I started keeping a reading log in June of 2008. I think it is fun to have a record of what I read, and to keep a page count each year. Reading is one of my favorite things to do in my spare time. This year, being the first full year of parenthood, I read a lot less than before. But I still think I did pretty well. Here are the stats, and some of my favorite reads:
In 2011:
I read 20,900 pages.
I read 43 books.
I read 14 magazines.
My favorite accomplishment:
I spent a lot of time reading the Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough. My brother introduced me to the series at the beginning of the year. It is seven novels, thousands of pages, and the author won many awards for her detailed research. The series is set just before the fall of the Roman republic, so I got to learn a lot about Rome and the surrounding world at that time. It was particularly interesting to see how Caesar Augustus came to power considering what a wimp he was as a youth. McCullough really brings the characters to life…and even though I already knew what happened to most of them, I really ended up caring about them and being moved by their plight. I learned about Roman culture, military, slavery, government, and much more. The series is very exciting and well written as well as educational. I definitely want to read it again some day.
Another Fiction Favorite:
I also read Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. This is another historical fiction novel set during World War I. I learned a lot from this book as well. I am looking forward to the next book in the series, whenever it may come out.
Nonfiction:
My favorite nonfiction book read was probably Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I also really enjoyed Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.
Of course this reading log does not include any reading I do online, or from the Bible…but I still enjoy keeping the log. 2011 was a good year for reading!