2024 was the first time in years that I have not read at least 100 books. I never have tried to read a certain number of books each year. I log each book I read and then count them up at the end of the year.
At the start of 2024 I consciously did something different with my reading. First, I read the book once through without underlining or annotation. Then I read the book the second time and underline and annotate. Sometimes I went back a third time and revied the underlining and annotations.
It was a different year with the move to San Francisco occupying a huge amount of time and energy. I was not until October that was able to get back to a semblance of my normal reading routine. I also try read two or three articles from scientific journal a week. In addition, I read the NY Times daily and subscribe to the New Yorker and The Atlantic.
I have been described by friends and family as a voracious reader. Reading for me is a source of learning, relaxation and pleasure. Below is a list of the books that stood out for me in 2024. ( ** My favorites) Happy reading in 2025.
How to Know a Person by David Brooks
How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson
Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
The Happiness Hypothesis – Ten Ways to Find Happiness and Meaning in Life by Jonathan Haidt
Age of Revolutions by Fareed Zaharia
Judgement at Tokyo by Gary J. Bass
The Art of Power – My Story as Americas First Speaker of the House by Nancy Pelosi
Squeeze Me by Carl Hiassen
Opus – The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church by Gareth Gore
What I ate in One Year – By Stanley Tucci
**Intangibles – Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry by Joan Ryan
**The Racket by Connor Niland
The Why is Everything – A Story of Football, Rivalry and Revolution by Michael Silver