📚 Reading Challenge 2024: Read 54 books & 20,500 pages

Every year I look back at my reading list and think about my reader goals. I don’t have anything specific, other than the number of books/pages I want to tackle.

I will probably continue reading a lot more lighthearted romance books since they proved to be a great way to unwind and bring joy to my life. From my TBR pile (over 200+ books) I picked some to focus on this year:

Series that were on my goals last year that I still want to read in 2024:

1. A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers, #2) by Becky Chambers

2. Aurora Blazing (Consortium Rebellion #2) by Jessie Mihalik

3. Wanderlust (Sirantha Jax #2) by Ann Aguirre

4. Ambush or Adore (Delightfully Deadly #3) by Gail Carriger

5. Defy or Defend (Delightfully Deadly #2) by Gail Carriger

6. Between Two Thorns (The Split Worlds #1) by Emma Newman

7. Any Other Name (The Split Worlds #2) by Emma Newman

8. Rosewater (The Wormwood Trilogy #1) by Tade Thompson

9. Lock In (Lock In #1) by John Scalzi

10. Diving into the Wreck (Diving Universe #1) by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

11. Fire Logic (Elemental Logic #1) by Laurie J. Marks

12. The Cold Between (Central Corps #1) by Elizabeth Bonesteel

13. Series: The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (I stopped at book #10)

14. Series: Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold

15. Series: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi (I stopped at book #3)

16. Series: The Expanse by James S.A. Corey (finish series: I stopped at book #6)

17. Series: Uptown Girls by Joanna Shupe

Books I want to read in 2024 (in no particular order):

1. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (currently reading)

2. The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

3. One Dark Window (The Shepherd King #1) by Rachel Gillig

4. A Deadly Education (The Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik

5. Iron Flame (The Empyrean #2) by Rebecca Yarros

6. Artemis by Andy Weir

7. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

8. Truth or Beard (Winston Brothers #1) by Penny Reid

9. Not in love by Ali Hazelwood

10. Bride by Ali Hazelwood

11. Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

12. The Winter King (Weathermages of Mystral #1) by C.L. Wilson

13. Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment #1) by Rebecca Ross

14. Book of Night (Book of Night #1) by Holly Black

15. Starter Villain by John Scalzi

16. Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo

17. System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries #7) by Martha Wells

18. Divinity 36 (Tinkered Starsong #1) by Gail Carriger

19. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

20. Shadowbound (Dark Arts #1) by Bec McMaster

21. Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes #0.5) by Travis Baldree

22. The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

23. The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

24. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley

25. Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel #1) by T. Kingfisher

26. Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne

27. That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishaps #1) by Kimberly Lemming

28. Beach Read by Emily Henry

29. The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (Dangerous Damsels #1) by India Holton

30. The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller

31. Silver Silence (Psy-Changeling Trinity #1) by Nalini Singh

Non-fiction books:

1. Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben R. Rich

2. Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport

3. In Defence of Food by Michael Pollan

4. The Science of Time Travel by Elizabeth Howell

5. Power of Fun by Catherine Price

6. The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O'Meara

7. Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock by Jenny Odell

8. How to Focus by Thích Nhất Hạnh

9. The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön

10. Last Chance to See by Mark Carwardine, Douglas Adams

▶ I will have at least 12 more books that are going to be picked for my local Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club (we read 1 book/month).

