#38: 2021 Reading Plan (and 2020 post mortem)
Disclaimer: This post is mostly for my own records and reads more like a journal entry. That being said, I'd still love your recommendations and to know what books you're excited about in 2021.
The beginning of a new year means time to look back and look ahead. Something about a new beginning really excites me and I'm hoping that this new habit of reading ~1 book per week sticks.
What did I say I would read in 2020 and how did I do?
What do I hope to read in 2021?
Let's take a look...
2020 Post Mortem
Here is how I did with reading what I said I would read: Books I read that were on the plan:
Extreme Ownership, The Book of Mormon, Educated, Stillness is the Key, Dark Matter, Storm of Swords, The Golden Compass, The Hate U Give
And here are the books that were on the plan that I did not read:
Theodore Rex, Team of Rivals, Leaders Eat Last, Call Sign Chaos, Crucial Conversations, The Millionaire Next Door, Streets of Laredo, Brothers Karamazov, Little Women
Not bad...I'm not complaining at all with my reading choices in 2020, but I do find it interesting that I planned to read a bunch of leadership books and then ditched that idea faster than my junior year prom date. I also wanted to read parenting books and abandoned that idea too. I think I found a lot of good parenting and leadership principles in the fiction and non-fiction that I read, so it was nice to have the ideas delivered more subtly.
And now for a quick check in with 2020 movies...:( How naive I was when I put this list together!
Movies from my list that didn't come out:
Top Gun 2, Dune, No Time to Die, Fast and Furious 9, Eternals
Movies from my list that I didn't like
Mulan - I'll watch the animated version any day of the week, but with no singing and a bland story/execution, I have no desire to watch the live action remake ever again. And I want my $30 back!
Wonder Woman 1984 - This had a few fun and exciting scenes but for the most part I thought it was a mess that came nowhere near my expectations.
Movies from my list that I liked
Tenet - I'll watch this one more time with subtitles. Ok, maybe two more times.
Movies from my list that I loved
Call of the Wild - We watched this with the kids and we all loved it. Could it be because we have a dog now? Maybe, but it's also perfectly enjoyable and the CGI dogs didn't bother me.
Soul (Pixar) - Classic Pixar and lots of feels, but didn't quite reach the heights of Up, Inside Out, or Wall-E. Near the bottom of the top tier though, for sure.
2021 Reading List
My big goal for 2021 is to get better at cooking, so to aid me in that endeavor I am reading Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat. It's great so far and I'm trying my hand at Buttermilk Roasted Chicken this weekend. I'm sure other cookbooks will be added to the "To Read" list as the year goes along. Send me recs if you have any!
I'm really excited to be reading War and Peace this year. It's one of those intimidating books to tackle but I'm only reading one chapter a day and participating in an online book club (The Big Read, you should check it out!)
I'm also reading The Doctrine and Covenants which is a collection of inspired writings and revelations of Joseph Smith, the first prophet to lead The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm teaching 16 and 17 year olds in Zoom Sunday School so I have to know my stuff! Along with this goal I am reading volume 1 of Saints which is church history told in narrative form.
Other books on my list:
Science Fiction: Leviathan Wakes - This is book 1 in The Expanse series. I'm 30% through it already and loving it. Grounded science fiction really works for me. Throw in great characters and an exciting story and I'm hooked. There are 8 books in the series and a 9th on the way this year but I think I'll take it slow and really savor it. I might just read 2 or 3 this year and save the rest for later. One of my 2020 regrets is burning through the Game of Thrones books a little too quickly.
Get to know the Obamas: Regardless of your politics, it's hard not to be impressed with the Obamas. As the first black First Family in our nation's history, their story is one I'm really looking forward to diving into. This year I'll read Michelle's Becoming and Barack's A Promised Land.
Politics: Hamilton, Theodore Rex, The Notorious RBG, The River of Doubt.
Russian History: To supplement my War & Peace reading I want to read about Nicholas and Alexandra, the last of the Romanovs. I'm also interested in reading Catherine the Great and Peter the Great, so the Robert K. Massie trilogy is what I'll be going for.
For Fun: A Head Full of Ghosts, Gilead, Lolita, The Night Gardener, All the Light We Cannot See, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster (Bill Gates's new book) are all on my list but subject to change. This is the group of books that I'll propose to each of my book clubs each month. I love my book clubs!
I try to leave some room for reading on a whim, which is why anyone who is counting will notice I did not list 52 books above. I also started another GoodReads page to track the chapter books I read with my kids so those will no longer count towards my personal reading total.
Thanks for coming along with me and as always, thanks for your recommendations!
What are your reading goals and plans for the year?
Kyle