Research rarely begins with a perfectly formed question. Well, at least, mine doesn’t. Typically, I find my topics because something caught my eye. A particular work of art, or maybe a random name appearing in an archive. Suddenly, I’m hunting through webpages, JSTOR downloads, and footnotes on a dozen books. The worst part is when I find that someone has already discussed what I thought I had just discovered, so I have to reframe my thinking all over again.

But, the best part of this work is what it produces: free writing. In the six and a half years since I’ve rejoined academia, I’ve started thinking of free writing as the place where research actually begins. It’s where I let myself follow a thought without worrying yet about whether it is useful, original, scholarly, or even particularly coherent. I write down the questions that keep nagging at me, the connections I’m not sure are connections, the things I want to know more about, and occasionally the completely wild idea that will eventually lead nowhere. It is a way to let my brain flow uninhibited and sometimes, that is where my best ideas come from.

Research is often presented as a linear process: identify a topic, develop a question, conduct research, analyze your sources, and arrive at a conclusion. In reality, my process is a bit more messy and formulaic. But, at the end of the day, it still works. As I prepare to start my PhD in just one month, I thought it would be useful to share my research process. Not only will I review what works and what doesn’t, I may be able to help other new students find their best methods. So, for this first article in this new series, I present The Free Write.

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Now, I can’t fully take credit for this step in my process. I’ve always had something similar to this, but it wasn’t until I joined the Independent Researcher’s Group at with and that I learned how to make it a productive step in my routine. At the beginning of each session, we would be given a prompt and a 5-7 minute timer. Our goal was to not let the pen leave the page and just let the ideas flow.

There is something special about the simple physicality of writing. The movement of the pen across the page slows me down just enough to stay with a thought, while still allowing ideas to spill out faster than I can properly organize them. I can circle something, draw an arrow across the page, write in the margin, cross something out, turn the page sideways, or suddenly write something completely unrelated at the bottom of the page. None of it has to be neat or even permanent.

And, perhaps most importantly, there is no internet browser sitting a few inches away. When I am writing on my computer, research can very quickly turn into researching. I’ll type a question, open a tab to look something up, discover another article, follow a link, check a reference, and twenty minutes later I have seventeen tabs open and have completely forgotten what I was originally trying to think about.

Free writing lets me resist that impulse. For a little while, there is just me, the page, and the words. This is, quite honestly, where some of my best research questions come from.

To help you with free writing, here are some prompts that I use to help me start the research process:

Start with curiosity

• What am I curious about right now?

• What is something I keep coming back to?

• What question have I been thinking about lately?

• What do I wish I knew more about?

• What topic could I happily spend an afternoon reading about?

Follow the rabbit hole

• What initially sparked my interest in this topic?

• What was the first thing I noticed?

• What surprised me?

• What doesn’t quite make sense yet?

• What connection do I see that I haven’t fully figured out?

• If I followed my curiosity as far as it could go, where might it lead?

Forget the rules for a minute

• If I could research anything without worrying about whether it was “academic” enough, what would I research?

• What is the wildest interpretation of this topic I can come up with?

• What would I argue if I didn’t have to prove it yet?

• What am I afraid is a “bad” research idea?

• What would I write about if no one else were going to read it?

Look for tension

• What bothers me about the way this topic is usually discussed?

• What seems contradictory?

• Whose perspective is missing?

• What assumptions are being made?

• What doesn’t fit neatly into the existing story?

• Where do I disagree with what I’ve read so far?

Make connections

• What does this remind me of?

• What other period, artwork, person, discipline, or idea does this connect to?

• What happens if I put two seemingly unrelated things next to each other?

• Why does this connection matter?

• What patterns am I beginning to notice?

For me, research becomes much less intimidating when I stop expecting myself to know exactly where I’m going. Free writing gives me permission to be curious before I have to be scholarly, to ask questions before I have to answer them, and to follow a thought simply because it interests me. And isn’t that the point? Because sometimes the best place to begin a research project is with a blank page and absolutely no idea what you’re doing.

