Reflections on 2024: Reading
The year draws to a close. It is time to look back and reflect on what we did and what we learned.
I began writing this retrospective as a mega post. A couple of thousand words in, yet not even halfway through what I hoped to cover, I decided to break it up into topical posts.
It will make the reflections easier to digest. And, even more importantly, increase the likelihood that I actually publish something. (As opposed to giving up on that giant post at 90% because I'm all done with reflecting on the year that was.)
To that end, I decided to tackle the easiest subject first. Let's reflect on 2024: my year of reading..
Reading goals
Originally, I thought of titling this post "media diet" or similar. As I sat down and started thinking about what I read, heard and watched, I realised that was silly. Apart from the odd podcast (the past few months: The History of Rome and nothing else) books are my only form of entertainment.
That admission triggers mixed feelings.
For one, I still think of myself as a bit of a movie buff. And a connoisseur of great TV shows. Which is strange when you've barely watched a handful of films and series the last couple of years.
Secondly, I still don't feel like a person who reads. To me, that's a label for smarter, more capable people. That I prefer fiction adds to that, somehow. As if I'm not a "real reader" because I primarily stick to fiction.
Clearly some things I need to work through.
Nevertheless, that fact remains that, beyond fiddling with computers, reading is my primary leisure activity. And I enjoy it immensely. No matter what the day might have looked like, reading a book quiets the mind and takes me away from whatever troubles me.
With this in mind, I aim to read for at least 30 minutes every day. I'd love to have more opportunities to read during the day. As of now, the only "me" time is during evenings after putting the kids to bed. Between exercise, writing and computer stuff, there's only so much time left for reading.
For balance, I try to keep a fiction and a non-fiction book on my reading list. In practice, I almost always reach for the fiction book, and tend to "procrastinate" on whatever non-fiction book I'm currently working my way through.
How I did
With ten days remaining of the year, I've finished 17 books in 2024. I'm also working on three books right now. I'll likely finish all three before the year comes to an end. In fact, I'll commit to it:
I read a grand total of 20 books in 2024.
This is the most amount of books I've read in a single year since I began tracking my reading in 2013. My previous high was 15 books in 2023, followed by 13 in 2020 and 2017.
I'm very happy with this. Throughout the year, I've had no prolonged breaks from reading. Instead I've been reading consistently throughout the year, making it a priority to spend at least 30 minutes reading every evening before turning in. As I will tonight.
Being honest, it's been easy. As long as I have a decent book going, dimming the lights and sitting down in my favourite chair with my Kindle for company is the perfect way to unwind after a demanding day. Where it, a few years back, felt like work to make sure I put in the time to read, it's now one of the highlights of my day.
Books I read
As bringing my reading log back to this website remains an unchecked item on my to-do list, this quick rundown of what I read throughout the year will have to suffice, for now.
A few stand-alones to start the year
I began the year with James Islington's The Will of the Many, Salman Rushdie's Victory City and The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson.
Exploring Asimov's worlds
The months from April through August I spent on Isaac Asimov's most celebrated works. First The Robot series, then I embarked on Foundation. After years, decades even, of reading mainly fantasy, I had wanted to branch out to Science Fiction for a while. Asimov was always at the top of my list, because of the awe with which people talked about Foundation.
I found the Robot books so-so, and wasn't particularly pumped about picking up Foundation after that. That only left me more surprised as the books blew me away. The way Asimov wove the short stories together in an overarching narrative gave the impression of a nearly endless galaxy completely captivated me. The second book, Foundation and Empire, had me absolutely hooked and I ploughed through it in just a couple of days. Second Foundation, too, was excellent.
The sequels, though… The less said about them, the better. By the time I was done with Foundation and Earth, I had no desire whatsoever to embark on the last two books in the series, which are prequels to the original trilogy.
Hard hitting Piranesi
Instead, I picked up Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. In my note about the book, I wrote:
Want to say something about this one, but I can't find the words yet.
By now, I don't remember it well enough to recall what I might have wanted to express. Yet, I can confidently say that it had a profound impact. It's not often I feel as if I need to re-read a book, but this one warrants another go. There was just so much there that I felt I couldn't quite grasp.
Narnia with the boy
In early fall, I also started reading the Narnia books with my six year old son. Every other night, I read out loud to him (but just as much for me!) for about 30 minutes. Or however long it takes us to get through a chapter or two.
Getting to a point where I can read books I like and/or want to read for myself is a new parenting milestone. One I enjoy very much.
As he's learning to read in school, these evenings he's also reading for me. A page a night from his chosen Detektivbyrå Nr. 2 (translates to Detective Agency Number 2) book. He'll be reading the fourth or fifth Narnia book to me.
Back to fantasy with the Elderlings
After Asimov and Piranesi I was hankering for another fantasy classic. I wanted something not just good, but extensive. Realm of the Elderlings comprises four trilogies and a four-parter. It fit the bill.
The original Farseer trilogy was released back in 1995-97. I finished it up a while back, and it was a fine piece of fantasy writing. It is grounded, and features a host of interesting characters. If I had one gripe, it would be that the characters come across as flat at times.
Regardless, it was more than enough to get me to move on to the next trilogy. Liveship Traders starts with Ship of Magic. Almost instantly, I noticed that Hobb had taken it up a notch. These characters are anything but flat! I am eagerly awaiting the conclusion to the first book.
Things to improve on
Reading for entertainment is a well established habit at this point. I want to keep it that way. Which will require me to continue reading as often as possible, preferably daily.
Beyond that, I still want to read more non-fiction. I can't quite pinpoint why it is such a drag to me. Perhaps I just haven't found the right kind of books? Listening to The History of Rome podcast has taught me that I find history captivating, and classical antiquity in particular. Surely there are books out there that don't come across as mandatory textbooks?
If there's one thing I want to improve about my reading habits in the coming year, it's strengthening my capacity for reading non-fiction.