My Substack Summer
What I read in Summer 2024
I know that I spend a lot of time reading essays, articles, and the news. More than I should, I think, as I wish I spent more time in hardback books. But this year has proven hard to keep up with the non-digital reading, on the one hand because of work necessities, but on the other hand because of how much travel I’ve done. It’s easier to read a ten-minute Substack while on a short metro ride than pulling out a book.
When Substack put together these little summer reading recaps, I was intrigued. I was surprised to realize how I underestimated the sheer amount of time I spend on Substack. While I’ve definitely cut down on other social media sites, Substack seems to not only have replaced my previous social media time but has overtaken it substantially. The jury is still out on whether or not this is a good thing, but I have undoubtedly learned a lot reading on the site.
This comes as I was reflecting on something
recently posted about how he grew his audience. His path to success in the online world was built through his willingness to promote the work others, spending about half of his time online doing just that. This strikes me a properly charitable approach to the internet and is also reminiscent of why I love Alan Jacobs’s blog so much. Jacobs also spends a lot of time promoting others, as he did in a post last week. ’s Prufrock likewise is structured around the idea of pointing readers to other good things on the web worth reading. Now, these three men have far more influence and presence than I do, so when they promote someone else, there’s probably a big bump in folks paying attention. I don’t know that when I promote the work of writers whom I enjoy that it makes much a difference. Still, I like the concept of giving proper due to great reading on Substack, in particular. And so this “Summer Reads” concept from Substack seems an appropriate way to encourage others to dive in to some of the quality writing that is out there.Enjoy!
Highlights
☕ I read the most in the afternoon
💌 I subscribed to 4 new Substacks
❤️ I liked 324 posts
💬 I left 10 comments on posts
📜 I scrolled 49 meters in Notes
🕵️ I discovered 12 new posts via Notes
Top Substacks
Prufrock by
The best in books, arts, and ideas.
Top post this summer: Saturday Links
The Honest Broker by
A trustworthy guide to music, books, arts, media & culture by Ted Gioia
Top post this summer: A 12-Month Immersive Course in Humanities
The Perspectivalist by
The Perspectivalist offers biblical and theological perspectives on events and ideologies impacting the church, culture and cantus. It is also a place for personal updates on academic and pastoral matters.
Top post this summer: A Theocratic Kuyperianism: A Response to the Two-Kingdom Theology of Westminster Seminary in Escondido, CA
Share your own Summer Recap
You can see your own summer recap in the Substack app. I’d love to see what you’ve been reading.