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JohnDavidBooks

@johndavidbooks.bsky.social

134 followers 11 following 385 posts

Here for the books and book people. #Booksky 💙📚 Twitterland emigre. Former educator. Desiderata. Gargantua and Pantagruel. BookTube channel: www.youtube.com/nicholasofautrecourt Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/4357283…

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JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Afraid of history? Think it's boring or stuffy? Come join the rest of the BookTube community as we read history all year long in an event called #Historathon2026. Here's are the books on my mind! Chat with us in the Discord: discord.gg/au9VHFts8k #BookSky #Historathon 💙📚 youtu.be/aazESBERDho

Historathon 2026 | Pile of Possibilities/Recommendations for Quarter 4

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Thoughts on @samuelmoyn.bsky.social's superb account of liberalism defensively retreating into itself after more than a century of promising emancipation and liberation (@yalepress.bsky.social, 2023). #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction #Essays 💙📚 youtu.be/KmFh1A9tu3I

"Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Liberalism and the Making of Our Times" by Samuel Moyn

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

My review of Dwight Macdonald's famous essay collection "Masscult and Midcult: Essays Against The American Grain" (reprinted by @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social). #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction #Essays 💙📚 youtu.be/JJs_7gAUAS4

"Masscult and Midcult: Essays Against the American Grain" by Dwight Macdonald

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Some books that I recently found at the two library bookstores nearby. Join me as I apparently enter my American history era! I love this for me! #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/GD964Db-GIw

What I Found At The Library Bookstore

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Some thoughts on Richard J. King's fantastic "Ahab's Rolling Sea: A Natural History of Moby-Dick" (@uofchicago.bsky.social, 2019). The weather, sounds, animals, migration patterns. It's another world! #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/CBuWvxG4_QI

"Ahab's Rolling Sea: A Natural History of 'Moby-Dick'" by Richard J. King

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

A quick peek at four of the books I've been reading the past couple of weeks: the French Revolution, Nixon in China, and some African travel/adventure writing! What are you reading these days? #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/ApXu9EBsLys

What I've Been Reading Lately | September 3, 2026

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

My thoughts of the Domenico Ghirlandaio installment of @uchicagopress.bsky.social's Renaissance Lives series. Lush, beautiful color plates and an emphasis on Ghirlandaio's social circles and guild networks. #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/2oKbpEJtuac

"Domenico Ghirlandaio: An Elite Artisan and His World" by Jean K. Cadogan

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Who's in the mood for some new 2026 humanities (history of ideas, religion, philosophy) releases from @princetonupress.bsky.social and @uchicagopress.bsky.social? #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/7UpOyayi0eQ

New Releases from Princeton University Press and the University of Chicago Press!

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Archaeologist Peter Bellwood tracks five million years of human history, from the appearance of the first hominins to up to that relatively recent invention: agriculture (@princetonupress.bsky.social, 2022). #Historathon #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction #BookSky #Books💙📚 youtu.be/2lqWC0jVdLY

"The Five Million Year Odyssey: The Human Journey from Ape to Agriculture" by Peter Bellwood

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Two reviews of Karl Popper's "The Open Society and Its Enemies," separated by six years. Thankfully, @princetonupress.bsky.social now offers a beautiful one-volume version in their Princeton Classics line! #Historathon #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/m1vguuYHBgk youtu.be/LxK9bobyFW8

Review of "The Open Society and Its Enemies" (Volume I) by Karl Popper

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

For the fourth year in a row, @princetonupress.bsky.social is very generously supporting the public reading of history and participation in YouTube's ongoing history reading event, #Historathon2026! #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/b3L5OHhl9U8

Princeton University Press Supports Historathon2026! | Four Books

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Some thoughts on @davidbatherwoods.bsky.social's absolutely FANTASTIC new intellectual biography of philosophy's favorite curmudgeon, Arthur Schopenhauer (@uchicagopress.bsky.social, 2025). #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/62Aymh9nzv8

"Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist" by David Bather Woods

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

A few books I bought for my birthday from the wonderful people at @yalepress.bsky.social! #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/XQfFEQPlUEQ

Happy Birthday To Me | Birthday Books!

