Book Challenge 2023
So … the goal was 144 books - that’s like 12 books a month, right? Except I did not maintain that cadence. Did I make it?
Barely. Played a lot of catch-up during my winter break and got it done! A mix of non-fiction, fiction, manga and graphic novels led to a solid number of 144 titles. This year, instead of randomly listing trivia, I’m going to focus on the “where” of some books.
Where was it Read?
- oh no: A physical book purchased online and read in a hotel in Portland, Oregon.
- Prison School, Vol. 14: Read this in public(!!) at the esteemed Boston Public Library.
- The American Dream?: Shamelessly read this whole thing while standing in a Cape Code bookstore. Wooow.
Okay, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Falling back and going to highlight interesting patterns.
Interesting Patterns 2023
Reduced Manga
I read a lot of manga again but with some exceptions like legacy reads, I only included the first volume of new manga series. Subsequent volumes were not used to increment the Read Count of the challenge. See, I tried to bring balance to the force.
Cleared Fort of the Apocalypse…
And Prison School. And Hinowa Ga Crush. As the Gods Will … is still not completed yet. Maybe in 2024?
Category Pirates
Short reads about Category Design (akin to blue ocean strategies) and other interesting ideas.
Popular Authors
I diversified and read works of popular writers such as James Patterson, Margaret Atwood, Haruki Murakami, etc. It’s interesting to see what “successful” works look like.
Tech Books
Included more tech/work-related books. Unreal. Lua. Godot. Ink. BASIC. Very technical.
Competitive Games
I also read works of Daigo Umehara and David Sirlin which focused on not just fighting games but the competitive mindset. It’s very fascinating.
Pogue Books
A mixed bag of interesting tips and tricks.
This is the 2023 Book Challenge in a few words. I’m unsure if I will continue the tradition but let’s see 2024 brings!