A.R. Geiger

Okay, I have a confession to make to y’all.

I have a new obsession that has been going on all year and I have neglected to say one word about it on this blog.

Terrible, right? I’m embarrassed by how much I’ve neglected this space. I miss y’all. I miss who I am when I’m writing here. I miss talking about my obsessions without anyone directly in front of me to tell me to shut up.

I mean, you’re still welcome to tell me to shut up in the comments, but I doubt it will help very much.

It doesn’t help in person, either, but we won’t talk about that.

ANYWAY, I have been binge-reading history books for months, and I am not ashamed to say that there is no method to my madness at all. Biographies? Yes. World history in a nutshell? Yes. American history? Yes.

A brief overview of the history and religious impact of Byzantium?

Absolutely.

I know serious historians pick a subject and like… actually study it. You know, go deep, find out everything there is to know, study each person involved. I, however, like to scatter my attention across all of time and space and randomly pick up tidbits of information while allowing huge gaps in my knowledge to fester until I’m shocked to find out that Einstein, in fact, did not work on the atomic bomb because the powers that were didn’t approve of his politics.

The more you know.

Maybe you can tell from the picture, but I’m halfway through that gorgeous, massive biography of Einstein right now, and I am loving every page.

Do I understand the science included?

Absolutely not.

But I am loving it.

Because everyone directly involved in my life knows more about my history obsession than they currently or ever will want to, I also was given the privilege of being invited to write a special history-related project for my job. It was a joy. I got to info-dump all of my history research on people who were being paid to listen to me and couldn’t just tell me ‘that’s nice’ and walk away.

I’ve never felt so powerful.

My colleagues have never felt so bored.

What are you reading these days? Is anyone else a history nut? If so, please tell me! I’d love to talk to a fellow nerd! Plus, I’m always open to new book recommendations. If you happen to have a good rec related to the Ottoman Empire or Ghengis Khan, I’ve been on the lookout.

Let me know!