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Great haul! Fubar looks right up my alley. Ken Follett is also on my list of authors I'd eventually like to check out.

Nice haul Vin! I read The Blade Itself years ago I was bored in the middle of it, but the ending made me giggle.

Considering how popular the Tudors are, I know next to nothing about them. I have the Weir book, too. If you read it this year, let me know and I'd be happy to hop on board.

How to be a Good Creature is so beautiful and emotional, prepare the tissues. Sy is always exceptional though, so no real surprise there.

WOW, what a great very diverse haul! Enjoy!

FUBAR looks like fun!

I enjoyed Weir's history books, I've never actually read one of her non-fictions, but both her Six Wives of Henry VIII and her biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine were good. I have a feeling you will like Abercrombie, he is a fun writer. My flatmate used to be Ken Follitt's assistant, but has never read one of his books which I always found funny. Pillars of the Earth has really stuck in my head and I want to re-read it one day.

The Pillars of the Earth- I have thoroughly enjoyed his entire series connected to this story. Excellent historical fiction. I have Joe Abercrombie sitting on my shelf as well and like you, I think I would enjoy it but haven’t got to it yet. I always enjoy your episodes, I like your style👍

I'm wanting to read the Susanna Clarke book, as well. Is it very Christmasy? Trying to decide if I should try to squeeze it in before spring or wait for December?

the algorithm suggested this...and I really enjoyed it. As a history buff, I will check out these books!

Would you say AD381 is a good introduction to the subject (if new to it) ? In Alaric the Goth, it sounds like there was a MRGA movement (Make Rome Great Again) - everything old is new again. 😉

I remember reading Alaric when it came out. I agree its more of the life and times of the sack of Rome in 410 more than about Alaric or the goths lol. Great vid vin

Thanks for sharing, Vin. I think historical fictions will be some of my side quests this year, as well.

You’ve had a great start to historathon! Both books sound fascinating. I’ve been eyeing the Freeman book since you first mentioned it in a TBR, it sounds fascinating. I’m glad you mentioned that there’s overlap with his other books because A.D. 381 is harder to find. // I’ve finished one book (a last minute addition to my tbr haha).

I absolutely love your content! Just a quick tip (though you might already be aware): I think your channel could perform even better if you spread out your video uploads throughout the month instead of posting them all at once. The algorithm tends to favor consistent posting, which could boost engagement and help you gain more subscribers in the long run. It's probably also a bit better for your watchtime - sometimes the video notification can get buried under others, which might especially happen if you post around the same period/people might even think they have already watched the video when there are multiple released in recent time. But either way, thanks for the amazing content, keep up the great work! ❤

You’ve made a great start. I’m currently finally reading First Ghosts and some shorter books on Hittites, Sumerians and Mesopotamia about which I know nothing 😊about

Love that Icelandic tradition. How fab that you did that with your family. That was and impressive list for December. I adored Ghosts of Christmas Past. So glad you’re already planning one for this year 😊

Those sound fascinating Vin. Great wrap up 😊

Getting through more than me. Best wishes for 2025. I hope you get some great stories.

Oh that Icelandic tradition sounds so cool! I’m going to tell my family about it 👀 You read a great variety of books in December! I ended up reading mostly fiction (great books too, though). Super excited for historathon this year! It’s been so fun to participate since the beginning 🤓

Productive month! Ghosts of Christmas Past was a lot of fun. Already looking forward to repeating it this year, especially with our nation gazing into this bold new dawn. Or something. Yeah, I'm sure it'll be something, alright. 😉 I read D-Day last year thinking it was my first Ambrose, but then I recalled reading Band of Brothers WAY back in the day before the series came out. Good stuff. I really want to get his take on Pegasus Bridge now that I've read D-Day. I have The Unwomanly Face of War on a shelf waiting for attention. Story of my book hoard's "life." 🙄 And that's too bad about Liberalism in Dark Times. It sounded more promising. Thanks for the video, and have a nice week!

Great list of books Vin. Wishing you and your family a happy 2025 :)

Great vidoe Vin! I always love your Fresh Read Kills videos!

I'm glad you read some interesting books. It's unfortunate that Liberalism in Dark Times wasn't better.

Greatly enjoyed reading with this you, Vin. Sometimes whether or not the other person liked the book, my favorite part is still the conversation over Voxer. This was no exception. Thanks for having me aboard!

Happy to be for 2025. I joined the first year, but didn't post anything in Discord. Hopefully this year I share my reads and side quests

First time watching, big thumbs up on plenty of points you brought up. I'm also learning French and am now tumbling down the linguistics rabbit hole, side eyeing Latin...

I'm learning English and it helps me a lot to improve it. I watched some of your videos, and you're amazing! Thanks for these recommendations.

Great selection and Happy New Year Vin! I hope you’re doing well. I’m so sorry for dropping the ball with you and John David on our buddy read last year-I ended up stepping away from reading entirely for most of 2024 because I was fully focused on finding a job. That said, I’m absolutely thrilled to share that I accepted an offer on December 30 and started my new role this past Monday! I’m slowly finding my way back to reading and BookTube, and it feels so incredible to return to it without the weight of unemployment.

