Reading List
Top Book Read Each Year
2023
The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American by Andrew L. Seidel(2021)
2022
War is a Racket by Smedley D. Butler(1935)
2021
No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan(2006)
On Biblical and Adjacent Texts
Several of the books listed below are collections of works that are currently or formerly considered authoritative religious texts within various sects of Judaism, Christianity, and related religions. The number of translated texts that fall into this category is massive, poorly documented, and many books share names. To simplify the process of keeping track of which specific ones I’ve read since 2021, I keep this Google spreadsheet. It includes the title or titles of each work, along with any basic information provided in a given publication that can help organize the list.
Welcome to the full list of books I’ve read since I began to keep track. The list is mostly just there for me, but I invite you to take a look below if you’re curious about what I’m currently reading and what all I’ve read.
Currently Reading
Individual Books
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Progress: Page 79. Chapter 14
Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record, Second Edition by Michael J. Benton and David A.T. Harper
Progress: Page 129. Chapter 5: Taphonomy and the quality of the fossil record
Collections
Josephus Flavius: Complete Works by Annotated Classics
Progress: Page 423. The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem(a.k.a. Wars of the Jews/Jewish War), Book 4, Chapter 10
Tanakh and Talmud by Max Margolis and Michael Levi Rodkinson
Progress: Page 494. Devarim(Deuteronomy) 29:1
Codex Sinaiticus: The H.T. Anderson New Testament by Henry Tompkins Anderson
Progress: Page 270. Paul to the Romans 1:1
Have Read
The following are books that I’ve read from July 2021 onward, in order by most recently completed. A book's inclusion in this list does not represent an endorsement. It simply states that I have read and finished the named work. All additional notes and disclaimers can be found at the bottom of this page.
2024
Leading and Supportive Love: The Truth About Dominant and Submissive Relationships
by Chris M. LyonSettlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat from Mayflower to Modern
by J. SakaiJourneys to Heaven and Hell: Tours of the Afterlife in the Early Christian Tradition
by Bart D. EhrmanPolywise: A Deeper Dive into Navigating Open Relationships
by Jessica Fern and David CooleyThe Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English
by Geza VermesKebra Nagast: Bilingual Edition, Classical Ethiopic-English
by Carl BezoldLinguistics & Biblical Exegesis
by Douglas Mangum and Josh WestburySing Me to Sleep
by R.M. VirtuesSocial & Historical Approaches to the Bible
by Douglas Mangum and Amy BaloghDie Griechische Daniel-Diegese**
by Klaus BergerMisquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why
by Bart D. EhrmanBleach: The Death Save The Strawberry
by Tite Kubo and Makoto MatsubaraPolysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy
by Jessica Fern
2023
A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (and Some Bears)
by Matthew Hongoltz-HetlingThe Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American
by Andrew L. SeidelThe Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume Two: Expansions of the “Old Testament” and Legends, Wisdom and Philosophical Literature, Prayers, Psalms, and Odes, Fragments of Lost Judeo-Hellenistic Works
by James H. CharlesworthThe Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts
by Mark S. SmithThe Arbatel of Magick: Of the Magic of the Ancients
by Tarl Warwick教えてゆか先生!日本語会話表現(Teach me Yuka Sensei! Japanese Conversational Phrases)
by 村上由佳(Yuka Murakami)Kabbalah: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners Wanting to Understand Hermetic and Jewish Qabalah Along with the Power of Mysticism
by Mari SilvaInvention and Innovation, The Social Context of Technological Change 2: Egypt, the Aegean and the Near East, 1650-1150 B.C.