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I used to think that my brain was flawed. I have so many varied passions, interests, and rabbit holes, feeling like my brain has a million tabs open at one time. Most of the time, it’s a toss up of which one is my current focus. But, as I’ve gotten older and more confident in who I am and my abilities, I’ve finally started to realize that my brain isn’t broken, but powerful. I finally found a way to describe myself: multi-passionate.

Learning has always been at the center of my world. Even during some of the most difficult years of my life, school was my safe place. This meant that I developed interest in a plethora of subjects: history, art, chemistry, anthropology, and literature, just to name a few.

But, when I arrived at the University of Washington to begin my undergraduate studies, I panicked a little. I loved (and still do) almost all periods of art history. The ways that humans have expressed themselves over the centuries are varied, brilliant, and I wanted to study them all. Suddenly, I had to pick a specific period or artist to focus on if I wanted to have a chance at furthering my studies in graduate school. Although I eventually found my niche in early Christian relics and reliquaries, I was terrified of being pigeonholed in a single subject for the rest of my academic career. Between these fears, other mental health issues, and a terrible economy, I decided to put my grad school dreams on hold.

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This ended up being the best decision of my life because it gave me room to breathe. And finally, I’ve come to see my perceived flaw as an advantage. I’ve let myself pursue all my areas of interest. Sometimes it’s just falling down a rabbit hole, sometimes it’s formal study that led me to graduate with two master’s degrees. Regardless, I believe it’s made me a better scholar, humanist, and person. Because instead of making myself stick to a single subject or period in history, I’ve allowed my brain to explore and that has helped me make connections to and through different subjects that have helped shape me as an academic. This, in turn, has given me so much more confidence in myself and my abilities.

Defining myself as multi-passionate is one of my proudest achievements. For years, I thought something in me was broken. But, it wasn’t. Instead, it is one of my greatest strengths. I can’t wait to take this forward into my PhD program in the fall!

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One quick note before I get started: the links to the books are affiliated through Bookshop.org and I am eligible to earn a small commission if they are purchased through this link. However, please don’t feel obligated to do so! I prefer to link through this site instead of Amazon because they help support independent bookstores. The only one that isn’t available there is the final book. That is a non-affiliate Barnes and Noble link.

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The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

Although Dr. Wilson had some scathing words for Nolan’s movie, it was her translation that the director used as the basis for the script. This is the third translation I’ve read of this poem and I thought it was well done. I particularly like the accessible language that Dr. Wilson chose to use and that she chose to reintroduce the term “slave” into the vernacular. She was the first woman to translate this epic poem, which is an achievement in its own right.

Penelope’s Bones: A New History of Homer’s World through the Women Written Out of It by Emily Hauser

This is one of my favorite books that I’ve read so far in 2026! In the past few years, I’ve been fascinated by learning about women’s history and this book helped to open my eyes to the world of Homer. Dr. Hauser uses characters from Homer’s two epic poems, to highlight how women would have lived in Bronze Age Greece. Her accessible writing style was easy to follow and kept me thoroughly entertained (and educated).

Aphrodite in Pieces by Lauren JA Bear

This book wrecked me in the best way possible. Bear has the ability to bring mythological characters to life and this is her best book yet. Although it doesn’t deal directly with the story of the Odyssey, there is a section about the Trojan War. Additionally, we get to see how the gods view humanity and interact with them in a startling, emotional, and visceral way. I can’t recommend this book enough!

1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline

If you were intrigued by the Sea Peoples mentioned in the movie, please pick up this book immediately. (It is also a great audiobook!). Dr. Cline is the leading expert of the Bronze Age Collapse and it shows in this book! This is one of my niche interests in history, so I’m glad to see it getting some interest.

1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed - The Graphic Novel by Eric H. Cline

If dense history books aren’t your style, then I would highly recommend picking up the graphic novel version. Dr. Cline loves to make his work accessible and it shows by him helping create an easier to read and visually stunning version of his best selling text. Readers will still get all the same information, but in an engaging and fun way!

There are literally hundreds of books out there about this period in history and I’ve got quite a few on my own TBR waiting for me! If you have read any you think belong on the list, please let me know!

