2024 is winding down, and blogwise it feels like it’s already crashed into bed, has covered itself with comforters, and has no plans to stir until spring has come. I’ve been oddly busy with Christmas merriment, and don’t see any break there until the end of this week. Even so, the imminent arrival of the New Year bids thinking about.

(1) The Classics Club. I still have sixteen books left on my CC, and 2025’s the final year on that so I need to get cracking. The two most daunting prospects are The Shahnameh and Democracy in America. Democracy would be a logical beginning given the inauguration coming up.

(2) Rereads. I’ve mentioned before that 2013 was a huge year in reading for me, not in terms of number but rather because of the quality of the reads and their timing, because my entire worldview was being reappraised and reconfigured, rather like it had been in 2006. Some of the books I read that year, like The Life and Death of Great American Cities, fundamentally changed my thinking, and I’m interested in seeing what I think of these mind-changing books now. I’d like to re-read at least five titles: Crunchy Cons, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, The Plain Reader, small is Beautiful, and any Wendell Berry essay collection. Death and Life is one book I never properly reviewed at the time, in part because it was such a game changer.

(3) European history outside the “big three”

I read a lot of European history, but it’s almost always related to England, France, or Germany. I know almost nothing of Spain save for isolated episodes (Age of Discovery, Napoleonic wars), my Italian history is entirely Roman or WW2 related, I’m continually fascinated to stumble upon facts like Portugal had a long fascist period, or that Sweden and Poland were once serious continental powers, and Eastern Europe is….a complete unknown to me, aside from what I’ve learned trying to understand Russo-American relations since 2008 or so. This, despite having read Durant’s epic Story of Civilization! So, what I’d like to do, grad school and ladyfriend permitting, is read more broadly across European history. I’m naming the challenge after something that young people of means used to do before they settled into their adult responsibilities, touring the Continent’s artistic treasures — especially those in Italy. I’m going to be “traveling” more broadly than that, beginning with Iberia and meandering easterly. We’ll see if my route makes any sense at all!

(4) Science Survey. The Science Survey continues, of course, nevermind my only barely completing it this year (technically I haven’t finished it yet, but there’s days yet). Oddly, I haven’t developed a formal prospects list like I usually do: Crossings, about how human-made roads shape ecology, is on my list, and that’s really about it.

Honestly, the Classics Club challenge alone will be a hard ask for this year, so I’m probably not going to be participating in many challenges outside of these, unless Alex of At Boundary’s Edge does another fun SF challenge.

As far as general goals, I want to repeat my two unofficial goals from last year: keep purchased books under 10% and keep unreviewed books to a minimum. I’m currently standing at four, which is so much better than that one year when over ten percent of my reading was un-commented-upon here. The problem with this year’s un-reviews is that they’re really good ones, so I’m going to try to get something out for them before January 1st. Speaking of, here’s a very nebulous idea of what is coming:

January:
Usually a varied “fun month” to kick things off. I might do a nod to US presidents around January 20th.

February:
Possibly a tip of the hat to l’amour and relationships in the middle of the month.

March:
Lenten devotional reading, followed by Opening Day! Baseball will be back at bat at the month’s end.

April:
Read of England, but of course!

May:
(shrug)

June & July:
American Revolution tribute and possibly Space Camp, the latter depending on if I can find more reads.

August, September
(shrug)

October:
German history & possibly something appropriate for Halloween, depending on my mood.

November:
I’m assuming there will be a big SF challenge.

December:
Advent kicks off November 30.