Book Blast
In 2009 I read a total of 220 books.
In analyzing my reading list, I find that I favored reality fiction, historical accounts, and biographies. No surprise there.
I didn’t read any technical computer books in 2009. That did surprise me. I took up the study of business and marketing instead. Dry as a ditch, but useful.
Besides books, I read various business reports and listened to a number of audio books and old time radio dramas. I’m not sure if these should count in my book total.
Videos definitely do not count, as they are anti-everything a book stands for. Watching even educational videos is a passive activity that doesn’t engage the mind and imagination as plain, unadorned words do.
That doesn’t stop me from watching some, however. Especially when I come across something worthwhile, such as Wright Brothers’ Flying Machine (WGBH, 2003).
I don’t count Bible reading on my list either (no reason), but I did read twice through the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs, and once through the Pentateuch. I didn’t make it through the rest of the Bible in 2009, but went more deeply into what I did read. My favorite book this time around was Deuteronomy. It’s so black and white, and I felt in need of that.
Top Book Picks of 2009
Little Britches series, Ralph Moody (Re-read. I love the pragmatic ingenuity of young Mr. Moody. These books should be on every child’s bookshelf, right next to the Little House series.)
Rich Dad, Poor Dad; Robert Kiyasaki (I beg to differ over borrowing money, but I learned much about money versus riches)
Auschwitz: A Doctor’s Eyewitness, Dr. Miklos Nyiszli (still teary-eyed over this one)
Mitford series, Jan Karon (a little saccharine, but not a total waste of time for me; I always learn something from other believer’s expressions of the faith)
Mr. Pipes series, Douglas Bond (a clever introduction to great hymnody and worshiping God with everlasting praise)
Day of Infamy, Walter Lord (fascinating, horrifying, sobering. As much as I’ve studied WWII, I’ve never learned so much about Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. I also reread W. Lord’s A Night to Remember this year.)
What did you read in 2009?