by Janine Bourriau and Jacke PhillipsThe Ascension of Isaiah: Ge'ez-English Edition
by Robert CharlesLiber Salomonis: Sepher Raziel
by Tarl WarwickThe Apocryphal Third Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: or 3 Corinthians
by CrossReach PublicationsThe Chaldean Account of Genesis: The Creation, the Fall of Man, the Deluge, the Tower of Babel, the Times of the Patriarchs, and Nimrod; Babylonian Fables and Legends of the Gods
by George Smith
2022
Five Books of St. Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons: Against Heresies with the Fragments that Remain of His Other Works
by John KebleTextual Criticism of the Bible, Revised Edition
by Amy Anderson and Wendy WidderThe Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume One: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments by James H. Charlesworth
State and Revolution
by Vladimir LeninThe Corpus Hermeticum: Initiation Into Hermetics, The Hermetica of Hermes Trismegistus
by G.R.S. Mead and John Michael GreerAn Introduction to Ethiopic Christian Literature
by J.M. HardenBlink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
by Malcolm GladwellBroadcast News: Writing, Reporting, and Producing, 7th Edition
by Frank BarnasStories from Ancient Canaan, Second Edition
by Mark S. Smith and Michael D. CooganAnthropomorphisms in P: A Conference Paper
by Michael S. HeiserHere I Stand
by Paul RobesonThe Old Testament Response to Pagan Divination: A Conference Paper
by Michael S. HeiserThe Very First Bible: Original Scriptures Transcribed by Marcion of Sinope in 144 A.D.
by the Marcionite Christian ChurchHorseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms: The Story of Animals and Plants that Time has Left Behind
by Richard ForteyI'm Glad My Mom Died
by Jennette McCurdyThinking Clearly About the Jesus Family Tomb: A Conference Paper
by Michael S. HeiserHow Jesus Became God: the Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
by Bart D. EhrmanThe Divine Council in the Pentateuch: A Conference Paper
by Michael S. HeiserDoes Divine Plurality in the Hebrew Bible Demonstrate an Evolution From Polytheism to Monotheism in Israelite Religion?: A Conference Paper
by Michael S. HeiserAre Yahweh and El Separate Deities in Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32?: A Conference Paper
by Michael S. HeiserImperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism
by Vladimir LeninThe Communist Manifesto
by Karl Marx and Friedrich EngelsWar is a Racket
by Major General Smedley D. ButlerBooks of the Ethiopian Bible Missing from the Protestant Canon
by the Ethiopian ChurchEntangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures
by Merlin Sheldrake
2021
Dao De Jing in Clear English Including a Step-by-Step Translation
by Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wangドラマの基本の書き方:映像ドラマとオーディオドラマ(How to Write the Foundation of a Drama: Visual Dramas and Audio Dramas)*
by 森治美(Harumi Mori)Studio Television Production and Directing
by Andrew Hicks UtterbackNo god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
by Reza AslanThe Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts
by Marvin W. Meyer and James M. RobinsonThe Talmud
by H. PolanoThe Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ
by Joseph SmithThe Holy Kojiki Including the Yengishiki
by Cosimo ClassicsClick Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World
by Bruce SchneierThe Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
by Eckhart TolleIs This Wi-Fi Organic: A Guide to Spotting Misleading Science Online
by Dave FarinaThe Clear Quran: A Thematic English Translation
by Mustafa Khattab嫌われる勇気:自己啓発の源流「アドラー」の教え(The Courage to be Disliked: The Basis of Self-Development, Teachings of Adler)*
by 岸見一郎(Ichirou Kishimi) and 古賀史健(Fumitake Koga)Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
by Reza AslanHalo: Glasslands
by Karen Traviss
(Due to the nature of some works, the names following the word “by” can be authors, editors, publishers, and/or translators. In the absence of a name, the publisher is credited.)
(Research papers are included in the list if they are sold individually as e-books or physical bound books.)
(A lack of page number on the “currently reading” list indicates a digital copy of the book without page numbers included.)
(*If a book from Japan is titled in its original language, it means that I read the book in Japanese and do not know the official English language title if there is one. In these cases, the translations in parentheses are my own.)
(**The book(s) tagged were unavailable in a language I can read, and were read via digital translation aid.)