At the end of last year, I was feeling somewhat out of sorts. For whatever reason, the pandemic had caused me to fall into a funk. I wasn’t doing many of the things I enjoyed, even though I had plenty of time. I had stopped writing in my journal, I wasn’t blogging anymore, and I wasn’t reading nearly as much as I wanted. By the time December rolled around, I realized I wanted, or rather, needed, to do something about it. So, I decided to make 2023 The Year of Words.

I realize that the phrase Year of Words seems a little hokey. But sometimes, for me, having a simple phrase to associate with a goal helps me to focus on that goal. I wanted to make 2023 the year when I got back into hobbies associated with words: journaling, blogging, general writing, and reading. So, that’s what I came up with and it stuck.

The Year in Review

I started the year wanting to journal every day, blog here regularly, post new content on Tech Talk, and read both fiction and non-fiction every day. That’s a lot to start the year off with, and in retrospect, trying to restart so many habits all at once was not going to work. And it didn’t.

That said, as I look back on the year, I’m pretty happy with how my Year of Words played out. Yes, some of my goals took longer to get going than I had hoped, and I still want to do more, but I made progress on all of them. As the end of the year approaches, I’m pleased that I decided to reengage with words.

Here’s a quick rundown on how my Year of Words played out.

Writing

Journaling

I recently wrote about my journaling habit. That was the first thing on my list of goals, and happily, as I noted in the post, I have achieved this goal! I’m really pleased that daily journaling as stuck as a habit all year long.

Blogging

You probably know that I have two sites: this one and Rob’s Tech Talk. I wanted to get back to regular posts on both from the beginning of the year. While it took a lot longer than I had hoped to get back into the swing of blogging, I’m pretty pleased with where I am as the year winds down. My first post here this year was on September 9, and the first one on Tech Talk was on September 13. Since those posts, I’ve published on both sites several times. I haven’t quite developed a regular cadence, and maybe that’s OK. I’m not sure that I need to have a schedule as long as I’m writing and posting somewhat regularly.

Reading

When I was a kid, I always had a book with me. I carried paperbacks everywhere and read all the time. As I grew older, started a career, got married, and became a dad, reading took a back seat. I did still read, but mostly at night before going to bed. That just isn’t the same as sitting down and enjoying a book for an hour or two.

While I still would like to spend even more time reading, I’m pretty happy with how I was able to make more time for it this year. I found myself spending more time outside reading this year and decided to get an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, which has been great for focused reading. I really wish Apple would come up with an e-reader.

Here’s what I read this year:

Fiction

• Rhythm of War, Brandon Sanderson: This is part of the Stormlight Archive series, and is wonderful. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series, though I will say that I wish he’d just finish it up. The story is great, but I feel that it’s dragging on.
• The Nova Incident, Dan Moren: This is part of The Galactic Cold War series, and is a fun, easy read.
• Homecoming, Dan Moren: This is a mini story in the Galactic Cold War series that gives a little more insight into the backstory of one of the characters.
• Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, Rise of Endymion, Dan Simmons: I had read Hyperion many, many years ago and really liked it, but never finished the series. My son, who had recently read these, got me all four for Christmas last year. I truly love this series. It takes some “getting into”, but the story, the world, the writing style, the poetic start of the story, and the characters really make this the masterpiece that it’s been called. Highly recommended.
  
  • I haven’t finished Rise of Endymion quite yet. Hopefully, I’ll finish up before the new year.

Non-Fiction

• Several Rick Steves travel guides: Scotland, Ireland, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Venice. I did a lot of traveling this year, and I find Rick Steve’s guides to be invaluable for planning trips.
• Quiet, Susan Cain: I started this book a couple of years ago, but never finished it. I picked it back up this year. It’s a great look at introverts and how they (we) interact with the world. There are too many case studies and anecdotes, in my opinion, but it’s still a good read.
• Starry Messenger, Neil deGrasse Tyson: I was hoping for more from this book, but still enjoyed it. He’s got some interesting insights into civilization and why the world works the way it does.
• Building a Second Brain, Tiago Forte: I’ve been interested in productivity systems for years. This book was good and had some good ideas, but, like many of the others I’ve read, had a bit too much “system” for my needs. I have a process that I’ve put together with pieces from many of these other approaches that works well for me. Maybe I’ll write a post about it.

Blogs, Magazines, Newsletters, Etc.

I also follow many blogs and read articles from newspapers, magazines, and newsletters. I’m going to save those for another post about my online reading. Stay tuned.

Success?

So, was 2023 a successful Year of Words? I think it was, even though I didn’t achieve everything I set out to achieve. I wanted to start blogging sooner and wanted to read more than I did, especially non-fiction. But overall, I’m pleased that I’ve restarted these habits and have been keeping them going. I’m looking forward to more words in 2024.

What about you? What kind of reading do you enjoy? Any good recommendations?