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Today is a day that I have been waiting for for months: the premiere of Christopher Nolan’s latest epic film The Odyssey! I first read this ancient poem in the eighth grade and am currently working through Emily Wilson’s groundbreaking translation. The story has stuck with me for over twenty years and helped ignite my fascination with the ancient world, its people, and their stories, art, and beliefs. So, it’s pretty clear on why I’m so excited for Nolan to bring these things to the big screen!

But, another reason I’m excited is because The Odyssey is bringing art, history, and the classics back to pop culture. Of course, there will always be those of us like myself, thrilled when any mention of history makes it to our “for you” pages. But, when something of this scale is produced, especially by someone as famous as Nolan, these historical moments reach an even wider audience.

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While not all discourse is good, and sometimes borders offensive, (for example, the uproar about Helen of Troy being played by Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o), it is important that people are talking about the past and a key piece of western literature. Especially one that deals with the very human themes of family, longing, fate, and fighting for what you believe in. These themes resonate across time and this movie gives us all a chance to confront and explore them. It reminds us that we aren’t so different from our past and there are things that make us who we are.

So, now that The Odyssey is having its pop culture moment, I hope that other creatives take notice and dig into the past. There are so many stories from around the world and across history that can teach us valuable lessons while still providing entertainment. In a time where hitting that next viral moment always seems to be the goal, I hope that The Odyssey can serve as a reminder to slow down and take a moment to explore.

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For the last six years, my dream has been to be a full time academic. Spending my time in libraries, in classrooms, and fully immersing myself in the research sounded like heaven. But, financially, I couldn’t make it work. Additionally, both of my master’s degrees were through online programs. While this fit into my working life well, it didn’t offer me the academic space that I craved.

But, now, I have the opportunity to make my dream come true! As I’ve mentioned, I’ll be starting my PhD in the history of education this fall at the University of Washington. At first, my plan was to work part time while pursuing this degree. But, as I signed up for classes, I started to get a knot in my stomach. I honestly didn’t know how I was going to balance my job as a high school registrar and data specialist with a full load of classes. So, I started thinking, what if I quit?

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The first big question was, of course, finances. I received a grant and a scholarship from the university that will almost cover my tuition for the first year. My supervisor and I are also working on securing other funding as opportunities arise. I have also been putting money into savings specifically for this degree, to help cover additional costs. Thankfully, my living expenses are quite low because my husband and I live with his parents and I paid off my car about a year ago. So, after running the numbers, I knew that I could quit my job. While it did provide for me financially, the stress it gave me would become detrimental to my PhD process, and probably my relationships.

Therefore, I’ve decided to take a leap of faith. I quit my job this week. For the first time, I’m going to be a full time academic! I’ve worked hard to get to this place. A place where I trust myself, my abilities, my opportunities, and my family to help carry me through this process. I’m terrified, but I’m not going to let that stop me. Which, in itself, is a huge accomplishment because, six years ago, I would have never taken this big of a risk. My anxiety disorder wouldn’t have let me. But now, with the love and support of my husband, family, and friends, I’m finally taking a chance on me!

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Let’s be honest, the world is in a rough place right now. Every time I turn on the news, a new catastrophe seems to be happening: war, natural disasters, human rights violations, and more. But, in an out of body way, it isn’t an unfamiliar feeling. This is because, as a historian, I have developed pattern recognition and observation skills. And, lately, all I keep hearing in my head is the Taylor Swift x bon iver song “exile”: “I’ve seen this film before and I didn’t like the ending.”

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In a day and age where STEM subjects are the dominating economic and academic forces, humanity loses the ability to see the phenomenon of “history repeats itself”. We aren’t confronted by our failures and reminded of our triumphs. This is why history matters. Because of this, being a historian is a huge responsibility. The past is messy, and historians have to look at the actions of real people and frame them through a specific lens. These lenses range from economic, to art, to military, and many more. Therefore, the core of a historian’s work is to translate the actions of the past into a format understandable in the present.

