Reflecting back on 2004, I can only remember reading six or seven books total. Maybe there were more, maybe not. While I do take in a pretty insane load of magazine and newspaper articles (and I did co-write a screenplay with Reggie as well as keep up a near-daily blogging pace), it’s not the same thing as sitting down and reading a book. So, my New Year’s Resolution is to read at least 24 books next year. That’s two per month. Shouldn’t be too hard.
UPDATE: Dylan is in on this one too. Anyone else feel like they’re not reading enough? The tentative plan is to write mini-reviews of each book on our respective blogs, and for there to be nagging if at least two don’t show up each month.
UPDATE 2: Awesome, Brian is in too.
I feel the same way. I’m relativly versed, and keep up with the times. But it seems like I’ve read basically 3 books all year long (although one of them is Michner’s Alaska. But then again, I’m barely more than half way through that one).
When did I stop reading books?
Not so much for me with the reading
Rusty punched me in the gut today, rhetorically speaking, when he mentioned that he had only read 4 books all year.
Cool. Check out my last two posts. They’re book-related.
Do textbooks count?
Something has to give. I’ve read close to 20 books over the past six months, but I’m relatively out of the loop when it comes to current events. Maybe I should resolve to become more literate on current happenings.
I recently joined QPD just so that I would start reading more. I just finished “Jarhead,” which I recommend to everyone, and “Waiting for Snow in Havana.” Now I am working on “1968″ and an RFK biography. I have 4 in apile waiting. I am planning on more non-fiction than anything.
I also decided to pass the books around. I tend to read and then hold onto the books, putting them on my shelves. I want to make an effort to spread the knowledge around, rather than rotect the spine of the book.
Chris,
Thanks for the list.
Jen,
Only if you read them cover-to-cover (which I never did when I was in college).
Mark,
Moderation in all things, eh? I guess you’re right that if I read that many books it’ll cut back on my current events some.
gttim,
I looked up QPD and it appears to be a British company. Is there an American version I’m missing?
Hm.. well I only read one of them cover to cover. So, this year I read a total of 6 books. How pathetic.
Did you guys ever do the summer reading program at the local library when you were kids?
I used to tear through 6 books in a week.
Since I got a PC I haven’t read as much. I probably made it through about 10 books this year though. I try to avoid books over 400 pages though. So lately I read a lot of short novels instead of novels. I’m also starting to read books from the VSI series.
Jen, I used to do a program at school called “600 minutes” in which, over a couple month period, you had to read for 600 minutes (10 hours). You would read for a period of time, and your parents or your teacher would sign off on it on a form. Once you got to 600 minutes, you would get a free ticket to Six Flags Amusement Park. I’d always get to 1000-1200 minutes. I’d be willing to bet that I don’t come close to that right now.
Mark, I think, to balance things out, that I’m going to make a concious effort to find out where I can cut back on something else in my free time (which will probably be tv, which sucks since I just got a 55″ widescreen HDTV), so that I can keep up with my current events while reading more.
I’ve always been an avid reader, so my tendency is to cut other things out to make sure I have enough reading time. My “to-read” stack is probably 80-90 books deep. Seriously.
But that many books “to-read” probably means there’s a lot of crap in there. And, with time being so precious, I’ve started to cull the list somewhat to focus only on the quality items. Some books are so good they just make me want to stop everything and keep reading.
Also, a friend of mine here at work and I are doing a mini-book club kind of thing. We both decide on a book we haven’t read, we read it at roughly the same time, and then we get together and talk about it. This’ll be the first time we’ve done this, so I don’t know how it’s gonna go, but, on Jan. 5, he and I have lunch to discuss the book we’re both reading over the holidays: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (which I would highly recommend, even though it’s long and difficult).
Now, I gotta recommend the next one.
Oops. QPB. Hit google. Quality Paperback Book Club.
Dylan — Six Flag tickets are pretty sweet. We never got anything that cool.
If I’m going to start reading a lot again, I’m gonna have to get a library card.
Also, did the recent Harry Potter come out last year or early this year? If it came out this year, you can bring my total up to 7.
dude, i’ve been thinking the same thing so i’m in. im gonna start with some tried and true like dante and dostoevsky before i ease into suess, hilton, and clinton.
So, did you do it? Did you read 24 books this year? Please email me back!