Tag: reading

What I Read in 2022

Another good reading year albeit not quite as prolific as last year. 41 books read in total, and nearly all for the first time. And once again, supplemented by thousands of news articles, opinion pieces and blog posts.

Book cover of The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot.
Book cover of Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell.
  1. Eliot, T. S.: The Waste Land1 and Other Poems
  2. Gaiman, Neil: Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
  3. Gaiman, Neil: Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll’s House
  4. Gaiman, Neil: Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country
  5. Gaiman, Neil: Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists
  6. Grahame, Kenneth: The Wind in the Willows (r2)
  7. Orwell, George: Down and Out in Paris and London
  8. Pratchett, Terry: Pyramids
  9. Russell, Willy: Blood Brothers (r3)
  10. Seneca: Dialogues and Essays
  11. Shakespeare, William: Julius Caesar (r4)
  12. Shakespeare, William: The Tempest (r)
  13. Simenon, Georges: The Cellars of the Majestic
  14. Simenon, Georges: The Judge’s House
  15. Simenon, Georges: Signed, Picpus
  16. Simenon, Georges: Inspector Cadaver
  17. Simenon, Georges: Félicie
  18. Simenon, Georges: Maigret Gets Angry
  19. Simenon, Georges: Maigret in New York
  20. Simenon, Georges: Maigret’s Holiday
Book cover of Maigret and the Minister by George Simenon.
Book cover of Maigret Sets a Trap by George Simenon.
  1. Simenon, Georges: Maigret’s Dead Man
  2. Simenon, Georges: Maigret’s First Case
  3. Simenon, Georges: My Friend Maigret
  4. Simenon, Georges: Maigret at the Coroner’s
  5. Simenon, Georges: Maigret and the Old Lady
  6. Simenon, Georges: Madame Maigret’s Friend
  7. Simenon, Georges: Maigret’s Memoirs
  8. Simenon, Georges: Maigret at Picratt’s
  9. Simenon, Georges: Maigret Takes a Room
  10. Simenon, Georges: Maigret and the Tall Woman
  11. Simenon, Georges: Maigret, Lognon and the Gangsters
  12. Simenon, Georges: Maigret’s Revolver
  13. Simenon, Georges: Maigret and the Man on the Bench
  14. Simenon, Georges: Maigret is Afraid
  15. Simenon, Georges: Maigret’s Mistake
  16. Simenon, Georges: Maigret Goes to School
  17. Simenon, Georges: Maigret and the Dead Girl
  18. Simenon, Georges: Maigret and the Minister5
  19. Simenon, Georges: Maigret and the Headless Corpse
  20. Simenon, Georges: Maigret Sets a Trap
  21. Simenon, Georges: Maigret’s Failure

Rather than set out any specific goals for 2023 in terms of how much to read and what to read, I am simply going to aim to read every day and follow wherever the literary-nose takes me.

  1. Having only read excerpts previously, I felt I should read the poem in its entirety given that 2022 was the centenary of its publication. I ended up reading it several times to fully digest it and did so with the support of this detailed hypertext version, which complemented the copy I had bought for Kindle, perfectly.[↩]
  2. ‘r’ indicates re-reading[↩]
  3. Re-read for work.[↩]
  4. Also re-read for work.[↩]
  5. Maigret and the Minister and the following two novels, Maigret and the Headless Corpse and Maigret Sets a Trap, have been the most engrossing Maigret stories yet.[↩]

Goals (2022)

I have decided to retire the ‘less, more, none’ format1 and replace it with a simple list of what I hope to do/achieve in 2022.

  • Be as attentive as I can possibly be2
  • Exercise regularly3
  • Travel4
  • Visit galleries and museums 5
  • Read as many books as possible6
  • Take steps to support and advance my career7
  • Write regularly8
  • Upgrade our tech9.

There will be a whole host of other things that we do this year. For example, keep doing the crossword every morning and continue to buy more ‘grown up’ furniture10 but the items above are the most immediate list of personal and shared goals that came to mind when I sat down to write this.

