Hey!

I am Finley. James Finley, specifically— though the specificity of that is low too as “James” is the most common name amongst Finleys. James Finley, specifically. I am a Christian, a father of four, a software engineer, an amateur instrument builder and woodworker, and a bard.

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A friend— and not the first— inquired how I am finding the time to read as much as I have recently. And the answer was the same as any other hobby. We are really good in the West at wasting time. Over the last couple hundred years we have made invention after invention to save us time— laundry machines, dish washers, refridgerators, and more— and then most of us found that we didn’t have anything good to do with that time. So we filled it with emotional birds, endless scroll feeds of nonsense, and reality television.

The average American adult spends 3 hours a day watching television. Think about all the idle time you scroll on your phone, all the time you watch YouTube videos, TikTok, Twitter, and more. Now think, of all the books I have read this year the average is 6-7 hours long on Audible. At 1.2 speed— I always listen to books and podcasts sped up— you can complete most of these books in 6 hours or less. The average American adult could cut out television alone, by the stat above, and finish two to three books a week.

The average American commute is around thirty minutes one way. Some of us fill that time with music, some with podcasts, some with idle thoughts, and others with more scrolling on their phones. Back to that average Audible book I have consumed this year, you could complete one book a week on your commute alone.

It is said that we make time for the things that are important to us, but I find most people just settle into wasting time without even thinking about the hours and what could be done over time. Find a book on Audible, jump in the car, hit play, and go to work. Here, I’ll even pick one out for you. Come back and look at my Shelf for another when you’re done.

Have I mentioned how much that I have been reading recently? Let’s just say that it has become habit. Most of what I’ve been reading has been through Audible and Canon+, with books falling mostly below 10 hours, averaging 5-7 hours. Many small peaks. Now my list of books is narrowing into larger books, with Plato’s Republic (12+ hours), The Brothers Karamzov (39+ hours), and more dense books on the horizon. And I’m looking forward to that.

I have picked up a few habits and thoughts.

  1. It is perfectly fine to be reading multiple books at a time. I used to feel bad about unfinished books when I grabbed a shiny new one. It was enough to make me think I was failing to complete books and then perpetually fulfill that prophecy. This is fine and often necessary. I cannot read Abigail Shrier’s Bad Therapy through to completion, for example. Too much info, too depressing, etc. So I paired it with G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy and a couple good podcasts that helped on the hopeful side.
  2. Biographies on great leaders are better than books on leadership. Albert Mohler pointed this out in his book on leadership that I read in February and I couldn’t be more happy with that revelation. I read a book about Alfred the Great and just finished Orthodoxy by Chesterton specifically because of this recommendation. Do this.
  3. Do not forgo fiction. I got my start on the Internet with Animorphs. Fiction was my high school and college years and then I… grew out of it. That’s dumb. I forget which book emphasised the need to read fiction, but I took it to heart and have completed two-thirds of C.S. Lewis’ Ransom Trilogy this year and plan to start the next in earnest soon. I do love intellectually dense books of non-fiction, but the joy of world-building, allegory, metaphor, and escape that fiction provides brings something more. Men were made for storytelling, so don’t see yourself as above or past fiction.

So, what is next on my reading list? A big one that I tried to tackle a long time ago and failed. Over the last few months I personally finished all three extended cuts of Lord of the Rings and in the last week we have watched the first two with our four children. Lord of the Rings quotes are flying in our house, my oldest boy is making weapons out of paper and sticks, epic battles are occurring, and I love it. I tried to read Fellowship in high school and gave up trying to summit the first mountains. But I find myself longing for those mountains again and have a plan.

Next month I will be taking time away from social media as I dive into Middle Earth. What I find time and again— and have mentioned repeatedly on this blog— is that social media draws you away from reading deeply and draws you into a void of vanity, quick reward, and distraction. Let me be clear, I have no direct issue with those things. Personal responsibility is important and I personally love engaging with fellow Christians— sharpening iron— in that space. But I shared a quote yesterday on Twitter from Blaise Pascal:

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

Sit quietly. Alone. I am an introvert. This should be a strength. And to a high degree, it is. But, like so many, my phone can easily overcome my boredom. As I read more and more, I find myself loving the quiet solitude of consuming a book with a cup of coffee and few other distractions.

So, starting in April I will head to the Shire. Finally.

The last couple months have been busy. That could be a bad thing, but it generally hasn’t been. I’ve finished a handful of books over the last few weeks including a biography on Alfred the Great and some C.S. Lewis, am deep in others from G.K. Chesterton and Abigail Shrier, and have finished rewatching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’ve spent time cuddling a newborn baby, finishing a kitchen island, and learning many new things for a new job.

As stated last month, I got laid off, had interviews, and got a job offer within the last week before our fourth child was born. In the time since losing my job— and gaining another— and having a baby, I have finished reading twelve books. And in that time my RSS backlog has bloated and I have disconnected from much of social media outside of the Christian Twitter community.

And that is a good thing.

I have slowed down, lived more presently, and made not only a habit of reading, but a passion of it. I believe that most people today need to slow down and get out of the rat race of life. At least from time to time. Enjoy brewing coffee the slow way, listening to a podcast on 1x speed, smiling at your kids rough-housing just like you used to, and just loving life.

Busy is not a bad thing. Idle hands are the Devil’s playground.

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