Book Reading 2023

January 1, 2024

In 2023 I read 23 non-fiction and 19 fiction books.

For non-fiction books, I kept to my system of reading 25 pages every day, although I had gaps several times during the year. For novels, I usually read before falling asleep, as a way to switch my brain gears off and relax.

I love paper books, but for serious reading, I use my laptop. The reason is that I need to take notes while I read, so I keep the ebook open on the left side of the screen, and my notetaking app on the right side. Another reason why I read ebooks instead of print books is shipping costs, which for Peru effectively more than double the cost of paper books. So, for me, ebooks are a no-brainer.

For novels, I use a Kindle Oasis. I think this is my fourth Kindle device. As one friend of mine says, once you start reading on the Kindle there is no turning back.

I’ve become very good at dropping books when I lose interest. My argument is that time spent on books that don’t add value is time lost to better books I could be reading.

Choosing which book to read next is always difficult. As I’ve mentioned before, when I see a book that seems interesting, I write down the name in a spreadsheet I use for that purpose, along with a note on why I think the book may be interesting. Then, when I need to pick the next book, I check the list and consider my options. This system works fine. What I am missing is finding more recommendations from other people who read a lot.

Reading is for me one of the most effective ways of learning new things, challenging ideas one may take for granted, learning to think from different perspectives… It remains one of my top priorities.

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Book reading from previous years:

Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash

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