My goal for 2019 was to read 24 books, or two every month. I ended the year almost right on target, with 25 books read. Goodreads puts a wonderful summary together which can be found here. I love seeing my stats at the end of the year (total pages read, most popular, etc.) and reflecting on which were my favorites.
If you look at the books I read in 2019, you’ll see a variety of history, business, and personal finance, with a little bit of fiction tossed in. I don’t strictly keep to any single genre, but rather am happy to pursue whatever interests me at the time. For much of last year, it was WWI-era history, as can be seen by the streak of Barbara Tuchman books over the summer followed by Rogan’s The Fall of the Ottomans. This was sparked by my thoughts while reading James C. Scott’s Against The Grain and Calloway’s The Indian World of George Washington.
This coming year, I’ve set a more ambitious goal of finishing 36 books, or three per month. I started my third book of the month this morning (The Black Jacobins), so it seems like I’ll be on pace to reach my quota for January.
I find that reading is one of the core activities that help me recharge and do my best work. It always has been. So, I’ll be doing more of it.
