A reflection on reading 22 books in 6 months

I’ve always liked reading. In some stages, it was more the idea of reading than reading itself. Or that ideas in certain books spoke to me, but I never quite got to reading them. But I found it hard to consistently finish books that I wanted to read. About 18 months ago I made two conscious decisions to change that.?

The first decision is tied in with the usage of Todoist, which I had been using to get shit done, but at that time also started using to track habits. The habit that I added was to read 10 minutes every day, and I have consistently done so every day since. My rule is that it can be a book, a magazine or an article, as long as it’s not on a screen (e-readers excluded).??

The second decision was to have a shortlist of books that I want to read. This was helpful as I’m the type of person that goes to a bookstore, comes back with a couple of books that end up on a shelf and stay there, unread, for a long time. It also helps to read things that are supportive for what you’re interested in, or what you feel like in a specific period. It also helped me to stop reading books that I’m not enjoying. In short, being selective helps me to enjoy reading more.

This doesn’t answer the question why I read, although that question doesn’t have a single answer. Sometimes I read for simple enjoyment, to be moved by great writing, or to learn something. This also leads to me reading multiple books at the same time.?

When doing my quarterly review, I realized that I’ve read 22 books in 2021. To value what I’ve read, I thought it would be useful to do some reflection - and why not share that reflection and see what others are reading.

The list, in order of being finished:

1.The Island At The Center Of The World, history by Russell Shorto

As a Dutch person I found this a rather interesting read as it contains so many small details on how the Dutch colony on Mannahatta shaped many things that we now consider typically American: from the word “boss” (derived from the Dutch baas) to coleslaw and the founding principles of freedom, New Amsterdam was the melting pot that started it all. Apart from that, it’s a great read on a time of adventure and exploration.

2. The Coaching Habit, business, by Michael Bungay Stanier

Great in its simplicity, Bungay Stanier outlines seven great questions to help anyone help others better (see infographic). The hard part, obviously, is being consistent with using them, and while I’m writing this I realize I’m not very consistent (yet?).?

3. No Safe Place, a thriller by Richard North Patterson

Actually bought this (and The Spire) by mistake when buying second hand James Patterson thrillers on the internet for Holiday reading. It turns out that Richard North Patterson actually writes books with a bit more depth than expected without complicating the thriller formula. Enjoyable reading.

4. Of Mistresses, Tigresses and Other Conquests, a novel by Giacomo Casanova?

A classic in the excellent Great Loves series from Penguin that I’d read before. The adventures of Casanova are legendary for a reason, but almost 150 later some bits are more incredulous than anything else. Not the best in the series (I guess that would be Bonjour Tristesse) but a great way to rethink how adventurous of a lover you are (probably, not much so).??

5. The Obstacle is the Way, philosophy by Ryan Holiday

Although more a recap of Stoic philosophy than actual philosophy, Ryan Holiday is full of stoic (and pragmatic) insights for today’s age. The structure of the book makes it easy to dive into, even if it’s for just three pages. Books like this just make you remember the things you intended to do better and help you realize you haven’t been really doing it (consistency again?). Curious about stoicism? Check out the Daily Stoic, as he publishes content in many different formats, surely one will fit your preferences.

6. After The Quake, short stories by Haruki Murakami

I’ve got many Murakami books in my library (also seem to have lent Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World to someone?), so sometimes it’s hard to remember which one I haven’t read yet. This collection of short stories are good, but I feel that his longer stories go to another level.

7. How Much Of These Hills Is Gold, a novel by C Pam Zhang

The interesting thing about this novel is how it uses the exploration of the West and the gold rush as a backdrop for a complex story about family, hope and race. As this is her writing debut, I’m keeping an eye on what she’ll write next.

8. DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing, music, by Eliot Wilder

After reading Illmatic by Matthew Gasteier I fell in love with the 33 ? series of short books about music albums, and this one on another hip hop classic doesn’t disappoint. The book is essentially a very long interview with DJ Shadow that explores the context in which the album was created. Also a great reason to relisten the album.?

9. Vader op komst, parenting, by Willem Bisseling

Of all the things I ever prepared for, I felt least prepared for parenthood. This book, an entertaining crash course on expecting a first child, was really helpful to me to release some of the stress (of which I had plenty at times) and make sure you prepare what you can while you can.?

10. Showboat, basketball/sports by Roland Lazenby

For basketball fans (myself included), the sudden passing of Kobe Bryant over a year ago was terrible news, but did show how much Kobe the villain has become Kobe the legend since his retirement in 2016. As this book details the history of that legend as far back as his father Joe’s youth, highlights much of the drive Kobe had, but even more so the burden that that brought on. It makes it a compelling profile that goes beyond mere appreciation for the talent and performance.

