A few years ago, when I resolved to read fifty books, I had no idea how that would change my life.

Truth is, now I prefer to read. Over movies. Over television. Over listening to music even.

Yet, over the summer I had a small crisis of faith over reading. I don’t recall exactly the spark that made me put that book down, but it was something like, “Why aren’t you living your life instead of reading about someone else’s?”

Profound.

And almost exactly the same reason I gave up the video games. And the television.

So, I shifted my mindset. I wanted to get out more... to interact with people, to travel. And my mission has shifted as well. Now I crave a transient lifestyle, and I’ve been taking actions to move towards that life.

I guess you could say, I figured out what I want.

Well, besides in addition to her.

Yet, something was missing. During those inevitable down times, I was craving a book. There is still value in what I can get from a book. So, perhaps, I’ll just give up books that don’t provide value—beyond mere entertainment.

Or at least keep them to a minimum. Not unlike the episode or two I watch of Fantasy Island each week now.

Of course, I am overthinking again. I simply need to stay true to my mission.

This year, I resolve to stop depriving ladies of exquisite pleasures. To go with it. Freely. I’m truly my own worst enemy... and I need to stop getting in my own way.

This will require stepping out of my comfort zone. This will require meeting every lady I meet, especially those I find dazzling or fascinating. This will require traveling and new experiences. This will require leaving the house.

The latter seems so obvious, but you might be surprised.

Anyway, as I find my annual reading lists valuable—especially as I re-read some books this last year—here is the 2019 list:

1. Consuming Angels - Lori Anne Loeb
2. Ghosted - Rosie Walsh
3. Losing My Virginity - Richard Branson
4. Hour Game - David Baldacci
5. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
6. Meeting the Shadow - Connie Zweig & Jeremiah Abrams
7. To Shake the Sleeping Self - Jedidiah Jenkins
8. Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert A. Heinlein
9. Johnny Tremain - Esther Forbes
10. Awareness - Anthony di Mello
11. Christine - Stephen King
12. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
13. The Quick and the Dead - Louis L’Amour
14. Fire Storm - Robb White
15. Bare - Elisabeth Eaves
16. Memory Man - David Baldacci
17. Rethinking Narcissism - Dr. Craig Malkin
18. Projekt 1065 - Alan Gratz
19. The Charisma Myth - Olivia Fox Cabane
20. When I Say No, I Feel Guilty - Manuel J. Smith
21. Waiter Rant - Steve Dublanica
22. Sanford Meisner on Acting - Sanford Meisner & Dennis Longwell
23. For Us, the Living - Robert A. Heinlein
24. Frame of Reference - Jerry Oltion
25. The Dark Fields - Alan Glynn
26. Stillness Is the Key - Ryan Holiday