What this blog is not...

In the interests of stating things clearly from the outset (for all the masses that are out there reading this), I wanted to write a few words about what this blog is NOT. This is not one of those blogs where you come in and read about all of the tiny little mundane trials, tribulations and triumphs of some random person's life, which no doubt mean a lot to him/her, but don't make for very compelling reading, even in an "anything goes" environment like the web. "Brushed my teeth this morning in a daze... don't you just hate the inevitable toothpaste stain that ends up on your front shirt pocket? Has anyone ever successfully removed such a stain? Spent most of my morning commute wondering from whence this dark omen came and what it would mean for the rest of my day..." You know, that kind of stuff. That's not what The Secret Thread is about.

In my mind anyway, for what it's worth, this blog can be considered my best attempt at an Inklings meeting in virtual form (minus the beer and the smoky atmosphere, alas). For those of you who may not know, The Inklings were a group of friends/writers/professors that would meet on a weekly basis at a pub called The Eagle & Child (near Oxford University, where most of them taught) during the 1950's and 60's for two commendable purposes: first, to simply enjoy the fellowship and comraderie of each other's company over a pint of beer; second, to discuss and read great literature. Among this famous group were such revered (and rightfully so) authors as C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Williams. (On occasion, they would wander off into the dense thickets of philosophy and theology as well... which is another reason I find the group to be a perfect model for this blog, as it is inevitable, given the "dangerous terrain we're attempting to traverse," that we will also do so here.)

So you're not going to find a lot of boring details about my personal life, or anyone else's for that matter (hopefully). Collective sigh of relief. And anyway, I have a wife and young kids to protect here. (OK, so I guess I gave up one detail there. This is harder than it seems.) What you WILL find here, I hope, is a lot of interesting, free-ranging discussion on both classic and contemporary fiction, essays, works of history, sociological works, poetry, journals and just about any other printed material that's worth reading. For anyone who's ever asked the question of another person, "What are you reading lately?" and actually cared to hear the answer... perhaps this blog will be of some interest to you. And if you're interested in discussions on great books and the insights they may or may not provide about our common human condition, I invite you to read along and/or join in.

DISCLAIMER: For anyone who reads or contributes to this blog, or (better yet) reads or discusses any of the books featured on this blog, we would like to offer the following reminder/warning, as expressed by one of The Secret Thread's Hall of Fame writers:

The life you save may be your own.

Pax Christi,
Duke Altum