This list is just a starting point, in case I run out of ideas!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

These are some of the things that happened in my life lately:

• ⛸️Getting back to ice skating after the holiday break: I went to the rink yesterday and after half an hour skating I was already feeling exhausted, so I took it slow. My balance feels a little bit better, I tried some wobbly forward crossovers going counter-clockwise. I still can't even start a clockwise crossover, it's like my brain doesn't understand the movement.
• ❄️ After a green Christmas, we finally got some snow this weekend! It's been a warm winter and it seems the Rideau Canal skateway won't open this year because it's not cold enough to form the required 30cm ice thickness.
• 📺The last show that I watched was the animation “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” on Netflix and it was great! For now I'm done with Netflix and Amazon Prime.
• 🧘‍♀️I'm doing the 30 Day Yoga Journey with Yoga with Adrienne. Every year she releases this challenge in January and I've been doing it for a couple of years now. I love it! It has become my start of the year tradition.
• 📖I've been thinking about my readers goals for 2024, and I will write a post about it soon. The trend will continue to be more fun and lighthearted books.
• ✒️I've decided to stick with Standard Notes for my private journaling this year. Last year I went between back and forth Standard Notes and the Journey app. The Journey app has been going through various updates, and they will insert A.I. as one of the features. They say it's safe and encrypted, but I don't feel comfortable with it. I've been enjoying the new Super Editor in Standard Notes.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

📺 Every 6 months I review and update my digital subscriptions tracker and I ask myself: do I still use these services? are they adding value to my life?

And I realized that we had 3 active video streaming subscriptions: Netflix, Amazon Prime and Curiosity Stream+Nebula. After some reflections with my partner, we decided to let go of Netflix and Amazon Prime. Why?

We watched a total of 19 shows and movies on those 2 platforms last year. We already saw all the shows we were interested in catching up, such as: Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, The Expanse, The Witcher, One Piece, Good Omens, Wheel of Time. Honestly, we weren’t that interested in continuing watching future seasons for most of them. And looking at the catalogue for other things to watch we weren’t that thrilled.

Add that to the fact that Amazon Prime will start showing adds and they will charge more to have an ads-free experience. For Netflix, we were already paying the option with no ads. That’s roughly a total $340 CAD a year (not including the increase for Amazon Prime with no ads). We’ve decided we could use that money (and the time!) to get and do more of what we truly love: books for me and video games for him.

We are still keeping the Curiosity Stream subscription with Nebula. Both of them are totally ad-free with interesting enough content to entertain us. I’ve been wanting to watch more documentaries on Curiosity Stream so minimizing our video streaming options will help with that.

We always have the Public Library to borrow movies and shows. We don’t mind waiting to get a hold of a movie. We watched only 7 movies in 2023, so we are not big movie consumers anyway.

So, yeah, a little bit of digital minimalism to start the year! It’s always nice to use technology more intentionally and mindfully. And at this moment of our lives, we just want less distractions and more focus on what brings us most joy. 😊

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

Photo by Spencer on Unsplash

As I think about what I want for 2024, it's not about big goals to be a different or better person. I just want to keep doing my thing and enjoy the ride. My focus will be SELF-CARE 🍵.

Some thoughts on what I wish for 2024:

• Let this be the year of rest and taking care of myself! My wellness is more important than anything else.
• Do more of what I enjoy!
• Being mindfully present with my leisure time.
• Keep on managing stress. Do less, keep it simple!
• Keep practising my key routines:
  • Morning routine with yoga + meditation + journaling
  • Applying the GTD methodology
  • Time Blocking at work to manage workload and focus
  • Work Shutdown routine to manage stress
  • Exercise regularly: gotta keep moving!
  • Celebrate progress! 🙌

Here's to 2024 being all about taking it easy, looking after myself, and enjoying the little things. 🌈✨

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

The Storygraph generates a Reading Wrap-Up every year with some cool stats. Here is the summary:

In 2023, I was into plot-driven relaxing, hopeful and funny reads with loveable, diverse and well-developed characters. This year I became more romance-curious, and I found out that light-hearted books made me relax.

I decided not to finish 12 of the books I picked up this year. This is an all-time record! It means I know myself a bit better, and it was easier to make the decision to dump a book without feeling guilty. I discovered I can be a mood reader sometimes, and certain types of books will not work for me in those moments. And that’s okay!