But, until recent decades, these historical lessons were meant for a very specific audience. History, and other humanities subjects, were locked within the proverbial ivory tower and therefore only accessible to those allowed within its walls. Thankfully, the recent generation of historians have rejected this exclusionary attitude and seek to create resources for the general public to learn from. Today, this part of the field is called “public history” and it is personally where I see my work as a historian as the most useful.

I believe that it is our duty, as historians, to use our skills in research and interpretation to distill our observations and theories into understandable lessons built for anyone who is curious. This isn’t about telling people what to think about the past. Instead, it is about opening the door of curiosity so we don’t lose access to its important lessons. Therefore, being a historian in 2026 isn’t just about creating new scholarship about our past, it is about teaching t and preserving it for present and future audiences.

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When I first announced that I had been accepted into my dream PhD program, the outpouring of support from my friends, family, and online community was kind and overwhelming. To have so many people in my corner, cheering me on, it was incredible! Additionally, there were a lot of questions about why I wasn’t pursuing a PhD in art history. And I get it, being an art historian is basically my entire personality! But, after a lot of reflection, it became clear that the history of education PhD program was the right choice for me. I thought it would be a good idea to share my reasons why, in case you find yourself in a similar situation.

1. Limitations: As an art historian, I would be expected to pick a time period, style, and/or artist to focus my research on. To be honest, I love too many of these to pick just one thing. I don’t want to pigeon hole myself into a single area, when my interests have shifted around so much over the years. I originally thought I wanted to study the Italian Renaissance/Baroque periods. That changed to medieval art during my undergraduate years. Now, I’m a full on classicist, specifically in Ancient Greek depictions of women in mythology. The history of education track has a bit more flexibility, meaning I can follow my interests throughout the program.

2. Access to Education: Education and access to it is another one of my passions. Learning about the humanities and having the opportunity to do so saved my life and altered its trajectory. Doing this program will allow me to conduct research that ensures that others also have the same opportunities that I did.

3. Location: At 34 years old, I’m quite established in the Seattle area. My family, friends, and (almost) husband are all here and the support system they offer is not something I am willing to give up. However, I did make this choice understanding that it severely limited my options on programs I could apply to. But, this was something I was willing to work with because my people are important to me!

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Overall, I am so happy with my decision to pursue the history of education! My supervisor is supportive of adding art history graduate seminars into my curriculum plan, so I can keep active in that field. I know that there is a lot of work ahead of me, but I truly know that this is what I am meant to be doing with my life.

My path to a PhD was far from straightforward. When I first entered academia, as a wide eyed freshman at the University of Washington, I had big dreams. I was going to graduate early, and pursue a PhD in early Christian art history at Columbia University. But, when graduation came in 2013, I lost all my confidence. The effects of The Great Recession were still being felt around the country, with many humanities graduate programs struggling with funding. And, there was the bigger issue of my anxiety. I didn’t feel like I was good enough to get into a program, let alone get a PhD. So, I didn’t apply.

But, I don’t regret this choice. (At least not anymore, it’s taken a lot of self-reflection and therapy to get to this point). Because over the seven years between graduating with my bachelor’s and rejoining academia, I learned life skills, made friendships, and figured out what I truly wanted from life. But, this didn’t come easy. Far from it. I worked jobs that were so stressful that I started losing my hair. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship that ended abruptly and destroyed my self-esteem. I’m not writing about these things because I’m looking for sympathy, I am writing them to show that life can be hard and it’s ok to recognize that.

Things finally came to a head in 2020. After months of isolation, I hit my ultimate low. I was taking the garbage out and realized that I wouldn’t be sad if I were to go into a coma. Because that means my brain would finally be quiet and I would get a break. I immediately knew that this was bad. So I called my parents and we had a big talk. I realized two things: I wanted to go back to school and I needed therapy. Well, a few weeks later, I enrolled in grad school for my master’s in education, found a therapist, and turned 29. It was a busy time!

