2021 Reading

Small Changes Can Make a Difference

One of my resolutions in 2019 was to read more books. While I certainly read a lot of “short form” content on a daily basis, I hadn’t really read “long form” content, especially fiction, for several years. I wanted to bring this relaxing experience back into my life. I set a goal to read at least one book a month. I also decided the best way was to make the “small change” of allocating some time to reading every day. Wasn’t sure if I could pull it off.

Goodreads had a Reading Challenge that I joined to track how many books I read. Amazon also had a Kindle feature called Reading Insights that made keeping daily reading on track pretty easy. I did pretty well developing a daily reading habit and exceeded my goal by reading 25 books in 2019.

In 2020, I set a goal to read at least two books a month. I was able to maintain a daily reading habit and exceeded my goal by reading 30 books. In 2021, I raised my goal to three books a month. I managed to exceed this again. I read 44 books last year.

2021 Reading

I read a mix of books last year. A number of them were police procedurals from the Harry Bosch and DCI Ryan series. I had started each of these long-running series the year before and have gotten just about current with both. I also read The Lincoln Lawyer, another series by Michael Connelly whose storyline intersects with the Bosch series. I started reading Ken Follet‘s books which somehow I had never read. I read a number of non-fiction titles including The Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. I read a number of science fiction and fantasy books including The Three Body Problem and two books from the Wheel of Time series.

I have always believed that the best way to change your behavior is to identify small changes you can focus on every day. I did this when I quit smoking in my twenties. I have also done it, with less long term success unfortunately, when I have focused on improving my health by changing my eating habits and exercising daily. Reading every day with a monthly target has helped me bring reading books back into my life.

Cragside by LJ Ross Banner

Cragside by LJ Ross — Latest Read

Finished Cragside by LJ Ross over the holiday weekend. This was a quick read. Like most of LJ Ross's work, not the deepest, but a relaxing, enjoyable read.
Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick Banner

Mayflower — Latest Read

Just finished up Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick. This book explores the history of the Plymouth colony over a 71 year period from its charter in 1620 to its absorption into the larger Massachusetts Bay royal colony in 1691.

The Lincoln Lawyer — Latest Read

Got to the point in Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch book series where the characters Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller really cross. Decided I would stop and go back and read the Mickey Haller books starting with The Lincoln Lawyer before reading The Crossing.

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