Wow. We’re already halfway through the year and my annual “To Do” list is approximately 1% completed (which is close, right?). At least I can say that I’m ahead of schedule on my Goodreads reading goal. Last year I had read 42 books at this point; this year I read 55 books by the end of June.
Like 2015 I initially set my reading goal at 50 books for 2016. Goodreads tells me I’m “30 books ahead of schedule.” Again like 2015, I’m not at all surprised I’ve read so much; it seems I top out my personal reading record with each new year. I’ll likely move the goal up to 75 books just to give me a new level to strive for, though at the pace I’m going I suspect that new number won’t be too difficult to reach. [Post continues below the graphic]
Of course, one of the books I read is one that I wrote, as Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World officially comes out this month (July 2016). It was completed last year and even though I read through it many times while editing, I don’t count it as “read” until I get the hard copy in my hands and read the final version complete with photos and graphics and all the cool design work that makes it the aesthetically pleasing book that sells so well in Barnes and Noble. [Post continues below the graphic]
Not surprisingly, I’ve read 13 books so far this year related to Abraham Lincoln. Some are new volumes that will be part of my book review column in the newsletter of the Lincoln Group of DC. Others are background for the Lincoln book that I’m currently writing. All provide valuable insights into the thinking of the man both current day political parties think of as their own. This interest led me to two other books I read. One was Barack Obama’s first memoir Dreams From My Father, and the other was a new book The Black Presidency that examines how racism has affected Obama’s decisions as President and how he has been treated by a party that just nominated Donald Trump as their “leader.” [Post continues below the graphic]
Reading down Facebook’s “Book List Challenge” continues. So far this year I’ve read 12 of the 100 books listed, for a total of 82. I’ve also read seven other fiction books, seven books on writing, four books about travel, and another 12 general nonfiction books. I finally read the first “Dragon Tattoo” book by Stieg Larsson and was shocked to find that it actually lived up to the hype. I’ll bring the second book on my next long overseas flight.
Overall my reading list is a hodgepodge of fiction and nonfiction, though obviously heavy on writing topics and biographical background related to the current work in progress. I could stand to branch out into more science fiction, poetry, and modern fiction, but I could also stand with cutting back on the reading so I can spend more time writing.
Yeah, that’s the ticket.
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David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (Fall River Press) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book is about Thomas Edison, due in Barnes and Noble stores in July 2016.
Hot White Snow 
You read a great deal more nonfiction than I do but my tastes are also quite eclectic so I think you have an amazing mix. I’m still charmed one of my books made the cut.
I’ll let you know when the new one comes out.
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I’m thinking I need to branch out into different genres. I used to read a lot of science fiction and science fantasy, but rarely do any more. And yes, let me know when your new book is out.
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Curious if you ever listen to books?
Interesting assortment… Viktor Frankl, pretty deep — any thoughts? (Might inspire releasing something from the editor.) The Sun Also Rises, among titles I used in a lower-division lit class examining Hemingway’s use of color in his writing (though I’m not a fan of his work). That last one… maybe get you an “SSSS” on your boarding pass. (-_^)
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I don’t do audio books. My mind grabs hold of any interesting bit that reminds me of something from the past or stimulates an idea for the future. Next thing I know it’s a few minutes (or half hour) later and I have no memory of what I just read. With a physical book (or even e-book) I can retrace my steps. With audio, I could reach the end of the book without having registered most of the story.
The Frankl book has been on my list to read for ages. Definitely deep insight into how to retain your sanity in an insane situation. I doubt my mind is strong enough to survive such a situation (it helps to be able to focus on a single belief in life’s value; focus on any one thing at a time is not my strong point).
I like Hemingway in his use of simple language and story, but reading him is more like experiencing his life directly rather than “a good story.”
Neither Frankl or Hemingway are on the “100 books to read before you die” list that I’ve been using as my way to catch up on “classic” books I never read. I’m curious as to how someone decided some of those books need to be read given that they are rather, well, garbage.
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I don’t read much fiction. I find audio books to be a good way to get in some fiction during long highway drives that don’t require much attention (perhaps more a characteristic of Western US topography).
Completely understand the attention issue. I will intentionally read at least one deeply technical book each year as a sort of intellectual focus/meditation thing, usually over a period of several months in order to really understand it. Almost always a very perception-changing experience.
When I was first in Cambodia, I could sense what Frankl was talking about. Worse than the physical destruction, the kinds of principled human interactions that create civilization had been utterly destroyed. Consequently, the tiniest indications of human purpose stood out, resulting in an acute awareness of what’s really most important. Life changing. Brings to mind, Thomas Hurka’s philosophically rational (dryer) approach to the topic, “The Best Things in Life: A Guide to What Really Matters.”
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Like most Americans I’ve lived a life too free from pain to fully understand it. Through my travels and friends I’ve been exposed to glimpses of what others have had to endure, but it still isn’t the same.
The Hurka book sounds interesting. I’ll add it to my reading list.
As for the attention issue, I find I need a firm deadline with consequences. Getting a book contract with “here is the date for delivery, after which we don’t pay you the second half of your advance AND you need to return the first half” tends to improve my focus immeasurably. 🙂
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