A while back, somebody asked me how much I read each year. I had no idea. Being somewhat curious myself (quiet at the back!), I started noting when I finished a book. I apparently first did this on the 7th of March 2006. Of course, this list only give an idea of how many books I read; I'm fairly sure that I read more words online than I do in books.

It should also be noted that I am rarely ever in the process of reading only one book - it is usual for me to have five or six books a few hundred pages in, and one book that I'm reading more seriously that day.

Further, in late March I moved to France, and was reunited with a large number of books I vaguely remember from childhood and wanted to reread, thus there is a long pause for trashy novels through April. I don't tend to count most novels as real reading.

Those provisos noted, here's the list:

1. "Essays in Persuasion" - John Maynard Keynes (0393001903)
   Finished 7th March 2006. 373 pages.
   Interesting background history to the Gold Standard and the Great Depression, by one of the 20th Century's great thinkers. His writing is fun and very clear.
2. "In The Shadow Of Man" - Jane Goodall (0618056769)
   Finished 9th March 2006. 286 pages.
   One of the classics of behavioural psychology. Matter of fact accounts of scientist at work. Goodall can write! Be aware that her follow up observations give a somewhat less rosy picture of chimpanzee society.
3. "The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature" - Matt Ridley (0060556579)
   Finished 13th March 2006. 349 pages.
   Ridley is one of the best science writers around. Fascinating background to some of the current debates in biological and evolutionary sciences. Well worth a read.
4. "Y: The Descent of Men" - Steve Jones (0618565612)
   Finished 17th March 2006. 222 pages.
   On a similar topic to Ridley's book, but written by a bore who seems more concerned to show off than to inform. I wouldn't bother.
5. "The Essential Gandhi" - Edited by Louis Fischer (1400030501)
   Finished 22nd March 2006. 323 pages.
   Gandhi in his own words, with a mediocre editor. Gandhi is as expected well worth reading. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't bother with this compilation, but buy one or two of Gandhi's original compilations.
6. "Even In The Best Families" - Rex Stout (0002312190)
   Finished 29th March 2006. 223 pages.
   A Nero Wolfe detective mystery: funny in places, not very edifying.
7. "The Colour of Magic" - Terry Pratchett (0552124753)
   Finished 1st April 2006. 285 pages.
   The first Discworld book. Pratchett is fun and funny, but gets very repetitive. A single book every year or two is probably enough and worth the effort.
8. "The Caves of Steel" - Isaac Asimov (0586008357)
   Finished 4th April 2006. 206 pages.
   I enjoyed Asimov much more when I originally read his books aged 10-14. I kept reading because I'd forgotten what happened and that bugs me. I wouldn't bother reading any of these unless you have a similarly good reason, or you are too young to know better. They aren't bad, just childish.
9. "Foundation" - Isaac Asimov (0586010807)
   Finished 8th April 2006. 234 pages.
   See above.
10. "The Complete Robot" - Isaac Asimov (0586057242)
    Finished 11th April 2006. 682 pages.
    See above.
11. "Foundation and Empire" - Isaac Asimov (0586013555)
    Finished 13th April 2006. 240 pages.
    See above.
12. "Second Foundation" - Isaac Asimov (0586017135)
    Finished 16th April 2006. 240 pages.
    See above.
13. "The First Man In Rome" - Colleen McCullough (0380710811)
    Finished 29th April 2006. 796 pages.
    First in a series of excellent historical novels treating the time from the rise of Gaius Marius to the death of Julius Caesar. As usual, McCullough has a tiresome tendency to be gratuitous. This is not history, but McCullough has done heavy research. These are good way into the history of the late Roman republic. [Again I was rereading, because the intevening years had dimmed my memory].
14. "The Grass Crown" - Colleen McCullough (0099792400)
    Finished 6th May 2006. 1043 pages.
    See above.
15. "Fortune's Favourites" - Colleen McCullough (0099305313)
    Finished 11th May 2006. 1040 pages.
    See above.
16. "Caesar's Women" - Colleen McCullough (0099792605)
    Finished 17th May 2006. 867 pages.
    See above.
17. "Caesar" - Colleen McCullough (0380710854)
    Finished 3rd June 2006. 664 pages.
    See above.
18. "The October Horse" - Colleen McCullough (0099280523)
    Finished 13th June 2006. 1108 pages.
    See above.
19. "The Nancy Drew Files, case 1: Secrets Can Kill" - Carolyn Keene (067174674x)
    Finished 14th June 2006. 152 pages.
    The first Nancy Drew book. When I was 10 or so, my older sister give me her Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys collections. I loved them, but again my memory of the actual content was not so great. My response 15 years later is "more childish, but more readable than Azimov".
20. "The Federalist Papers" - Hamilton, Madison, Jay (0451528816)
    Finished 26th June 2006. 632 pages.
    Back to serious books. The Federalist Papers were published anonymously after the Constitutional Convention in a successful attempt to persuade America to accept the Constitution. The papers treat that amazing document in detail. It is hard going - Hamilton in particular does not write well - but the writing is logical, informative and persuasive. This is an essential book for any wanting to understand constitutional law.
21. "Team Of Rivals" - Doris Kearns Goodwin (0684824906)
    Finished 9th July 2006. 754 pages.
