I occasionally fall into themes with the books I read. Something in one book will lead me into another in the same genre, leading to another, and so on.

It doesn’t happen often, but it can cause a mental shift. It’s happened with Eastern spiritual philosophy, with consciousness, productivity, business, and self-improvement. These unintentional periods of immersion have been positive overall and greatly beneficial.

This time, however, I seem to be on a different journey.

Considering my long-term interest in the subject and obvious recent events, I read a book on the Israel/Palestine conflict. Just as I finished that book, an audiobook hold from the library arrived in my account. It’s a novel based in Afghanistan from the pre-Soviet war era through to the rise of the Taliban.

The subject matter is important to know and understand, but it isn’t pretty.

Currently, I’m reading Sebastian Junger’s new book about a recent near-death experience. As a former war journalist, his personal experience is intertwined with the time he spent in Afghanistan.

The connection to the previous book was entirely coincidental. The next, not as much.

I’m also tackling the audiobook of Marie Colvin’s biography. Marie Colvin is arguably one of the most legendary war correspondents in history. Her story is phenomenal, and one that saw her report — with incredible detail — from some of recent history’s most significant conflicts.

Marie was killed in 2012, while covering the Syrian civil war.

Needless to say, the theme I’ve stumbled upon this time is less than uplifting.

And while I should probably make a shift, for whatever reason, I can’t help but tug on this thread a little longer.