s probably the best book on what it means to be a man, and in 650 pages here Aquinas gives the best commentary on it.