    A very well written biography of Abraham Lincoln, with parallel lesser biographies of his three main rivals, Seward, Bates and Chase. The history of Lincoln is the history of the formation of the Republican Party and the history of the abolition of slavery. Despite the disparging caricatures of a none-too-bright country hick, Lincoln was a political genius who smoothly handled, dominated and co-opted his highly-strung by ultimately lesser rivals. His calm, humour and determination to face reality, without the colouring of either wishing thinking or despair, make his character a worthwhile study for any wishing to better themselves.
22. "Next Of Kin" - Eric Frank Russell (0722175426)
    Finished 19th July 2006. 160 pages.
    Another 'trashy' novel to reread. EFR is always amusing and interesting.
23. "Talk And Grow Rich" - Ron Holland (0722528051)
    Finished 26th July 2006. 261 pages.
    Not quite sure why I bothered to read this. It is a book written by a salesman for salesmen, with a lot of sensible advice couched in dogmatic terms, along with some very slimy dishonest tactics for a budding salesman. Interesting, but not great.
24. "The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire Vol.1" - Edward Gibbon (0679423087)
    Finished 7th August 2006. 567 pages.
    I was told that Gibbon is a hard read.. but apparently by people who haven't read him. Gibbon writes fluidly, interestingly and wittily about a lot of amusing history. If you are interested in the history of the Roman Empire, this is the book to read. There are at least eight volumes, although the first three are what are usual available.
25. "The Bad Beginning" - Lemony Snicket (0064407667)
    Finished 11th August 2006. 162 pages.
    A very silly modern children's book. A friend recommended Lemony Snicket to me a while back. I'm glad to say it was much more fun than I expected.
26. "To Keep And Bear Arms: The Origins of an Anglo-American Right" - Joyce Lee Malcolm (0674893077)
    Finished 12th August 2006. 223 pages.
    Short and copiously referenced history of the duty and then the right to self-defence with weapons in the UK and then America. A definitive look at what the Framers did and did not mean by the Second Ammendment.
27. "Our Oldest Enemy, A History of America's Disasterous" - John J Miller & Mark Molesky (0385512198).
    Finished 14th August 2006. 286 pages.
    This one I was skim-rereading for the purposes of a review. As you will see at the review, I liked this book a lot: interesting, funny and informative. It reawakened my interest in history, after at least ten years of avoiding that subject.
28. "The Reptile Room" - Lemony Snicket (0064407675)
    Finished 17th August 2006. 190 pages.
    The next Lemony Snicket book, as silly and fun as the last. He seems to gradually improve the style. I not sure I approve his fake animals - he seems to be shifting more into the surreal.
29. "The Wide Window" - Lemony Snicket (0064407683)
    Finished 17th August 2006. 214 pages.
    The third Lemony Snicket book. Probably the best of the three.
30. "An American Life" - Ronald Reagan (067691988)
    Finished 27th August 2006. 726 pages.
    Reagan's autobiography. A lot of different bits and pieces. His section of the Middle East is full of idiotic leftist pap, which seems totally out of place. He spent the early part of his life as a Democrat, and gradually worked his way out of it. He seemed to have his heart in the right place, but also seems too 'nice' to do the job properly. It took him a long time to work out that the ideas he was fed earlier were bunk, but he did managed to work it out, which is more than most people manage. He was no genius, but had at least something of a brain and was generally good at what he did. Take downing the Soviets is an impressive legacy. Interesting read.
31. "Red Rabbit" - Tom Clancy (0141014156)
    Finished 23rd September 2006. 928 pages.
    Clancy is a lazy writer who idolises some right idiots, but his work is interesting nonetheless. Nothing much new in this one - "Cardinal of Kremlin", "Without Remorse" and "Debt of Honour" remain his most interesting works. I wouldn't bother with this one, unless really dedictated (like me!).
32. "The Code Book" - Simon Singh (0385495323)
    Finished 8th October 2006. 402 pages.
    Very good introduction to the history and theory of cryptography aimed at the layman. It's now a bit out of date in the later parts (published 1999), but it gives more than enough to let you get yourself up to date.
33. "Downfall, The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire" - Richard B. Frank (0141001461)
    Finished 12th December 2006. 459 pages.
    A very detailed and highly researched history of the last years of the war with Japan. Makes very clear why the nukes were dropped and why that was good for Japan as well as America. Looks both at Japanese and American statements from the time, rather than later justifications. Thoroughly recommended.
34. "世界の日本人ジョーク集" - 早坂隆 (4121502027)
    Finished 13th January 2007. 238 pages.
    Very funny and interesting book: jokes that involve Japan and Japanese people, with lots of long asides about various aspects of Japanese culture/society. A nice fast read! (Don't let the gaps between books being finished fool you - I'm reading some much longer ones at the same time, which are unfinished, so it looks like I'm not reading!)
35. "Freehold" - Michael Z. Willliamson (0743471792)
    Finished 14th January 2007. 667 pages.
    A Heinlein-esque novel about a fairly idyllic anarchist society. Gets somewhat gratuitous and has a few strangeness like a free society allowing people to destroy the pleasantness of their environment by smoking in public. Otherwise, interesting and fun.