Six years later, I got accepted to my dream PhD program. Not at Columbia, but back where it all started at the University of Washington. I am going to be studying the history of art history education, combining my two passions. I’ve finished two master’s degrees, found the right balance of medication and therapy for my mental health, and one month from today, I’m going to marry the most supportive, loving, and caring partner. It’s taken a lot of hard work, but I’m grateful each and every day that I did it.

I know that this PhD journey is just starting, and that it is going to be hard. But, I’ve worked for six years for this and I know I’m ready. Additionally, I’ve also made so many friends online in the academic community which I’ve come to love and lean on.

This past week, I went to the University of Washington campus to attend the College of Education’s Admitted Students Day. The day was jam packed with discussions, presentations, meeting new people, and connecting with faculty and future peers. By the time I got in my car, I was drained. But, I was also incredibly happy. It had been almost a year since my last academic outing (a conference at the University of Arizona) and I missed that kind of connection: the kind where you can nerd out with a stranger because you share the same interests. It reminded me of the reason I wanted to return to academia: to share my passion and learn from others.

I got to campus early for a couple reasons: Seattle traffic is horrific, the cherry blossoms were out and I wanted to see them, and finally I wanted to spend some time in the library to download a few e-books for preliminary research work. It worked out quite well because I was able to accomplish all three! It was a beautiful day with both “the mountain” and the cherry blossoms out in the sun!

I spent about an hour in the art library and it truly felt like coming home. I spent many hours in there as an undergrad. This particular library is tucked away in the School of Art and is rarely filled with people. I remember reading about early Christian reliquaries and feeling like I had discovered an entirely new world. This library will always hold a special place in my heart and I plan to study here more during my PhD.

The majority of the afternoon was spent listening to presentations by current grad students and faculty, lunch, and a tour of the education building. I also met a bunch of prospective grad students, which was fun. Although the sessions were geared slightly more towards incoming master’s students, the sessions were still valuable for getting a feel for the program and what life would be like as a grad student. At some points, it didn’t feel real because I have worked so hard to get to this point in my academic career, I couldn’t believe it was finally happening!

My favorite part of the day came at the very end. The University of Washington hosts a program called EduTalks. Modeled after the famous Ted Talks, the College of Education invites several speakers to give five minute talks on their interpretation of a theme. If you would like to watch the talks, I’ve linked the video here.

I left this event feeling so inspired! Knowing that there are others connected with my school that are equally as passionate about this work as I am gives me hope. Hope that we can make a difference in the way people are taught and the opportunities that we can give them. I am so proud and excited to be a part of this community!

The Iliad was a monstrous undertaking! It’s dense with hundreds of additional pages of notes besides the text of the epic poem. But, I can say for certain that it was worth the effort. Firstly, Wilson’s translation was stunning. She worked hard to keep the meter and emotion of the original text while keeping the language accessible for the modern reader. I could feel the pain, grief, glory, sadness, and intensity of each section. I will admit, the sections covering the battles did get a bit repetitive at times. But, then I realized this was representative of the story itself. The Trojan War dragged on for ten years by the time the reader enters the story. Therefore, we get to experience that along with the soldiers.

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The best part of this book was, by far, the depiction of Achilles’ grief. It was raw, angry, and visceral, bleeding through the pages. Even though I ended up hating his actions at the end of the poem, it still felt entirely human. I also enjoyed reading how the gods meddled throughout the story because it was almost to the point of being ridiculous. It is easy to see why this story survived so long in the canon, it is a masterpiece. I look forward to reading Wilson’s translation of the Odyssey in a few months!

Bookstore.org link (affiliate)

Although I read the graphic novel version (affiliate link) of this book last year, with my recent obsession with the Late Bronze Age, I wanted to revisit the source material. I am glad I did! I am a huge fan of Eric H. Cline as a scholar. Not only is he a leader in his field, but he also makes an effort to make his research accessible. (For example, the graphic novel version of his book and making appearances on podcasts and YouTube videos). In this book, Cline covers the breadth of Mediterranean cultures during the Late Bronze Age. Some of the cultures are familiar, Egyptians, Minoans, and Mycenaeans. But, Cline also includes many other, less familiar ancient civilizations. This helped create and emphasize how the world, even thousands of years ago, was interconnected.