  1. The ‘less, more, none’ approach was useful when I first started using it but I found myself shoe-horning items in to the format. I feel that a simple list is more flexible.[↩]
  2. Focus on one person / one task at a time.[↩]
  3. I failed miserably with this in 2021 yet I know how much it helps me both physically and mentally. [↩]
  4. It’s been far too long since we (Jennifer and I) stepped foot in another town let alone another country. Keeping all fingers and toes crossed that we can get back on the road this year.[↩]
  5. It’s also been far too long since we experienced art and culture without a screen being involved.[↩]
  6. Reading more books over the past two years has undoubtedly had a positive impact on my mental health.[↩]
  7. I completed an M.Ed in 2013 but as I continue to consider whether Headship is something I want, I am thinking about completing an NPQH.[↩]
  8. As noted in my review of last year, I am adding this but I need to give some genuine consideration to what I mean by ‘write regularly’? What type of writing do I want to do? Who am I writing for? What should I write about? Does it need to be published on this blog?[↩]
  9. Neither of us seek to replace our devices when the latest and greatest phones/computers are released but both our laptops and phones are really starting to show their age. This looks like it will be the year to invest in replacing them.[↩]
  10. We finally replaced the IKEA bed that we’ve had since we got married. It only took 17 years![↩]

Less, More & None (2021) – Review

Less

  • allowing my task list to build up
    • I am really pleased with the way I managed my time this year. I maintained a good balance between my day to day tasks and larger projects. There were no changes to the systems or tools1 that I use, but I did adapt the way I approached some aspects of my job, improving my delegation and making best use of mornings to get two to three smaller tasks off my plate before the day has really begun.
  • looking at my mobile phone when people are talking to me
    • This is the second year now that I have been a lot better with this. I still find that I have to remind myself to put my phone away but I have built up some better habits around my phone in general that have helped a lot.
  • reading doomscrolling the news
    • I also did well with this. While I did keep up with some of the news surrounding the pandemic as well as the current political landscape2, I managed to direct my attention towards the culture and lifestyle sections of the paper most of the time. I was far happier spending time reading about people, places and ideas that could enrich my life rather than dwelling on everything that is wrong with the world.

More

  • exercise
    • I am sad to say that other than walking regularly, I failed to make exercise a priority in 2021. I have no genuine reason or excuse for this and plan to find ways to make sure that it is a priority in 2022.
  • reading
    • I read 52 books in 2021. That is two more than my target and 11 more than 2020. I posted a complete list of everything I read on this blog.
  • saving money
    • We carried on where we left off in 2020 and added significantly to our savings. 💰💰💰
  • seeking opportunities for personal growth
    • Reflecting on this goal, I am not sure what I was considering exactly all the way back in January 2021 but I have achieved a few things this year that I am proud of:
      • I have finally achieved a sense of equilibrium at work and feel better placed to develop myself further as a leader and to be able to consider the next steps in my career
      • I have been (re)learning French
      • I have cooked regularly for my wife3
      • I have finally taught myself how to tackle cryptic crosswords, and while I am far from being an expert, I now understand the rules and can work my way (slowly) through the Guardian cryptic crossword
      • I have continued to develop my appreciation and knowledge of Jazz – in particular piano-led groups4 and the development of the be-bop and hard-bop styles.
  • writing
    • This just did not happen and I do not have an answer to how I get back to writing regularly. Maybe I am not supposed to right now? I will likely include writing in my goals for 2022, but I think I need to reflect on the type of writing I want to do and where it is published to better understand where/how it fits into my life. I enjoy writing but since I completed my M.Ed in 2013 and took on more senior roles at work, I have consistently struggled to make it a regular habit.

None

  • making excuses when it comes to exercise
    • See my response to the first item in the ‘more’ section.
  • skipping my ‘morning reading’
    • I did not miss a single day and ended up re-reading the entire ‘Holy Bible’, not just Paul’s letters as I had intended. I did not make as much headway with ‘History of Western Philosophy‘ by Bertrand Russell5 but I did re-read (again) ‘Meditations‘ by Marcus Aurelius and I also finished ‘On Writing‘ by Stephen King, which was as much a biography as a guide to writing well.
  1. See bullet point two in my review from 2020.[↩]
  2. All I see when I think about the state of the world is the ‘This is fine’ meme taken from the comic by KC Green.[↩]
  3. at least once per week[↩]
  4. Brubeck/Clark/Evans/Garland/Hancock/Monk/Powell[↩]
  5. I am going to make this the sole text for my morning reading in 2022.[↩]

What I Read This Year

It was another excellent reading year in which I met my goal to read more than 50 books in 2021. As the pandemic continued to plague us1, I found myself drawn toward re-reading a number of books that I had read before. There is definitely comfort to be found in the familiar. On top of the books I read this year, I was no less inveterate with the amount of news articles and blog posts that I consumed. Although, in-keeping with another of my goals, I avoided as much doom-leaden news as I could.