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Some wonderful humanities books (history, sociology, literary biography, etc) from Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 from @princetonupress.bsky.social, @uchicagopress.bsky.social, and @ucpress.bsky.social. #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/n1L4Hc50yRg

New University Press Releases!

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A pile of possibilities for Quarter 3 of the ongoing YouTube event #Historathon where we read nonfiction history written in or about the years 1500 - 1820 C.E. Let me know if you find something you enjoy! #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/7mCQBA2i2VE

Historathon 2026 | Pile of Possibilities/Recommendations for Quarter 3

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Judith Herrin's "Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe" traces the history of Ravenna, which served as the cultural capital for three centuries after the fall of Rome in 476 AD (@princetonupress.bsky.social, 2020). #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/PDQBYJ8QdGA

"Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe" by Judith Herrin

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Thoughts of Hetta Howes' fantastic "Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women" (@ucpress.bsky.social, 2024). #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction #Essays 💙📚 youtu.be/Un60vO9LgtE

"Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women" by Hetta Howes

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

What am I reading over my vacation break? #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction #Essays 💙📚 youtu.be/tb0CHp9Myc4

Books I'm Taking With Me On Vacation

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Following the passing of Edmund White in June, I had the sudden urge to read some of his literary essays. Here are some thoughts on his "The Unpunished Vice: A Life in Reading" (@bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social, 2018). #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction #Essays 💙📚 youtu.be/bhOFMo598ho

The Unpunished Vice: A Life in Reading, Edmund White

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Paula Fredriksen's "Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years" (@princetonupress.bsky.social, 2024) is a fantastic look at how messianic Judaism morphed into the imperial religion of Constantine. #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/E6I1_EF_pmg

Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years by Paula Fredriksen

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Ada Palmer's new book on the perennial problem of historical periodization and seeing the Renaissance without the aid of our usual rose-tinted glasses (@uchicagopress.bsky.social, 2025). #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/GLvSUn446-E

Inventing the Renaissance: The Myth of a Golden Age by Ada Palmer

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

In antebellum America, what were the Biblical arguments most often used for and against slavery? This book looks at how they were deployed in the trial of Denmark Vesey (@princetonupress.bsky.social, 2022). #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/Vq22HokF7dE

Denmark Vesey's Bible: The Thwarted Revolt That Put Slavery and Scripture on Trial by J. Schipper

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Some preliminary thoughts on Jane Austen's final novel "Persuasion," and some speculation about why she's so often incredibly misunderstood. #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Fiction 💙📚 youtu.be/JQZGFiWLNd4

Why Jane Austen Is Misunderstood (By Way of a Review of "Persuasion")

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

@saracharles.bsky.social has written a splendid book about the material culture of books throughout the Middle Ages, "The Medieval Scriptorium: Making Books in the Middle Ages" (@uchicagopress.bsky.social, 2024) #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/fIgzkfa85RU

The Medieval Scriptorium: Making Books in the Middle Ages, Sara J. Charles

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

A review of C.S. Forester's 1935 novel and the basis for the classic film with Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities 💙📚 youtu.be/J24lvwdJ9AQ

The African Queen, C.S. Forester

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Some wonderful new and upcoming history books from from of my favorite academic publishers, @princetonupress.bsky.social and @uchicagopress.bsky.social! #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/qkpqv3vNarI

New Releases from Princeton University Press and the University of Chicago Press!

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Seven great pieces of life writing to consider for the YouTube reading event #PeopleApril! #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction #Lifewriting #Biography #Memoir #Autobiography 💙📚 youtu.be/jsy7Vt0Myfs

7 Fantastic Biographies for #PeopleApril!

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

A pile of possibilities for Quarter 2 of the ongoing YouTube event #Historathon where we read nonfiction history written in or about the years 500 - 1500 C.E. Let me know if you find something you enjoy! #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/KRDkt5ay16s

Historathon 2026 | Pile of Possibilities/Recommendations for Quarter 2

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

My take on one of the great Australian classics of the twentieth century: Joan Lindsay's "Picnic at Hanging Rock" (1967), a dark, atmospheric mystery that mocks the pretensions of repressed Edwardian morality and its colonial ambitions. #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities 💙📚 youtu.be/EbiLLZx219o

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Review and thoughts on renowned classicist M. I. Finley's series of lectures comparing ancient Greek and contemporary American democracy (reprinted by @rutgersupress.bsky.social, 2018). #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/8mO6fjJf2Yk