My personal favorite section was about the Sea Peoples. Although many scholars, including Cline, believe they have a general idea of who these invaders were, I like that it represents that we don’t know everything from the past. And I’m also a sucker for historical mystery!

Overall, if you are interested in this time period, I can’t recommend this book enough. I listened to the audiobook version and Cline himself read the book. This, in my opinion, made the experience because it was like listening to a lecture.

Bookstore.Org Link (affiliate)

When I first read the description of this book, it sounded like it was made for me for my 2026 learning goals. Two of the subjects that I was most interested in learning about for my personal curriculum are women in the ancient world and Ancient Greece. I can’t emphasize how incredible this book was, the perfect way to start off a new year! Emily Hauser is not only an incredible historian, but she has a spectacular gift with prose. She pulled in all kinds of information (art, history, archaeology, science, literature, etc) to support her theories of how women played a significant role in Ancient Greek societies. I also appreciated how she connected each element to a specific woman in Homer’s stories. This helps the reader to understand that the Homeric epics aren’t just myths, but they are a reflection of society at the time. This new understanding of the past is valuable and I can’t wait to incorporate some of her scholarship into my own research.

Favorite Quote: “Not all women get to be remembered” (325)

Bookstore.Org Link (affiliate link)

While searching on TikTok (yes, I recognize the irony) for ideas on personal curriculum and intentional reading, I found a new favorite creator: @thisstoryaintover. She created the “Anti-Brain Rot Challenge” and many of the elements align with my goals for the year. I will also be pulling from Cait’s Monthly Humanist Reading Challenge to make my own reading agenda for 2026. You can click to view the challenges and see if they will also work for you.

This post will highlight my goals and challenge elements for this year and the books I will use to fulfill the requirements. As the year, and the challenge, go on, I will be documenting my experience through essays, book reviews, responses, etc here on Substack. Some of them will be free, though some of them will be exclusively for my paid subscribers. Please consider supporting my work if you are able to. (Though, I will still keep plenty of my posts available for free.) I’ll be starting this challenge on January 1st. If you decide to join me, please let me know! I would love to connect with others who are taking this challenge on.

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Challenge Goals:

• Read at least 24 books (12 fiction and 12 non-fiction)

• Read at least 2 scholarly articles per month, with annotations. (1 art history, 1 education - my two areas of research)

• Read for at least 30 minutes per day, while annotating what I read. Thoughts will also be recorded in my visual media journal.

• Read more books by BIPOC authors.

Challenge Books

For most of my fiction books this year, I will be following Cait’s Monthly Humanist reading challenge. (One of the months is non-fiction focused). You can find her challenge linked above.

Fiction:

1. The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

2. Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

3. Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser

4. Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

5. James by Percival Everett

6. The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

7. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

8. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

9. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

10. I, Cladius by Robert Graves

11. Inanna by Emily H. Wilson

12. I, Medusa by Avana Gray

Non-Fiction Picks

1. Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival by Stephen Greenblatt

2. The Great Chinese Art Heist by Ralph Pezzullo

3. Penelope’s Bones: A New History of Homer’s World through the Women Written Out of It by Emily Hauser

4. The Rise of Athens by Anthony Everitt

5. The Greeks: A Global History by Roderick Beaton

6. A Little History of Archaeology by Brian Fagen

7. How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

8. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

9. The Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus by James D. Tabor

10. History Matters by David McCullough

11. A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon

12. Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II by Elyse Graham

I look forward to seeing what you are reading in 2026!

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Part of my reflection for the end of 2025 was the fact that I set an overwhelming amount of goals for myself. So, 2026 will be about taking it slow, engaging with what makes me happy, and making steady progress to a small number of goals. I think this will make for a much more balanced new year.

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Here are my goals:

1. Hit 25,000 subscribers on my art history YouTube channel, Accessible Art History and continue building up my Substack.

2. Finish the manuscript for my Gorgon Gazes project. I’m really enjoying independent research and I love where this project is going!

3. Reading with purpose. I’ll be posting my personal reading challenge tomorrow, but my goal is to engage more deeply with what I’m reading and focusing on the experience.

