I am beginning to find solace in reading again.

Basking in my solitude, you might say. Friends come and friends go. Lovers too.

Yet, a good book can be revisited over and over. If only one could read them all...

Last year was not one for reading. On the contrary, it was one for distraction. Elation and heartbreak.

However, this year may bring a return to reading. And hopefully writing. Life creates so many ideas that I yearn to capture. Plus, if anyone can learn from my pain... my shortcomings... then, perhaps, a memoir is worth finishing. If only to save one jackass from tainting the spirit of love with his beloved...

But I digress.

Please find below, the list of books read in 2024:

1. Jar of Hearts - Jennifer Hillier
2. Setting the Table - Danny Meyer
3. Pebble in the Sky - Isaac Asimov
4. The Dead Zone - Stephen King
5. The Order of Time - Carlo Rovelli
6. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
7. The Running Man - Stephen King
8. Marriage & How to Avoid It - Guy Blews
9. Normal People - Sally Rooney
10. Models - Mark Manson
11. The Inner Game of Tennis - Timothy Gallwey
12. Silver Canyon - Louis L’Amour
13. Post Office - Charles Bukowski
14. Existential Kink - Carolyn Elliott
15. American Dirt - Jeanine Cummins
16. The Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel
17. Thinking About Thinking with NLP - Joseph Yeager
18. The Yoga of Max’s Discontent - Karan Bajaj
19. A Reason to Live! A Reason to Die! - John Powell

With no further ado, and without fanfare, I present the books read in 2023.

1. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
2. The Prestige - Christopher Priest
3. The Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer
4. Spark - Holly Schindler
5. The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
6. Grace - Nicolas Canon
7. You Are an Author - Matt Rudnitsky
8. The Shallows - Nicholas G. Carr
9. Managing Oneself - Peter F. Drucker
10. The Sand Pebbles - Richard McKenna
11. The Money Stones - Ian St. James
12. Same as Ever - Morgan Housel
13. Exercised - Daniel Lieberman
14. A Report from Group 17 - Robert C. O’Brien
15. Edge of Collapse - Kyla Stone
16. Loving Women - Pete Hamill

Reading has slowed as writing has increased. However, I did manage to consume a handful of tomes over the last months.

For posterity:

1. The Institute - Stephen King
2. Women - Charles Bukowski
3. Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships - Christopher Ryan & Cacilda Jetha
4. Love Songs of a Mad Scientist - Jerry Oltion
5. Hardwiring Happiness - Rick Hanson
6. The Way of a Seducer - Hans Comyn
7. Little by Little - Taj Arora
8. Fairy Tale - Stephen King
9. Stumbling on Happiness - Daniel Gilbert
10. Spontaneous - Aaron Starmer
11. Men Without Women - Haruki Murakami
12. Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus
13. Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself - Dr. Joe Dispenza
14. Divergent - Veronica Roth

I am still reading. A little.

Books affect me more than they used to. Some, it’s like their written about me. I find that alarming, not comforting, that either so many people have the same problems, or that I’m so damaged.

As such, I find I process what I read more. Which is good, I think.

After all, in the five years since I’ve been reading extensively, I find I am not retaining as much as I’d like. My eidetic memory is turning into swiss cheese. Decaying.

Which might be a relief. If only I could forget some of my sins. Yet, I suppose that’s why they are sins. We. Must. Atone.

However, this year I didn’t read solely for the sake of reading. And I find that this year’s books—especially ones that affected me—have also stuck with me.

Am I actually growing? It will be interesting to see…

For the record, here are the books read in 2021:

