Can I read 52 books in 52 weeks?

My goal is to read 52 books this year. I have a nice head start because of my vacation (see list here). Some of these are fast reads others…not so much. Regardless I have a goal!

Also; the links below are to Amazon but they are not affiliate links so you can’t make me rich this way.

  1. The Last Citadel: Petersburg, June 1864 – April 1865, Author: Noah Andre Trudeau
  2. Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War, Author: Charles Bracelen Flood
  3. The Cold Dish (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
  4. Death Without Company (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
  5. Kindness Goes Unpunished (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
  6. Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman, Author: Robert L. O’Connell
  7. Cibola Burn (The Expanse Book 4), Author: James S. A. Corey
  8. Nemesis Games (The Expanse Book 5), Author: James S. A. Corey
  9. Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse Book 6), Author: James S. A. Corey
  10. Persepolis Rising (The Expanse Book 7), Author: James S. A. Corey
  11. Another Man’s Moccasins (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
  12. Tiamat’s Wrath (The Expanse Book 8), Author: James S. A. Corey – 1/26/2025
  13. Leviathan Falls (The Expanse Book 9), Author: James S. A. Corey – 2/16/2025
  14. Night of the Grizzlies, Author: Jack Olsen
  15. The Storyteller, Author: Dave Grohl – 2/22/2025
  16. The Memoirs of W. T. Sherman, Author: William T. Sherman – 3/15/2025
  17. General Lee, A biography of Robert E. Lee, Author: Fitzhugh Lee – Reading…
  18. The Generalship Of Ulysses S. Grant, Author: J.F.C. Fuller (paperback) – Reading
  19. Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila, Author: James M. Scott – 3/22/2025
  20. Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette and the Age of Revolution, Author: Mike Duncan – 4/6/2025
  21. The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation’s Call to Greatness, Author: Harlow Giles Unger – 4/15/2025…
  22. The Darkest Summer: Pusan and Inchon 1950: The Battles That Saved South Korea–and the Marines–from Extinction , Author: Bill Sloan – 5/5/2025
  23. Abundance, Authors: Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson

Books to read: 2025

A nice list from Ryan Holiday (the list is from the newsletter but posted here). Sign up of the newsletter here.

A few of these I have read, a few of these are not my ‘style’ but.. that’s the point. Get out of your comfort zone. 

Here is the list + my additions: 

  1. Slow Productivity: The lost art of accomplishment with Burnout, Author: Cal Newport
  2. Don’t Just March, Run for Something: A real-talk guide to fixing the system yourself
  3. The Choice: Embrace the Possible, Author: Dr. Edith Eva Eger
  4. Montaigne, Author: Stefan Zweig 
  5. A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World’s Sacred Texts
  6. Bright Shining: How Grace Changes Everything 
  7. The Children, Author: David Halberstam, Author Julia Baird
  8. Parting the Waters: America in the King years 1954-63, Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-1965, At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King years 1965-68, Author: Taylor Branch
  9. Same as Ever: A guide to what never changes, Author: Morgan Housel
  10. The 48 Laws of Power, Author: Robert Greene
  11. It Can’t Happen Here, Author: SInclair Lewis
  12. Address Unknown, Author: Kathrine Kressman Taylor
  13. The Expanding Circle, Author: Peter Singer
  14. Atomic Habits, Author: James Clear
  15. Bushido: The Samurai Code of Japan, Author: Inazo Nitobe
  16. How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World
  17. Meditations, Author: Marcus Aurelius
  18. Junkyard Dogs (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
  19. The Dark Horse (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
  20. Public Enemies, Author: Bryan Burroughs.

Naturally, I’ll read other books but this is a good starting point.

Vacation Reading – Late 2024, Early 2025

I went on vacation from 12/30 to 1/14/2025. I read a few books. They are listed below. I set a goal of reading 52 books for 2025 and I think I got a good head start on that goal. I don’t have a affiliate relationship with Amazon but did link to the books. 

  1. The Last Citadel: Petersburg, June 1864 – April 1865, Author: Noah Andre Trudeau
  2. Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War, Author: Charles Bracelen Flood
  3. The Cold Dish (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
  4. Death Without Company (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
  5. Kindness Goes Unpunished (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
  6. Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman, Author: Robert L. O’Connell
  7. Cibola Burn (The Expanse Book 4), Author: James S. A. Corey
  8. Nemesis Games (The Expanse Book 5), Author: James S. A. Corey
  9. Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse Book 6), Author: James S. A. Corey
  10. Persepolis Rising (The Expanse Book 7), Author: James S. A. Corey
  11. Another Man’s Moccasins (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson

I’ve been on a Civil War kick of late (which started again with ‘Fighting for the Confederacy, The personal recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander and ‘Longstreet: The Confederate General Who defied the South), started the ‘Walt Longmire’ stories because of the TV Show and wanted to finish the ‘The Expanse’ series after finishing the TV show. 

Read this on Kottke today

This is from Ethan Hawke’s Rules for a Knight:

One time, on a sweltering August night, Grandfather and I made camp down by the ocean. He said, “While I teach you about the ways of war, I want you to know that the real struggle is between the two wolves that live inside each of us.”

“Two wolves?” I asked, seated on an old log near the fire. My eyes were transfixed by the flames twisting uncomfortably in the night air.

“One wolf is evil,” he continued. “It is anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, deceit, false pride.” He paused, poking at the embers of our fire with a long stick he’d been carving.

“The other is good. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, humility, loving-kindness, forgiveness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, faith.”

I considered that for a minute, then tentatively asked, “Which wolf will win?”

Sparks danced towards the stars as the old man stared into the glare of the flames and replied, “Whichever one you feed.”

If you like the quote hit this link (Kottke.org) and then the Amazon link in the first paragraph.