Who am I, and what is “From My Bookshelf”?

I’m Peter Meilaender, a political theorist (and all-around humanities pinch hitter) at Houghton University in western New York, where I’ve been teaching for almost 25 years and, together with my German wife, have raised five children.

My interests are pretty simple: I like to read. And this is a newsletter for book-lovers. I publish roughly twice a week—sometimes a bit more if I have time, occasonially a bit less when the semester really heats up—about whatever I happen to be reading. It might be classic literature or a contemporary novel. Fiction or non-fiction. Anglophone or from around the globe. Maybe some political science or philosophy or theology that I’m reading in order to teach a class. Once in a while perhaps even a bit of German literature. There should be something here for everyone.

I do a lot of reviewing online, but this is a place to write about whatever has caught my eye, regardless of whether it’s on some “coming soon” list. And also a place to think about what books have to teach us, since I believe that reading great books, or even just pretty good books, can change our lives. I hope that you will come to find it a trusted source for new reading ideas—and that you will share it with your book-loving friends!

What do you get?

Musings on an eclectic mix of books, new and old, familiar and unfamiliar. Recommendations, reactions, and reflections. Usually twice each week, occasionally three times if I’m really on a roll, perhaps only once during busy weeks mid-semester.