36. "How To Pick Up Japanese Chicks, And Doom Your Immortal Soul" - Michael Z. Willliamson (1420820451)
    Finished 19th January 2007. 248 pages.
    A fictionalised supposed autobiography. I got this because it sounded funny.. It was funny, but also somewhat depressing. It is full of experience and memories of Japan that in no way match my own, but at the same time make me all nostalgic in a not very good way. He also has some highly warped morals - his supposed conscience is quite idiotic! The book itself is very well done and a good read - just the memories, real and vicarious, are not so nice.
37. "The Wisdom of Crowds" - James Surowiecki (0349116059)
    Finished 29th January 2007. 295 pages.
    An excellent look at efficient and inefficient decision-making and management. This is stuff that any manager/politician should know. He rather cops out towards the end of the book, when describing how group decision-making processes break down and what if anything can be done to stop such breakdowns. Otherwise, fascinating and well written. Recommended.
38. "From The Shadows, The Ultimate Insider's Story Of Five Presidents And How They Won The Cold War" - Robert M. Gates (0684834979)
    Finished 5th February 2007. 580 pages.
    Gates has replaced Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defence. This is his autobiography, up to 1996. He comes across as very thoughtful and as an honest analyst. His descriptions of the various presidents, from Nixon to Bush senior, are impressively detailed and come across as honest, although he makes no mention of Bush senior's huge error in not taking out Saddam while he had the chance. He give wide and full background to the various battles of the Cold War and why and how the evil empire toppled. All in all, a very impressive and interesting book. Recommended to anyone interested in US politics or the fight against socialism.
39. "The Tipping Point, How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference" - Malcolm Gladwell (0316346624)
    Finished 6th February 2007. 294 pages.
    Very few serious books can be read in one day. That should give you an idea of how well written this one is. It is full of psychological facts and anecdotes that should be known to any salesman, businessman or manager. There are some points where Gladwell seems to confuse an average with individuals, but mostly the book is full of simple good sense. Highly recommended.
40. "Sperm Wars" - Robin Baker (0330390775)
    Finished 6th February 2007. 294 pages.
    Rereading. A very good book on the male/female relationships with plausible guesses as to why they are as they are. Reading this book can make one rather paranoid, but everybody should be a bit paranoid anyway. Highly recommended.
41. "The Star Beast" - Robert Heinlein (0345350596)
    Finished 18th February 2007. 173 pages.
    Rereading one of my favourite Heinlein novels. "The law is what you can persuade a judge it is" & "I always tell the truth, it saves time".
42. "How To Think Like A Millionaire" - Charles-Albert Poissant with Christian Godefroy (0722517343)
    Finished 6th March 2007. 266 pages.
    Worth reading. Structured around short biographies of ten very rich men, with explanations of how they got that way according to themselves. Also has a lot of sound, but obvious, positive-thinking psychology. Interesting.
43. "Genome, The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters" - Matt Ridley (185702835X)
    Finished 10th March 2007. 336 pages.
    Lots interesting facts and background and genetics and human genetics. He tries hard to give a story or point, rather than just giving an avalanche of facts. He doesn't entirely succeed, and the last few chapters are particularly diffuse. His later book, Red Queen, reviewed above is much better. Both contain much of interest.
44. "Le Petit Prince" - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (2070515788)
    Finished 18th March 2007. 94 pages.
    This is the book that they tried to force me to read at school, and thus put me off French for fifteen or more years. Now I've read it in two and a bit days and quite enjoyed it. It gets less and less interesting as it goes along, but is still quite fun. My first ever book in French. :-) I'm not sure I'd bother without my history or my currently being in the process of learning French.
45. "House Of Cards, Psychology and Psychotherapy Built On Myth" - Robyn M. Dawes (0684830914)
    Finished 19th March 2007. 327 pages.
    Dawes is a scientist, not a writer. Thus this book is rather hard going, as he takes pages of overblown sentences to explain what someone like Ridley (see above) would make snappy, fact-packed and interesting. Despite that, this is a fascinating book that should be read. Most of 'modern' psychology practice is pre-scientific, but 'psychologists' are allowed to make decisions usually left to judges, juries or doctors. Meanwhile, the long-debunked 'theories' widely practiced in psychology/therapy have spread into the culture as accepted facts. This is highly dangerous. Your only way to protect yourself against arbitrary unsane action is knowledge - hence I fully recommend reading this book. There is even some information on the glimmerings of a future empirically-based psychology/therapy.

That's one year and 45 books, 11 of which are trivial novels being reread, 7 of which are not-so-trivial novels being reread and 5 are novels new-to-me. Not hugely impressive methinks. Calling it 17724 pages is perhaps a little more impressive, but only a little.