1. The Way of Men - Jack Donovan
2. Reality Unveiled - Ziad Masri
3. The Mist - Stephen King
4. The Obstacle Is the Way - Ryan Holiday
5. Men Without Women - Ernest Hemingway
6. Live First, Work Second - Rebecca Ryan
7. Son of a Wanted Man - Louis L’Amour
8. American Eve - Paula Uruburu
9. The Infinite Game - Simon Sinek
10. Private Dancer - Stephen Leather
11. A Dreadful Man - Brian Aherne
12. The Trial - Franz Kafka
13. Revival - Stephen King
14. Lost in the Meritocracy - Walter Kirn
15. Riveted - Jim Davies
16. Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls
17. Women’s Infidelity - Michelle Langley
18. Death of a Citizen - Donald Hamilton
19. No More Mr. Nice Guy - Robert A. Glover
20. Women’s Infidelity II - Michelle Langley
21. I Should Write This Stuff Down - Bruce Behymer
22. The Five Love Languages - Gary Chapman
23. Outwitting the Devil - Napoleon Hill
24. Falling Angel - William Hjortsberg
25. Iron John: A Book About Men - Robert Bly
26. Under the Sweetwater Rim - Louis L’Amour
27. Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery
28. Idlewild - Nick Sagan
29. The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene
30. The Trumpet of the Swan - E.B. White
31. The Albuquerque Turkey - John Vorhaus
32. Curse of the High IQ - Aaron Clarey
33. Firestarter - Stephen King

Another year has passed. And I am still reading. Perhaps not as much as I was, but quite a bit.

There are times it feels like I do nothing but read. Others I crave something that’ll challenge my mind.

Am I wasting my time? Possibly.

One thing I learn from journaling/blogging is that in spite of whatever honorable intentions I may have, change is hard.

Why should I ever want to be uncomfortable? I have my heating pad and my chocolate pudding and my crushed Oreos and my gummi worms and...

Everything I could ever... want. Right?

If I really “wanted” something, why is it nearly impossible to convince myself to take any steps to go get it?

So, I read. About others. And I’ll read more.

I digress. Here is the 2020 list—for posterity:

1. Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
2. You Are a Badass - Jen Sincero
3. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
4. The Art of Seduction - Robert Greene
5. The Consolation of Philosophy - Anicius Boethius
6. Wanderer - Sterling Hayden
7. Antifragile - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
8. The Alabaster Girl - Zan Perrion
9. Prohibition in Kansas - Robert Smith Bader
10. Wizard’s First Rule - Terry Goodkind
11. Up in the Air - Walter Kirn
12. The Dying Animal - Philip Roth
13. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
14. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
15. Stealing Fire - Jamie Wheal & Steven Kotler
16. Influence - Robert B. Cialdini
17. The Lonesome Gods - Louis L’Amour
18. Thinner - Stephen King
19. Games People Play - Eric Berne
20. Tropic of Cancer - Henry Miller
21. Vagabonding - Rolf Potts
22. Resisting Happiness - Matthew Kelly

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

While I am de-emphasizing my annual reading goals, I still find value in posting the annual list... so here is the list from 2018.

Many of the books from the last couple of years are on my re-read list for this year... to assist with finding my inner strength.

Without further ado—the list:

1. Gerald’s Game - Stephen King
2. The War of Art - Steven Pressfield
3. Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn
4. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service - Ian Fleming
5. Start with Why - Simon Sinek
6. Comstock Lode - Louis L’Amour
7. The Alabaster Girl - Zan Perrion
8. e² - Matt Beaumont
9. Lamb - Christopher Moore
10. Cyborg - Martin Caidin
11. On Writing - Stephen King
12. Homer Price - Robert McCloskey
13. The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran
14. Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne
15. Island - Aldous Huxley
16. Job: A Comedy of Justice - Robert A. Heinlein
17. Being in Love - Osho
18. The Cherokee Trail - Louis L’Amour
19. Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse
20. The Way of the Superior Man - David Deida
21. The Tommyknockers - Stephen King
22. Post Office - Charles Bukowski
23. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
24. The Man with the Golden Gun - Ian Fleming
25. Orphans of the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein
26. The Haunted Mesa - Louis L’Amour
27. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum
28. The Forty-Minute War - Janet and Chris Morris
29. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey
30. The Prince - Niccolò Machiavelli
31. Alexander Hamilton - Ron Chernow
32. Cell - Stephen King
33. When - Daniel H. Pink
34. Methuselah’s Children - Robert A. Heinlein

What i'm listening to:

Mirage
Toro y Moi
Boo Boo

I’m aware that, in the past, I’ve tended to leave things unfinished... so this year, I resolv

Yeah, it’s kind of like that. I make fun of myself, because of my tendency for incompletion. However, now, looking at a new year, and the success of my resolutions from last year, I am looking forward to what the new year will bring... and the challenges.

