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2026

Les Miserables: A Dead Horse

Part one, book three, chapter eight - Fantine once again shows her humanity
Les Miserables: Tholomyès the Fucc Boi

Part one, book three, chapter seven - Tholomyès as the protoype for so many bros we know and love to hate
Les Miserables: Lies & Adoration

Part one, book three, chapter six - Favourite talks of adoration and the true nature of her affection
Les Miserables: A Strange Aside

Part one, book three, chapter five - a digression about the prefect of police and his misreading of the underclass in Paris
Month in Music: January 2026 Listening

My top 25 most played albums for the month of January with some brief thoughts and links to a playlist.
Les Miserables: The Surprise Awaits

Part one, book three, chapter four - Hugo celebrates young love and continues to focus on the things that make Fantine different
Les Miserables: Fixated on Beauty

Part one, book three, chapter three - our eight friends go on a country outing
Les Miserables: Double Foursome

Part one, book three, chapter two - Eight new characters are introduced, and one of them is brought into focus
Les Miserables: An Abrupt Transition

Part one, book three, chapter one - huge gear shift, we get an overview of the year these events take place 😂
Les Miserables: Shattered by Grace

Part one, book two, chapter twelve - everything is upended and Valjean is at a terrifying crossroads
Les Miserables: Tangible Mercy & Grace

Part one, book two, chapter twelve - The bishop shows a love that goes beyond all expectation
Les Miserables: The Curé, The Criminal & The Crucifix

Part one, book two, chapter eleven - an interesting moment of contemplation in the midst of Valjean's second crime
Les Miserables: Temptation and Need

Part one, book two, chapter ten - in the wee hours of the morning Valjean contemplates crime
Les Miserables: The Yellow Ticket

Part one, book two, chapter nine - a sentence served does not mean freedom in any real sense
Les Miserables: Progress and Dispensability

Part one, book two, chapter eight - an extended metaphor comparing society to a ship that sheds humans and leaves them abandoned to a dark sea of suffering
Les Miserables: A Grain Of Corn Between Two Millstones

Part one, book two, chapter seven - the dehumanizing force of a destructive and disproportionate punitive justice system
Les Miserables: A Broken Window & A Loaf of Bread

Part one, book two, chapter six - Valjean's tragic history and the reality of carceral systems
Les Miserables: Fear & Survival

Part one, book two, chapter five - Valjean's bizarre outburst and frightening behavior
Les Miserables: The Gift of Normalcy

Part one, book two, chapter four - how bishop Myriel uses cheese as a vehicle to rehumanize Valjean
Les Miserables: Monster or Child of God?

Part one, book two, chapter three - the rehumanizing power of love
Les Miserables: That Night in the Bishop's House

Part one, book two, chapter two - Madame Magloire fears the brigand and begs for locks on the door
Les Miserables: We Meet The Outcast

Part one, book two, chapter one - We are slowly introduced to Jean Valjean, an outcast who can find no welcome in Digne
Les Miserables: What Myriel Thought

Part one, book one, chapter fourteen - the simplicity of Myriel's religion
Les Miserables: Myriel's Beliefs

Part one, book one, chapter thirteen - the centrality and supremacy of love
Les Miserables: The Loneliness of M. Myriel

Part one, book one, chapter twelve - poverty, piety & a deficient definition of success
Les Miserables: Luxury & The Arts

Part one, book one, chapter eleven - some of Hugo's own biases leak out a bit
Les Miserables: Shared Humanity

Part one, book one, chapter ten - the power of seeing yourself in the other
Les Miserables: A Sister's Perspective

Part one, book one, chapter nine - thoughts on risk, heroism, and sainthood
Les Miserables: A Philosopher In His Cups

Part one, book one, chapter eight - a philosophy only suited for the rich
Les Miserables: Cravatte

Part one, book one, chapter seven - a tale of faith and courage
Les Miserables: On Beauty & Usefulness

Part one, book one, chapter six - a look at Myriel's living situation
Les Miserables: Threadbare Cassocks

Part one, book one, chapter five - frugal, faithful, fruitful
Les Miserables: Myriel's own way of looking at things

Part one, book one, chapter four - more on the simple but challenging work of aligning your work and your words
Les Miserables: Working for the common good

Part one, book one, chapter three - some glimpses of the actual good work Myriel was doing
Les Miserables: Bienvenu

Part one, book one, chapter two - we see a bit of what makes Myriel an 'Upright Man'
Les Miserables: Monseigneur Myriel

Part one, book one, chapter one - our intro to 'An Upright Man'

2025

Les Miserables: A Chapter A Day

My plan to read through Les Miserables slowly this year and write daily responses as I read

2024

How Propaganda Works: Is Propaganda Inherently Insincere? Not Always!

Thoughts from Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on refuting what Stanley calls the insincerity condition.
How Propaganda Works: Is Propaganda Inherently False? Not Always!

Thoughts from Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on refuting what Stanley calls the falsity condition.
How Propaganda Works: Is Propaganda Inherently False and Insincere?

Thoughts from Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on propaganda and it's relationship to truth and sincerity.
How Propaganda Works: Effective Propaganda & Group Identies

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on how group identities can create fertile grounds for the kinds of flawed ideologies that propaganda can easily exploit.
How Propaganda Works: Undemocratic Policies & Propaganda in the USA

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on examples he provides of undemocratic policies that are pushed forward under the cloak of propaganda.
How Propaganda Works: Plato, Democracy, & Managerial Societies

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on Plato's views of democracy and how that correlates with some of what we see today.
How Propaganda Works: The Treat Of Inequality Is Not New

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on how material inequality was seen as a central source of flawed ideology as far back as the writings of Madison.
How Propaganda Works: When Propaganda Cloaks Undemocratic Structures

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on how propaganda can be used to cloak decidedly undemocratic realities and present them as democratic.
How Propaganda Works: Inequality, Flawed Ideology, & Propaganda

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on how inequalites in a democracy lead to flawed ideologies & those provide a fertile ground for the production and proliferation of propoganda.

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