I just found your channel and appreciate your videos! Looking forward to your 2025 progress.

Vin, I almost didn't reread A Christmas Carol this year. With a few overlong grocery lists and dragging like a chunky chain in parts, I was wary this was a bridge too far, but oh so wrong. As you said so well, being a ""much more mature reader [...] (I) enjoyed it way more." Me too! "A little maturity goes a long way." Thanks for fathering/furthering the Ghosts of Christmas Past. Mark's reading of The Old Nurse's Story was superb, but it was A Christmas Carol that really raised my spirits, and appreciation of Dickens. While I've always wanted to read Dickens beyond A Christmas Carol, anf now I'm much more motivated. Here are a couple quotes I apprecuate and want to emulate: • "“Business!” cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”" • 'in short, I should have liked, I do confess, to have had the lightest licence of a child, and yet to have been man enough to know its value."

If you're still having fun with the Latin language then you might wanna try playing some videogames in Latin.a fan translated some games into classical Latin Like Final Fantasy VI and Final fantasy I and even the legend of zelda

Thanks for sharing! I've just added Alaric to my TBR. I've just picked up Messalina by Honor Cargill-Martin and would like to give it a go. Additionally, I'm hoping that "Agrippina: The Most Extraordinary Woman of the Roman World" by Emma Southon is a fun read. I've never picked up the Stephen Fry books but they look gorgeous and might be an easy, breezy way to refresh my ancient myth knowledge. What have you heard about Jane Draycott's "Fulvia: The Woman Who Broke All the Rules in Ancient Rome"? Its coming out in July this year but I'm not familiar with Draycott's work.

The Lost History of Liberalism is very dry but deeply fascinating, I learned so much from it and it honestly changed my perception of America, whether for better or for worse

"Pile of Possibilities"! I love that! I am renaming my stacks of papers with that term! Thanks!

I'm in for the first time this year! Looking forward to it!

Some really really good books in here. The History of Philosophy by Will Durant was my first dive into intellectual history. It's been a couple years since I've read it but I remember it being pretty influential. Mythos by Stephen Fry is fantastic! I highly recommend you listen along to the audiobook. Fry narrates it and does so masterfully. I really hope you get to Emperor of Rome by Mary Beard. I have it on my shelf as well and looking forward to your thoughts on it! Happy reading!

Freeman is good, Alaric the Goth was fun if not perfect from what I remember. Looking forward to the 2 buddy reads in February! Also I read Empires and Barbarians by Heather and that was a brick lol. Ill be interested to hear your thoughts on that one. Great vid Vin!

Love to hear about ypur plans. I'm thinking this might be my year of Latin hobbyism.

Great selections. I have various Mary Beard books that i plan to focus on - one for each month. I do have the Emperor of Rome book, so let me know if you choose that one and I can read along. 😊

Some great plans ahead 👍🏽 I'm pretty sure I recommended this book to you once before but If you're looking for a good nature book I can't recommend Entangled by Merlin Sheldrake enough! The author focuses on fungi, and you will finish the book with a sense of connectedness with nature. It's a fantastic read.

3 years ! Gosh, I've barely contributed. I'm embarrassed. But I'm always reading military history, so you know, I'm kinda involved around the edges. Philosophy! This space intentionally left blank. The Darkening Age looks the pick.

AD 381 was a really good book, I think you'll enjoy it

Doing my dissertation on the history of philosophy put me off the history of ideas for life I think. I want to explore more of the ancient historians, I had so much fun with Herodotus I'm scared no one will live up to him. I have Fry's Mythos sat unread too. I want to read more Holland, I enjoyed his little book on Athelstan and I have his Rubicon.

Yeah, every year I’ve intended to read that same Freeman book - then something prevents me. This year I want to spend Q1 in China, so _AD 381_ gets postponed once again. _The Darkening Age_ looks interesting; this is the first I’ve heard of it. Sallust is about the only Ancient Historian I’ve read. Good choice on the Oxford volume: Penguin (which I read) is a little less complete I believe. Lately I’ve fallen to watching Stephen Fry on TH-cam, but never read anything. He seems a likable sort.

I'm totally a random piece of paper type person! Although I do have some bookmarks.

Looks great! The Darkening Age sounds really intriguing. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. I’m reading Ancestors by Alice Roberts, Lives of the Caesars by Suetonius, The Warrior Queens by Antonia Fraser focusing on part 1 on Boudica with a side quest to read part 1 of Manda Scott’s historical fiction Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle. So looking forward to this year! Thanks for running Historathon again this year.

I’ve chosen Pax by Tom Holland. This is an era of history I am completely new to. And I enjoy his podcast the rest is history so. I also decided to do it on audiobook as he narrates it. I am just focusing on the one book as it intimidates me as I have no prior knowledge of this peroid of history. The first 2 quarters of this reading challenge will be outside my history comfort zone so being kid to myself.

I have the Sallust ready for February! Looking forward to it.

Good luck with your Historathon. Talking of Ancient Rome I am currently reading Imperium by Robert Harris, a fiction but it is getting me interested in Cicero and his times.