Democracy Ancient and Modern by Moses I. Finley

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Some thoughts on Emily Hauser's "Penelope's Bones: A New History of Homer's World Through the Women Written Out of It" from @uchicagopress.bsky.social (2025). #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/if5HfTv9Ajc

Penelope's Bones: A New History of Homer's World Through the Women Written Out of It, Emily Hauser

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Some thoughts on John Tomasi's and @mattzwolinski.bsky.social's "The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism" from @princetonupress.bsky.social (2023). #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/YT3mdh-YKdM

The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries ... by Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Some thoughts on Ursula K Le Guin's fantastic "Left Hand of Darkness". #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/xF3mYi2EgqI

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

‪Thinking about reactivating this account. Does anyone actually watch these things? #Booksky folks, ya out there? #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Humanities #Nonfiction 💙📚 youtu.be/RA4bUJkXFjQ

Library Book Haul

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

For Q4 of Historathon, we're spending October-December reading about everything related to nonfiction history written in or about 1820 to the present day. Come join us to toss around ideas! #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Historathon 💙📚 youtu.be/-_76negyCvs

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Oh, what a tangled web is his weave! He is the only one deceived. #RandPaul #KentuckyWhatIsYouDoinGirl

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Kafka slaying like the diva he was. #Booksky 💙📚 #BookSky #Books #BookTube 💅💅💅

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Anyone else pick up some @yalepress.bsky.social books during their May sale? #Historathon #BookSky #Books #BookTube 💙📚 youtu.be/t6JA6mioMgA

Yale University Press Book Haul!

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (1938-2025) #BookSky #Books #BookTube 💙📚

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Tonight: Diving into Thomas Hardy's break-out success, "Far From the Madding Crowd". My first Hardy novel! Are you a admirer? A hater? Let's spill some Victorian literary tea. #BookSky #Books #BookTube 💙📚

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

My review of Dr. Selena Wisnom's (@lswisnom.bsky.social) wonderful cultural history of ancient Assyria, "The Library of Ancient Wisdom" (@uchicagopress.bsky.social). A brilliant reconstruction of what we can learn from Ashurbanipal's library at Nineveh! #BookSky #Books 💙📚 youtu.be/F7LUpZ9kC_w

The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World by Selena Wisnom

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Oh, it's on like Donkey Kong!

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

What are you reading this weekend? #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Historathon 💙📚 youtu.be/2cAS0nIYVqc

Friday Reads | April 26, 2025

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

A few pictures from my central Texas garden in late April: How many million Aprils came Before I ever knew How white a cherry bough could be, A bed of squills, how blue! -Sara Teasdale, "Blue Squills" #Gardening #NativePlantGarden #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Historathon 💙📚

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Now reading: Catherine Hanley's biography "Matilda: Empress, Queen, and Warrior" (from @yalepress.bsky.social). Her father Henry I made her the heir, but his barons weren't on board - then her cousin Stephen of Blois swooped in and had himself crowned instead. #BookSky #Books #BookTube 💙📚

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

On my nightstand: "The Medieval Scriptorium: Making Books in the Middle Ages" by @saracharles.bsky.social (from @uchicagopress.bsky.social). Fascinating details about writing culture, script types, and - most importantly - de-romanticizing medieval life. #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Historathon 💙📚

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

"There is something sinister about putting a leprechaun in a workhouse. The only solid comfort is that he certainly will not work." - G. K. Chesterton #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Historathon 💙📚

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

The look on my face when C.S. Lewis says in "The Discarded Image" that Isidore of Seville's Etymologiae is a "work of very mediocre intelligence." #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Historathon 💙📚

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

On the Historathon Discord, we're spending April-June reading about everything related to nonfiction history written in or about 500 A.D. - 1500 A.D. Come join us to toss around ideas! Discord link: discord.gg/au9VHFts8k #BookSky #Books #BookTube #Historathon 💙📚 youtu.be/GEnU4bCMlyc

#Historathon2025 Pile of Possibilities/Recommendations for Quarter 2 (April-June)

YouTube video by John David (NicholasOfAutrecourt)

JohnDavidBooks @johndavidbooks.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

It's just one of those days. #catsofbluesky #caturday