With these goals in mind, my word for 2026 is learn. Learn how to focus on what matters, learn from reading and engaging with my books in a meaningful way, and learn to take things a little slower. Good things are coming for all of us in 2026, I can’t wait to see what they are!

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I truly can’t believe that 2025 is almost over. It was quite a rollercoaster of a year, filled with loss but also some personal triumphs. Overall, however, I am glad to see 2025 on its way out and am excited to see what 2026 will hold!

One of the biggest things that I accomplished this year is reading the most books I ever have: 45! This year, I really rediscovered my love of reading, but also stopped putting so much pressure on myself. I let myself experience reading slumps or DNF books that weren’t capturing my attention. I will carry these lessons with me into the next year.

For this post, I’ve narrowed down my top 3 fiction reads and top 3 non fiction reads for the year. Each one impacted my reading journey and I can’t wait to share them with you! I’ve linked them to my Bookshop.Org account, which is an affiliate link. Please don’t feel obligated to use the link.

So without further ado, here are my top books of 2025!

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Top Fiction Book: Mother of Rome by Lauren J.A. Bear

Nearly everyone knows the foundation myth of Rome. Romulus, Remus, sibling rivalry, and fratricide. But, rarely do we stop and ask about their mother. Lauren J.A. Bear does so in magnificent fashion! She brings Rhea Silvia to life, masterfully blending myth, history, and fiction. The emotional range of the characters made them come to life and I was fully invested in this story. Bear shows us that the past is not so far removed from our current time and when I finished the book, I was weeping. I can’t wait for Bear’s new book on Aphrodite that is coming out in 2026. (I also highly recommend her book Medusa’s Sisters, it is another masterpiece!)

Top Non-Fiction Book: Shakespeare’s Sisters by Ramie Targoff

My study of Early Modern England has mainly focused on King Henry VIII and his six wives, but I’ve always found the period fascinating. A good friend of mine, Cait, recommended this book, and I’m so glad she did. Shakespeare’s Sisters is a beautifully written exploration of women writers during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. Some of the names were familiar to me, but others I had never heard of. I learned about their rich lives, literary work, and the role of women in English literary history. I was captivated by these women who paved the way for female authors and am so thankful their names haven’t been lost to history.

Other Fiction Favorites

Strange Pictures by Uketsu, Translated by Jim Rion

One of the most unusual books I’ve ever read. Told from multiple perspectives and timelines, this thriller had me frantically reading to find out what happened next. I can’t give too much away without spoiling, but please just read this book!

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

I’ve been a Hunger Games fan since the first book came out and this might be my favorite in the series. This one follows Haymitch through his game and really delivers a gut punch to the reader. Collins masterfully captures the theme of propaganda, something quite fitting for our society today.

Other Non-Fiction Favorites

The Woman who Would Be King by Kara Cooney

I love an accessible biography and this book checks all the boxes. Cooney delivers an incredible overview of Hatshepsut’s life while also informing the reader about the realities of living in 18th dynasty Egypt. A must read for any Ancient Egypt enthusiast!

Hunting the Falcon by John Guy and Julia Fox

The marriage of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII had widespread implications for not just England, but Europe as well. This biography captures not only those factors, but dives into the psychology of these two figures. I loved learning more about two of my favorite historical figures in a new way!

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I truly can’t believe it is the last day of November. This month flew by in the blink of an eye! And with the end of the month comes the end of the November Fall into Focus writing challenge from Accepted Society. Overall, I think it went well, though I didn’t accomplish as much as I had originally set out to do. But, I don’t see this as a loss. Instead, it was more about listening to my body and my brain, making the best decision to support my well being.

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My biggest accomplishment of the month was finishing and submitting my PhD application! I find statements of purpose so difficult because it forces me to write about myself in a way that almost feels like I’m bragging. So, I had to reframe it in my brain. Instead, I tried to think about it as more of a pitch than a brag. Telling the admissions committee why my research into art history education matters, why I’m the best person to do it, and why this program and school is the best place to do it. I ended up writing four drafts, but I think it turned out well. Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed and pray that my application is accepted!

