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.

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.

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.

Book Info Title: The Caledonian Gambit Author: Dan Moren ISBN: 9781940456843 Pages: 312 Summary 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.

Book Info Title: Vicious Author: V.E. Schwab ISBN: 9781250160263 Pages: 397 Summary 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.

Book Info Title: The Woman Who Smashed Codes Author: Jason Fagone ISBN: 9780062430489 Pages: 341 Summary 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.

Book Info Title: Built: The Hidden Stories Behind our Structures Author: Roma Agrawal ISBN: 9781635570229 Pages: 275 Summary A survey of different building and engineering techniques. Multiple concepts are explained in simple terms, interspersed with anecdotes and pictures. Thoughts It is fun to read a book written by someone passionate about the subject. The energy of the author comes out on the page in a way that makes the book a pleasure to read.