11. Friendships for Grown-ups, short stories by Nao-Cola Yamazaki

As part of the excellent KESHIKI series by Strangers Press (which include three other books in this list), a collection of short stories by promising Japanese writers. This book contains three even shorter stories, which resonated with me because of my own friendships that have passed and the complications of continuing (or trying to) where things left off.?

12. The Transparent Labyrinth, a short novel by Keiichiro Hirano

Also from the KESHIKI series, a very imaginative story of finding love (or not?) in very strange places. Really great.

13. Mikumari, a short novel by Misumi Kubo

Probably the most Japanese story in this list, again from the KESHIKI series, which involves cosplay and impossible love. Good.

14. Sacred Hoops, basketball/sports/coaching by Phil Jackson

As I’ve read Phil Jackson’s Eleven Rings earlier, I found Sacred Hoops to be an attempt to say more or less the same thing, but with 18 years less (writing) experience. Both detail some of Jackson’s personal experience as a player, his spiritual development, but Eleven Rings is more rounded both in terms of coaching insights and the writing is much better. It also includes more colourful basketball stories of seasons in which Jackson managed to win another eight rings.

15. The Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, music, by Andrew Barker

From the same 33 ? series, this book takes a more narrative approach to how Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde came to be and is considered a much underappreciated but critical part of hip hop history. Even though the record shows it’s age, it’s still a prime example of accessible and (almost) friendly hip hop, for example by detailing teenage love. This book does an excellent job reminding us that hip hop is multifaceted and that mainstream hip hop could have been very, very, different. If only..

16. Time Differences, a novel by Yoko Tawada

Of the KESHIKI series I found this the most progressively written, as it intertwines different characters, cities and timezones without the usage of a traditional chapter structure. At times that felt confusing, but overall it created an appealing flow in the story that makes you pay attention.

17. Dochters - een handleiding, parenting, by Gerard Janssen

Not a serious book by a long stretch but helpful for any #girldad. Full of fun facts that help you not to take everything too seriously, which is probably one of the more important lessons for parenting anyway.

18. The Spire, a thriller by Richard North Patterson

Another thriller by Patterson, this felt a bit more contrived than No Safe Place, but sticking to the format of a thriller it’s enough of a page turner to keep reading. Enjoyable but no must read.

19. Futurability, post-Marxist philosophy by Franco “Bifo” Berardi

Probably the meatiest book I’ve read this year, and definitely the one that has given me the most food for thought. Berardi outlines how the current capitalist structures we use to organize civil society are preventing us from imagining futures that require alternative structures. Probably not the best introduction to post-Marxist thought (although what really is a good place to start?), but a worthwhile read nonetheless.

20. The Kill Artist, a spy thriller by Daniel Silva

I came across The Kill Artist by accident, and it was refreshing to read a spy novel that’s not centered around Anglo-Saxon characters. Apart from that, the protagonist has a better backstory than most. Enjoyable but no must read.

21. South of the border, West of the sun, a novel by Haruki Murakami

I found a metro ticket around page 100, indicating that I’ve started this book once before, but didn’t finish it. Not sure what happened, but it wasn’t the book. In true Murakami fashion it first builds a fairly unremarkable setting that sets the stage for strange things to happen. Wonderful in it’s meandering setup of life’s big questions.?

“I always feel like I’m struggling to become someone else. Like I’m trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life, a new personality. I guess it’s part of growing up, yet it’s also an attempt to reinvent myself. By becoming a different me, I could free myself of everything. I seriously believed I could escape myself- as long as I made the effort. But I always hit a dead end. No matter where I go, I still end up me.”?

p 208

22. Vuurduin, philosophy by Eva Meijer

An essay for Dutch philosophy month (Maand van de Filosofie), Meijer explores how the world as we know it is disappearing by traveling back to the island where she has spent a lot of time growing up, Vlieland. It’s a pleasant read that uses her personal memories as a backdrop for bigger themes. It feels that in the end though, it’s more about her memories than about the big themes.

Of the books I’ve read so far, the thrillers feel rather interchangeable (but fun) and instead of reading The Coaching Habit I could have done with a five minute video clip. The rest of the books were worth reading or were short enough that it did not take that much effort to finish them. It also has been a good mix of fiction and non-fiction, with an interesting lack of business related books. Perhaps something to pick up next quarter.?

Speaking of which, here’s what I’m reading now:

• Neuromancer, science fiction by William Gibson
• Land of Big Numbers, a novel by Te-Ping Chen

Did you read any of the books above? Which did you enjoy? If not, what did you read? What books do you recommend?