Silent Reading in the Woods
Some of my videos have no talking at all. I take a book out to the woods behind our house, set the camera down, and read. No narration, no music, no cuts to explain anything. The sounds of pages turning, birds, wind, and the occasional page flipped back because my mind wandered, but that is it.
Why I started these
I'm trying this new thing where I make time for myself. Between the farm, the stand, the girls and everything else, there's always something that needs me. So I started these silent reading times as a way to make sure I actually get that time in, and to share a little of the serenity with anyone who could use it too.
Why people watch silent videos
Quiet videos have a following of their own, and people use them in all kinds of ways:
To read along. Grab your own book and read at the same time. It's company without conversation.
To focus. Some people study or work better with someone else quietly working on screen. That's sometimes called body doubling.
To wind down or fall asleep. Birds and wind are easier to drift off to than the TV.
For a break from the noise. Most of what's online is talking at you. This isn't.
To get outside when you can't. If you're stuck indoors, the woods can come to you for a while.
However you use them, here they all are, newest first.
Late summer 2026: Sappho: A New Translation of the Complete Works, translated by Diane J. Rayor, edited by André Lardinois
About 33 minutes of reading in the woods. Just nature sounds, no music.
What I loved about this edition is that it doesn't just hand you the fragments. It tells you where each piece was found, the area it came from, and the time period it's dated to, so you know what you're holding before you read it.
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Late summer 2026: Greek Myths: A New Retelling by Charlotte Higgins
About 40 minutes on a quiet late-summer afternoon. This copy was checked out from our local library, the Charles County Public Library. If you want to read it too, your library probably has it. Find your local library.
New ones
I'd like to keep doing these, as a treat to myself to allow myself that alone time in my reading spot. Subscribe on YouTube if you want to catch them when they go up.
Related: Goldenrod, Sappho, and Being a Good Ancestor to This Land