Embrace the new year with an open book! Happy 2024!! 🎉🥳

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

🎉 As the year comes to an end, I've reflected on the books that have stood out to me in 2023, particularly those I rated with five stars. Among all my 5 star books, romance novels seemed to dominate my favourites this year:

1. Before Mars (Planetfall #3) by Emma Newman: The whole Planetfall series is amazing, but this book grabbed my attention so much that I kept thinking about it months after I finished it. This is the less cozy read of this list, but I loved the emotional and psychological depth of this book.

2. Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes #1) by Travis Baldree: “A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes”. It provided a cozy and sweet escape. It was a joy to read, I felt literally hugged.

3. Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros: Romantasy with dragons in a military school academy? I’m in! I had so much fun reading it!

4. Deal with the Devil (Mercenary Librarians #1) by Kit Rocha: This one was a fast-paced post-apocalyptic story with romance, and I dived into this series. I enjoyed all the 3 books in the Mercenary Librarians series.

5. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood: STEM romance at its best. Real academic background, lots of physics dad jokes, supportive relationships. I love anything this author writes, she has become a must-read for me.

6. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg: This was my favourite non-fiction book of the year. It was filled with insightful essays that reignited my passion for writing.

In the midst of a challenging year, diving into some lighthearted romance reads was like a lifeline. With everything going on, those stories of love and connection brought some much-needed joy and simplicity into my life. It was like hitting pause on the craziness and escaping to worlds where I found joy.

These reads weren't just books; they were like a cozy hug, reminding me that even when things get tough, there's always room for a little sweetness and laughter. They were my go-to therapy, proving that, no matter what, a good book can lift the spirits and make everything feel a bit brighter.

🥳 Happy New Year!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

🍵 I took some time off from work for the Holidays, so I managed to dive into a bunch of books! These last weeks of the December brought a lot of rain (instead of snow), and I enjoyed having quiet mornings sitting in my cozy corner with a cup of tea and my e-reader. It was basically my idea of pure bliss – raindrops, good book, and zero stress.

1. The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare, 384p: I didn’t like the main characters. The female character seemed like she didn’t have her own agency or maybe her opinions weren’t openly expressed (even in self monologues) and I missed that. I wasn’t too much into the sense of sarcastic humour in this one. It's the whole marriage-of-convenience trope, and it didn’t work that well for me.

2. The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood And Ash #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout, 645p: I feel like this third book could have closed the arc with the war between Solis and Atlantia, but the author leaves the conflict for the next book. I think I got enough of this world already, and this book reveals and explains Poppy's background, and we finally discover who she really is. The world building keeps on adding more creatures and beings that were supposedly legend, but they turn out to still exist. The good thing about this one is that there are some relaxing moments where Poppy and Casteel are just having a great time together and enjoying life a little. So it's less dark than the previous ones for a while. The ending is again shocking, but this time I didn't want to continue to the next one just yet.

3. White Trash Warlock (Adam Binder #1) by David R. Slayton, 307p: This was an easy, quick read and decent for a debut novel. It incorporates all the urban fantasy tropes I'm familiar with.  The book carries a similar vibe to The Dresden Files but with more diverse characters and a gay romance, which is refreshing.  Although there are interesting plot twists, the overall story didn't grab me too much by the end. I felt the lack of character development for Annie; we were not given insight into what she was feeling, making her seem like a voiceless character.  The book explores some dark themes, such as forced institutionalization and child abuse, which I found pulled me out of the intended joyful tone of the story. I wasn't too familiar with the whole “white trash” topic, so I learned a little bit.

4. The Ghost Brigades (Old Man's War #2) by John Scalzi, 356p: Getting back to this series a few years after I read the first one. I enjoyed the thought experiment about transfer of consciousness and identity. It gets into these themes in an easy-to-understand way, and I had fun reading it. I want to read the next book, I think there are interesting things to be explored in this universe.

5. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood, 392p: A S.T.E.M. romance at its best. Real academic background, lots of physics dad jokes, slow burn romance and supportive relationships. I devoured this book in 2 days: theoretical versus experimental physics shenanigans. I think the relationship development was deep and masterfully done. A theme that spoke close to my heart was the “people pleaser” identity that Elsie was dealing with. I cried and laughed with this book. I love anything this author writes, she has become a must-read for me.

6. The Last Colony (Old Man's War #3) by John Scalzi, 337p: I liked that this third book in the series takes us back to the protagonist of Old Man's War (John Perry) and characters from the second book (Jane Sagan and Zoe). We follow the characters in the process of starting a new colony in another planet: Roanoke. I think John Perry has always been my favourite character because of his human traits. I missed some more development about the race inhabiting the planet: it seems it could develop into a main plot issue, but it's totally forgotten at some point. There are some interesting discussions about the costs of war, colonization rights and genocide in the name of peace. These themes are never explored too deeply, making it a light and interesting read overall.

7. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen, 352p (re-read): This is my third time reading this book, and I’ve written a series of posts with reading notes. I started my re-read back in September, I took my time, and now I’m done. I still learn a lot each time I read this book. It’s timeless!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

This is a series of posts with reading notes of the book “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” by David Allen.

Chapter 15 – The Path of GTD Mastery

The GTD methodology is a lifelong practice. David noticed that people can have different levels of maturity:

1. Employing the fundamentals of managing workflow.

2. Implementing a more elevated and integrated total life management system.

3. Leveraging skills to create clear space and get things done for an ever expansive expression and manifestation.

We start with the basics, making small adjustments, dealing with our day-to-day reality, and then we progress to look at higher horizons (long term goals and objectives, vision and life purpose).

Mastering the Basics

• Learning to capture EVERYTHING, big or small, into a trusted system
• Using a “Waiting For” category for deliverables
• Using “Agendas” lists to capture and manage communication with others
• Keeping a simple and easy to use reference system
• Keeping the Calendar as “hard landscape”
• Doing Weekly Reviews

Graduate Level – Integrated Life Management

• A complete, current, and clear inventory of projects
• A working map of one’s roles, accountabilities, and interest both personally and professionally
• An integrated total life management system. Custom tailored to one’s current needs and direction, and utilized to dynamically steer out beyond the day-to-day
• Challenges and surprises trigger your utilization of this methodology instead of throwing you out of it

At some point, David says, “projects will become the heartbeat of your operational system”. They will be a reflection of our roles, areas of focus and interests. You might start customizing your system to better fit your needs.

Post Graduate – Focus Direction and Creativity

• Utilizing your freed up focus to explore the more elevated aspects of your commitments and values
• Leveraging your external mind to produce novel value

Once the details of our daily lives are taken care of, there will be more space and focus for more creative thinking. A good example is unearthing items from our Someday/Maybe lists when we feel we are ready.

Conclusion

As David Allen mentions at the end of the book, the GTD methodology validates much of what is common sense. The merit of this book is that it is extremely practical while at the same time explaining the principles behind the methodology. Plus, the GTD methodology is super flexible and can be tailored to fit our own needs and preferences.

After 10 years applying this methodology, I can confidently say that it has had a powerful impact on my life. It has helped me manage day-to-day mental clutter and execute significant, life-changing projects. All of my major life changes were once captured in a Someday/Maybe list.

For me, GTD goes beyond task and project management. It's more about figuring out what makes my work meaningful, living mindfully, and keeping my head in a good space. It's not just about being super productive—it's about making life feel worthwhile.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

This is a series of posts with reading notes of the book “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” by David Allen.

Chapter 14 – GTD and Cognitive Science

In this chapter, the focus is on the intersection of cognitive science and the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology.

This chapter cites a Belgium academic study that analyzed the GTD methodology using working theories from cognitive science. Essentially, our minds are designed to have ideas based on pattern recognition, but not to remember everything.