Although I did make some progress on my Medusa chapter, I didn’t write nearly as much as I wanted to. In my personal life, there was a lot going on. I had to focus my energy on those things, which means I didn’t have the bandwidth to pursue my creative outlets. However, I don’t think this was necessarily a bad thing. In the past, I would have pushed myself to power through, to keep writing. But, this led to burnout and not allowing me to do my best work. Instead, I listened to how I was feeling and took care of myself. This project is about my passion for art, history, feminism, and global culture. It is supposed to be fun and empowering, not draining.

I’m not going to let a lack of progress deter me from my goals. But, I also won’t let my goals drain me. It’s all about finding balance between passion and practicality. I have so many ideas in the works and I can’t wait to share them with you! Thanks for reading!

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Two weeks into November and it is really starting to feel like fall here in the Pacific Northwest! It’s been raining a lot here, which does help with setting the mood for cozy writing sessions. The only problem is…I have had a really hard time getting into the mood to write and research. I’ve done a little bit of each, but I wouldn’t call it significant progress.

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To be frank, I think that my life outside of academia has been taking up a lot of my brain space each day. As an independent scholar, I work a full time job as a data specialist. While my work is meaningful, the past month or so has been incredibly stressful with deadlines for reporting. So, after I log off, I feel like I don’t have the mental capacity to dive into my project. Which is pretty frustrating.

I’m hoping with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, things will slow down and I’ll be able to focus on my work a little more. This is just a bump in the road and I’ll get back to it soon!

Thanks for reading!

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We are officially one week (and a few days) into the fall writing challenge over at Accepted Society and I wanted to write a quick update. So far, I would say that things are going well! This challenge is much more relaxed than the original NanoWriMo, which has allowed me to be intentional with the words I’m putting onto paper. I’ve also been practicing free writing in my journal, which has helped me with the flow of my work.

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The biggest accomplishment so far is completing a draft of my statement of purpose for my PhD application! This was a bit trickier than I anticipated. I’m great at writing about research, but when it comes to writing about myself, it is much more difficult. But after some journaling and introspection about why I want to pursue this program I was able to finally complete a draft! However, it is pretty rough! I sent a copy to my friend to review and I’m going to spend some time this week revising, especially with the transitions. But, I am glad to have my ideas ready to go!

For my other project, a chapter of my book on Medusa, I’ve made most of my progress in the research department. I read a book chapter and a couple of articles to help round out my arguments. Without giving too much away (because I’m still working on the full outline of this book project), the Medusa chapter is the fulcrum of the manuscript. So now that I’ve got some more research notes in my Obsidian project folder, my goal is to start writing some more going forward. My current word count is 819, which I’m pretty proud of!

Overall, this writing challenge has been going well! I am thankful that it has provided me the space to be my academic self. I did take 3 days off from working because my day job (I’m a data specialist at a high school) has been super stressful and I needed some time to just let my brain rot for a bit. But, now I’m ready to dive back in! Thanks for following along!

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Thankfully, the wonderful people at Accepted Society have decided to create a group writing initiative called Fall into Focus: November Write-A-Thon. What makes this different from a traditional NaNoWriMo challenge is the fact that each person sets their own goals. Therefore, there are no strict word counts. Instead, the focus is on accomplishing a goal that seems achievable while still having the support of the amazing Accepted Community.

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I’m so excited to participate this month! Here are my three goals:

1. Finish my chapter on Medusa that I’m working on in the Researcher’s Group (another part of Accepted Society that I am a part of)

2. Finish my statement of purpose for my PhD application (!!!)

3. Track all of my progress here on Substack!

I hope you will join me on this journey through my two big writing projects this month. Make sure to also follow me on Instagram @analisa.academia because I’ll be posting some “behind the scenes” pictures on my stories.

*quick note: this post is not sponsored by or affiliated with Accepted Society. I just really love being a part of this amazing group of people that love research, academia, and community. There is a free 7 day trial if you want to check it out for yourself 🙂

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