There’s a certain je ne sais quoi, to getting something done. Something meaningful.

Yet, before we move on, let’s raise a toast. To reading. To setting a goal to read fifty books in one year, and to actually reading sixty-five books, front-to-back, before the year’s end.

And now, the list—read in 2017:

1. Everybody Writes - Ann Handley
2. The Shining - Stephen King
3. UnMarketing - Scott Stratten
4. Up the Down Staircase - Bel Kaufman
5. Contagious - Jonah Berger
6. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
7. The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin
8. The Richest Man in Babylon - George S. Clason
9. The Lotus Caves - John Christopher
10. Reinvention Made Easy - Jim Mathis
11. The Last of the Breed - Louis L'Amour
12. Traffic - Tom Vanderbilt
13. Looking for Alaska - John Green
14. Joyland - Stephen King
15. The Door Into Summer - Robert A. Heinlein
16. The Social Organism - Oliver Luckett & Michael J. Casey
17. Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler
18. UnSelling - Scott Stratten & Alison Kramer
19. The Bridges of Madison County - Robert James Waller
20. Drive - Daniel H. Pink
21. Survivor - Chuck Palahniuk
22. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell - Tucker Max
23. Quiet - Susan Cain
24. Managing Oneself - Peter F. Drucker
25. Then We Came to the End - Joshua Ferris
26. What to Say When You Talk to Yourself - Shad Helmstetter
27. Orange Roofs, Golden Arches - Philip Langdon
28. The Guardians - John Christopher
29. Time for the Stars - Robert A. Heinlein
30. Faces of Fear - John Saul
31. Flow - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
32. Radical Honesty - Brad Blanton
33. Awareness - Anthony di Mello
34. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
35. ‘Salem’s Lot - Stephen King
36. Mastery - George Leonard
37. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeline L’Engle
38. Sex Money Kiss - Gene Simmons
39. The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
40. The Futurist - James P. Othmer
41. Disturbing the Peace - Richard Yates
42. The Game - Neil Strauss
43. The Barmaid’s Brain - Jay Ingram
44. Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
45. Leadership Just Got Personal - Steven B. Fulmer
46. Doctor Sleep - Stephen King
47. Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson
48. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
49. Social BOOM! - Jeffrey Gitomer
50. Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt
51. Riddley Walker - Russell Hoban
52. Always Talk to Strangers - David Wygant
53. Wicked - Gregory Maguire
54. The Rules of Management - Richard Templar
55. From Russia, with Love - Ian Fleming
56. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
57. Body Language - Julius Fast
58. 11/22/63 - Stephen King
59. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
60. Time and Again - Jack Finney
61. Fascinate - Sally Hogshead
62. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Mark Manson
63. Tasting Beer - Randy Mosher
64. Finders Keepers - Stephen King
65. Goldfinger - Ian Fleming

Happy New Year!

What i'm listening to:

Bright Lights, Bigger City
CeeLo Green
The Lady Killer

I've been doing a lot of reflecting/journaling about my progress on my yearly goals. Some are going well, some... not so much. I think it is important to be accountable for my progress.

Ok, so here is the list of books I've finished this year:

• Confessions - St. Augustine [March 13]
• Perfect Nightmare - John Saul [March 15]
• Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson [April 22]
• Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie [May 30]
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki [June 5]
• Black Creek Crossing - John Saul [June 18]
• How to Talk to Anyone - Leil Lowndes [July 20]
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling [July 22]
• The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein [September 5]
• Confessions of an Heiress - Paris Hilton [September 9]
• The Game - Neil Strauss [September 15]
• A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby [September 27]
• The Colorado Kid - Stephen King [November 16]
• The Volcano Lover - Susan Sontag [November 19]
• England's Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton - Kate Williams [December 6]
• Gerald's Game - Stephen King [December 20]
• Sanford Meisner on Acting - Sanford Meisner [December 31]

Confessions doesn't count for the yearly goal ( 18 ), because I started it last year, but the main purpose of this post is to provide a reference for my goal.