  1. Aurelius, Marcus: Meditations (r2)
  2. Dahl, Roald: Fantastic Mr. Fox (r)
  3. Dahl, Roald: Danny the Champion of the World
  4. Dexter, Colin: The Dead of Jericho
  5. Dexter, Colin: The Riddle of The Third Mile
  6. Dexter, Colin: The Secret of Annexe 3
  7. Dexter, Colin: The Wench is Dead
  8. Dexter, Colin: The Jewel That Was Ours
  9. Dexter, Colin: The Way Through the Woods
  10. Dexter, Colin: The Daughters of Cain
  11. Dexter, Colin: Death is Now My Neighbour
  12. Dexter, Colin: The Remorseful Day
Remorseful Day
Wind-Up Bird
  1. Flea: Acid for the Children
  2. Glei, Jocelyn K.: Unsubscribe: How to Kill Email Anxiety, Avoid Distractions, and Get Real Work Done
  3. Kiedis, Anthony (with Larry Sloman): Scar Tissue (r)
  4. King, Stephen: On Writing
  5. Kureishi, Hanif: The Buddha of Suburbia (r)
  6. le Carré, John: The Looking Glass War
  7. Murakami, Haruki: Sputnik Sweetheart
  8. Murakami, Haruki: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle3
  9. Packer, Dr J. I., et al (Ed): Holy Bible (ESV) (r)
  10. Rowling, J. K.: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone4 (r)
  11. Rowling, J. K.: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (r)
  12. Rowling, J. K.: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (r)
  13. Rowling, J. K.: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (r)
  14. Rowling, J. K.: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (r)
  15. Rowling, J. K.: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (r)
  16. Rowling, J. K.: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (r)
  17. Rowling, J. K.: Tales of Beadle the Bard
  18. Shakespeare, William: Macbeth (r)
Half-Blood Prince
Maigret
  1. Simenon, Georges: Pietr the Latvian5
  2. Simenon, Georges: The Late Monsieur Gallet
  3. Simenon, Georges: The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien
  4. Simenon, Georges: The Carter of Le Providence
  5. Simenon, Georges: The Yellow Dog
  6. Simenon, Georges: Night at the Crossroads
  7. Simenon, Georges: A Crime in Holland
  8. Simenon, Georges: The Grand Banks Café
  9. Simenon, Georges: A Man’s Head
  10. Simenon, Georges: The Dancer at the Gai-Moulin
  11. Simenon, Georges: The Two-Penny Bar
  12. Simenon, Georges: The Shadow Puppet
  13. Simenon, Georges: The Saint-Fiacre Affair
  14. Simenon, Georges: The Flemish House
  15. Simenon, Georges: The Madman of Bergerac
  16. Simenon, Georges: The Misty Harbour
  17. Simenon, Georges: Liberty Bar
  18. Simenon, Georges: Lock No. 1
  19. Simenon, Georges: Maigret
  20. Simenon, Georges: Cécile is Dead
  21. White, T. H.: The Sword in the Stone
  22. Wolf, Virgina: A Room of One’s Own

In 2022, I intend to continue my journey with the inimitable Inspector Maigret; immerse myself in George Smiley‘s battle with his nemesis Karla; and return to the fantastical realms of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and Tolkein’s Middle-earth.

  1. Pun definitely intended.[↩]
  2. (r) Indicates ‘re–reading’.[↩]
  3. Easily the most enjoyable, strange and challenging book I read this year.[↩]
  4. Revisiting the world of Harry Potter during the summer holiday epitomises the pull towards comfort that I felt this year.[↩]
  5. Having completed the Martin Beck series last year and the Inspector Morse series early this year. I needed to select the next detective, whose world I could lose myself within. I settled on Georges Simenon’s Jules Maigret and have not been disappointed. I am already 20 books in to the series of 75 currently available from Penguin.[↩]