reading books article

Tags: drafts

inspired by https://commoncog.com/blog/lessons-learnt-from-reading-51-books-in-2018/
didn’t think that blogging about reading was a thing
2017: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2017/64912470
- 35 books
- most impactful book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35710804-the-field-study-handbook
  - I liked it because it was good inspiration, which sounds vapid, but is the truth
- book I didn’t even remember I read: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31119360-typewriters-bombs-jellyfish
  - honestly can’t recall a single essay out of this book
- books I liked
  - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17454723-no-good-men-among-the-living
    - very touching, good piece of war reporting
  - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32714239-twitter-and-tear-gas
    - somewhat kicked off my interest in the middle east
2018: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2018/64912470
- 58 books
- most impactful book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36723066-brothers-of-the-gun, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27403373-judas, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34329421-the-shell
  - brothers of a gun was a solidifying moment for me about the middle east
  - judas is a weird but very interesting novel, although I don’t recall much of it, deserves a reread
  - the shell is a scary book, flip side of syria
- book I didn’t even remember I read: …most of the books honestly
  - This year I mostly spent reading and jamming through a variety of books, from Aftershocks to a Biography of the Quran to Becoming Fluent
- books I liked: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38820047-killing-commendatore, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25716554-the-master-and-margarita
  - Murakami fan, of course I would like it
  - Master and Margarita is a delight
2019: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2019/64912470
- 28 books
- most impactful book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1633.Getting_Things_Done
  - hate that this book is so effective, I really didn’t want to become one of those people that adopts it
- book I didn’t even realize I read: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98418.Literature_from_the_Axis_of_Evil_
  - seem to recall this was interesting but have completely forgotten about it
- books I liked: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17656566-the-locust-effect, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23012836-the-great-war-for-civilisation
  - locust effect presented an obvious-but-interesting thesis
  - fisk’s book is interesting for people who are interested in the middle east, it’s a massive book and he’s a crank now, but written when he wasn’t a crank
    - chewed through most of this in amman
2020: still working through it, but I’m on track for 52 books.
- favorite book so far: Taking Smart Notes
  - inspired me to start writing more and keeping more notes
- mostly inspired by a class on the post-ottoman near east
  - a book a week mandated for a class is a great motivator
Lessons learned:
- Don’t really believe in passive reading anymore
  - 2018 was my most active year and I barely recall reading it
  - passive reading is great for soaking up general knowledge, but I feel like I could’ve read a series of wikipedia articles and gotten the same effect
- take reading seriously
  - don’t just consume books anywhere
  - I consume low grade articles in line and spare times
  - book reading is sacred, which means actively planning for it
    - I’m lucky in that I rarely have other obligations on weekends