Welcome to Gaining Ground.

Books change us. Writing reveals things inside us. And we mature and grow through deep thought and discussion. So let’s do this.

Once upon a time (in 2020) we started Gaining Ground — the sweet spot where great books intersect with wholeness and writing. That year we read Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities, The Screwtape Letters, Fahrenheit 451, and A Christmas Carol. It was super fun — some of us just read along, and others of us honed our writing skills and worked through wholeness. And for my part, I finally learned how to spell important things like “prejudice” and “Fahrenheit.”

But then I fell off the radar in 2021 because I wrote a book series. That was super fun, too, but OH MY GOSH there was no time for anything else.

So then we restarted in March of 2022 with The Hobbit, because the world needs us to read great books, and know what we’re capable of, and slay dragons more than ever. We’ve been reading and slaying and sharing nerdy memes ever since over on our Telegram group, where we discuss the content and themes, hash out parts that befuddle us, and share favorite quotes and new vocabulary. I’d love for you to join us — we’re getting great classics under our belts (and going deeper by reading some again!), developing writing skills, and gaining clarity on our identity and wholeness. This is where we gain ground.

Curious about all the other books we’ve done so far? Here’s the list, as of 2025, if you can read my Sanskrit: