As is custom here is my “Reading Report for 2024. Another challenging year in terms of reaching my goal. I pushed hard to finish a book on the last day of the year so that it would not carry over. I’m not a big believer in setting unachievable goals, so this year I will strive for a more realistic number. My Year in Books.
Here are the stats with the change from the previous year in parentheses.
Now in the seventh year of my “reading report” I didn’t intend for it to be a “sabbatical”. I missed my goal by quite a bit. Not surprisingly I basically read nothing in October or November as I was distracted by current events. My Year in Books. The foundation is still fundamentally sound and I plan to strive for 40 books in 2024.
Here are the stats with the change from the previous year in parentheses.
This is now the sixth year of my “reading report”. Certainly long enough to be called the “annual reading report”. I surpassed my goal of 40 books by reading 44 books. I’m struggling to pick a goal for next year. Currently I have Goodreads set to 40 which is slightly below the six year average of 42. I hope to push myself this year and surpass the goal again. Here is the Goodreads produced a My Year in Books
As is now tradition here are the stats of the books I read in 2021. I did not reach my goal of 45 books falling short by three books. Goodreads produced a My Year in Books which has much of the same data I typically post here. Perhaps the additional non-fiction books contributed towards the reduced total. I don’t usually write reviews or pick a top list but looking back over the list so many titles were excellent reads.
What a year. Here is the stats breakdown of the books I read in 2020. Surprisingly with all that happened I exceeded my goal and read 47 books. Goodreads produced a My Year in Books which has much of the same data I typically post here.
I didn’t track towards my other goals for the year and I doubt that I will attempt them again. Setting the goal for next year is a difficult choice. 47 books in a year is the most books in the four years I have been tracking my reading. Will I have less time in 2021? I am going to set a 45 book goal.
A slack conversation about journaling and the induced working from home incited me to write a post about how I track my time at work.
My entire career has been as a salaried employee. I have never needed to account for my time in any real or granular way. I’ve marveled at friends and relatives in the accounting or law professions who have to bill by the hour and seem to track their time instinctively. My current job requires a monthly timesheet. Filled out by percentages but at a granularity I had never dealt with before.
Now in year three of what has become a yearly tradition here is the stats breakdown of the books I read in 2019. After reaching my reading goal of 40 books last year I missed my goal this year. I read 37 books out of my goal of 40. It would be easy to blame the shortfall on the disruptions in my lodgings but in reality I think I hit the same fall wall as I did the previous two years.
A sole survivor of a battle is cut off for five years. When his captors rejoin the galaxy he turns out to be the brother of a terrorist/freedom-fighter on his home war. He occasionally figures out who is playing him as a pawn and muddles his way through the cloak and dagger intrigue. One one side is a seasoned intelligence operator on the other his brother, the local FBI makes an appearance. They attempt a heist of some new technology that could change the balance of power in the galaxy.
The first book in a new series from the author of Shades of Magic. The book flits back and forth through time to tell the story of “Extra Ordinary” people. The main character starts as a troubled privileged college student and devolves into a revenge romp. He picks up various strays along the way who are just as interesting characters. There is Matt who is a physically large hacker, Sydney who can raise the dead and Dol the dog. The “villain” in the story is a self healing, self hating crusader out to kill those who are like him.
A partial biography of Elizebeth Friedman a cryptographer during the first and second world wars. Often overshadowed by her husband who was one of the founders of the NSA this book details an amazing life and accomplishments. She worked for a rich eccentric looking for secrets in Shakespeare which gave her the skills to crack real codes. Prohibition took her to the Coast Guard to deal with smugglers. During WWII she was one of the people who cracked the Enigmas and helped battle the Nazi’s in South America.