2️⃣4️⃣📖 2024 Reading List
I keep a log of the books I read or listen to as part of this blog. I previously did a manual audit of my annual reading list, but this year I am going to let OpenAI handle it for me. This is kind of a perfect use case for AI. I have a large block of semi-structured data. I want some analysis. And I think that analysis is better done externally since I am biased.
1. High-Level Stats & Trends
Total Works Consumed
- 15 books/audiobooks finished in 2024
Formats
- 12 eBooks (Kindle)
- 3 Audiobooks (Audible)
Fiction vs. Non-Fiction
- 8 Fiction
- (Mostly Tom Clancy “dad lit” thrillers + some sci-fi.)
- 7 Non-Fiction
- (History, social science, and legal/AI/copyright topics.)
Approx. Pages & Listening Hours
- ~6,300 pages read (Kindle titles with known page counts).
- ~24 hours of audiobooks (3 titles).
Locations
- Heavy concentration in Lisbon / Sintra.
- Some reading while traveling (Berlin, Brussels, Stockholm, flights to London/Paris, etc.).
2. 2023 vs. 2024 – A Quick Comparison
Total “Finished” Works
- 2023: 15 total (12 books + 3 audiobooks)
- 2024: 15 total (12 Kindle + 3 audiobooks)
Physical Books vs. Ebooks
- 2023: 2 hardcovers, 4 paperbacks, 6 Kindle
- 2024: 12 Kindle, 0 paperbacks/hardcovers (purely digital except for 3 audiobooks)
Fiction vs. Non-Fiction
- 2023: 11 Fiction, 4 Non-Fiction
- 2024: 8 Fiction, 7 Non-Fiction
Clancy Novels
- 2023: 6 Tom Clancy–universe reads (all in the back half of the year)
- 2024: 6 more Clancy reads (still the largest fiction chunk)
Other Genres
- 2023: RomComs (Emily Henry) introduced; 1 SciFi (Thrawn); 1 Spy (le Carré)
- 2024: More SciFi (James S.A. Corey, John Scalzi); fewer RomComs (none this year)
History Topics
- 2023: Mediterranean warfare, monetary history, modern American politics
- 2024: Middle East, Islamic Spain, Portugal’s empire, plus modern copyright law
Key Shift
- In 2023, your reading included a variety of physical formats and multiple RomComs.
- In 2024, you went almost entirely digital/Kindle, ramped up history non-fiction, and added more sci-fi while still returning to Clancy for bedtime thrillers.
3. List of 2024 Reads
| # | Title & Author | Fiction / Non-Fiction | Format | Start Date | Finish Date | Pages / Length | Primary Places Read / Listened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | True Faith and Allegiance Mark Greaney (Clancy #16) |
Fiction (Thriller) | Kindle | 2023-12-28 | 2024-01-05 | 750 pages | Lisbon, Sintra |
| 2 | Power and Empire Marc Cameron (Clancy #17) |
Fiction (Thriller) | Kindle | 2024-01-06 | 2024-01-21 | 592 pages | Lisbon |
| 3 | Lawrence in Arabia Scott Anderson |
Non-Fiction (History) | Kindle | 2024-01-22 | 2024-04-06 | 618 pages | Hospital da Luz, Lisbon |
| 4 | Troubled Rob Henderson |
Non-Fiction (Memoir) | Kindle | 2024-04-07 | 2024-04-07 | 336 pages | Sintra |
| 5 | Conquerors Roger Crowley |
Non-Fiction (History) | Audiobook (Audible) | 2023-10-09 | 2024-04-15 | ~13 hr 7 min | Gyms, runs around Lisbon |
| 6 | Who Owns This Sentence? D. Bellos & A. Montagu |
Non-Fiction (Legal) | Kindle | 2024-04-08 | 2024-04-22 | 380 pages | Lisbon, Comporta |
| 7 | A History of Islamic Spain Watt & Cachia |
Non-Fiction (History) | Kindle | 2024-04-23 | 2024-04-28 | 183 pages | Lisbon, Sintra |
| 8 | Oath of Office Marc Cameron (Clancy #18) |
Fiction (Thriller) | Kindle | 2024-05-20 | 2024-06-08 | 528 pages | Lisbon, Sintra, Praia Grande |
| 9 | Code of Honor Marc Cameron (Clancy #19) |
Fiction (Thriller) | Kindle | 2024-06-10 | 2024-06-16 | 511 pages | Lisbon, Sintra, flights (London) |
| 10 | 1453 Roger Crowley |
Non-Fiction (History) | Audiobook (Audible) | 2024-04-16 | 2024-06-17 | ~10 hr 56 min | Gyms, runs around Lisbon |
| 11 | Chain of Command Marc Cameron (Clancy #21) |
Fiction (Thriller) | Kindle | 2024-06-17 | 2024-08-14 | 509 pages | Lisbon, Sintra, flights (Paris) |
| 12 | The Mercy of Gods James S.A. Corey |
Fiction (Sci-Fi) | Kindle | 2024-08-16 | 2024-08-18 | 423 pages | Lisbon, Sintra, Honest Greens |
| 13 | Old Man’s War John Scalzi |
Fiction (Sci-Fi) | Kindle | 2024-08-19 | 2024-08-27 | 321 pages | Lisbon |
| 14 | The Ghost Brigades John Scalzi |
Fiction (Sci-Fi) | Kindle | 2024-08-28 | 2024-10-03 | 353 pages | Lisbon, Sintra, Stockholm |
| 15 | Red Winter Marc Cameron (Clancy #22) |
Fiction (Thriller) | Kindle | 2024-10-04 | 2024-11-25 | 430 pages | Lisbon, Sintra, Berlin, Brussels |
4. Observations & Highlights
-
Tom Clancy Universe
- 6 novels (40% of your total reading).
- Often your “relaxation” choice after denser non-fiction.
-
History & Non-Fiction
- You read more historical topics in 2024 than in 2023, especially on Iberia, Islamic Spain, and global maritime history.
- The “copyright and AI” angle (e.g., Who Owns This Sentence?) was a new area.
-
Sci-Fi Run
- Mid-to-late 2024 saw multiple sci-fi titles (Corey, Scalzi).
- This replaced last year’s RomCom picks from Emily Henry.
-
Reading Pace
- Some books took months (Lawrence in Arabia), while memoir or lighter reads (e.g., Troubled) finished in a single day.
- Audiobooks typically accompanied workouts/travel over many weeks.
-
Locations
- Heavy reading in Lisbon/Sintra again, plus short stints during flights/trips.
- You listened to Crowley titles while running or at the gym—similar pattern to last year’s approach with audiobooks.
5. Final Thoughts
- You ended up with 15 total works in both 2023 and 2024, but with a shift from paperbacks/hardcovers toward purely Kindle in 2024.
- Non-fiction took up a bigger slice this year (7 of 15) compared to 2023’s 4 of 15.
- You continued your Clancy run and expanded your sci-fi horizons—replacing 2023’s RomCom picks with extra space operas and futuristic military tales.
- Location patterns (Lisbon, Sintra) and audiobook usage (during workouts/travel) remained consistent.
In short, 2024 featured more digital reading, more history/sci-fi, and fewer physical books or RomComs than 2023—yet you maintained the same total number of titles consumed overall. It’s a good snapshot of evolving tastes within your reliably prolific reading routine.