The book “The Organized Mind” by Daniel Levitin is also mentioned to illustrate why we need an “external brain” to help store and maintain huge amounts of data. When we use our memory as our organization system, our minds will become overwhelmed.

The Belgium academic paper describes the science behind the act of externalizing our thoughts so that our minds are more effective. Externalizing information, such as using lists and reminders, can offload cognitive demands on memory, allowing the mind to focus on higher-level thinking.

“Your mind is for having ideas, not for holding them.” — David Allen

Another point that has been studied is the relieving cognitive load of incompletions. Uncompleted tasks take up room in the mind, which then limits clarity and focus (scientific paper here). The paper also proves that the completion of the tasks are not required to relieve that burden on our minds: what is needed is a trusted system that guarantees the tasks will be triggered when appropriate.

GTD helps in managing cognitive load by providing a systematic approach to externalize and organize thoughts, reducing mental clutter and enhancing cognitive performance.

David Allen also discusses that the Flow state (or “being in the zone”) is facilitated when we use the GTD approach: having clarity, clear goals, and single-tasking. Other psychological benefits of the methodology involve goal-striving (desired outcomes) and psychological capital (PsyCap). Using the GTD methodology sets us up for more optimism, a sense of self-efficacy, hope and resilience.

Wrapping up, the chapter shows how GTD is like our personal brain manager, helping us sort out our thoughts, clear up mental mess, and boost how well our brain works.

” ... when all of our potentially meaningful things are captured, clarified, organized, and reflected upon, the more mature, elegant, and intelligent part of who we really are can show up at the table. That produces experiences and results that can't be beat.” — David Allen

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

This is a series of posts with reading notes of the book “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” by David Allen.

In Part 3, Chapters 11, 12 & 14 David Allen gives more insights about the power of the key principles: capturing, next-actions and outcome focusing.

Chapter 11 – The Power of the Capturing Habit

One of the most powerful habits I've learned with GTD is writing things down, either manually or digitally. In this chapter, David lists all the benefits of this practice and explain why uncaptured open loops take up mental space. We feel negative feelings (overwhelm, anxiety, guilt) when we see our incomplete to-dos because we are breaking agreements with ourselves. And the book presents ways to prevent these broken agreements:

• Don't make the agreement: in short, just make fewer commitments, practice saying “no”
• Complete the agreement: just do it! Use the 2-minute rule as much as you can
• Renegotiate the agreement: lower your standards, keep the agreement, put it on a someday/maybe list

“A renegotiated agreement is not a broken one.” — David Allen

The act of doing a mind sweep always make me feel better. And that's because when I unload all those thoughts, I'm automatically renegotiating my agreements with myself. I probably didn't notice the full potential of this habit when I started, but now I know how valuable it is. I've recently discovered that if I do a quick mind sweep at the end of my work day, I feel much better! As David Allen suggests:

“I suggest that you use your mind to think about things, rather than think of them”. — David Allen

Chapter 12 – The Power of the Next-Action Decision

Always ask this question: “What's the next action?” Why? Because if forces:

• Clarity
• Accountability
• Productivity
• Empowerment

It's a quick exercise to define what doing looks like. I identified myself when David Allen mentions that the most creative, sensitive and intelligent people are the ones who procrastinate the most. Because we tend to fantasize scenarios about what is needed to complete that project, along with all the negative possible outcomes! We freak out and give up!

Another interesting note is that we might be repelled by our to-do lists:

“… not because of the contents per se, but rather because sufficient appropriate thinking has yet to be applied to them.” — David Allen

Chapter 13 – The Power of Outcome Focusing

The key message of this chapter is that we can't define the next action until we know what is the desired outcome in the end.

And it can apply to small, mundane things or to big life goals. Some good questions to always have in mind:

• What does this mean to me?
• Why is it here?
• What do I want to have be true about this? What's the desired outcome?
• How do I now make this happen?
• What resources do I need to allocate to make it happen (What's the next action?“)

The challenge will always be: defining what done means and what doing looks like.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.