{"id":760,"date":"2009-12-30T11:05:00","date_gmt":"2009-12-30T11:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"\/blogs\/paul\/post\/Once-in-a-lifetime-100-books-in-a-year.aspx"},"modified":"2020-12-31T13:28:09","modified_gmt":"2020-12-31T21:28:09","slug":"once-in-a-lifetime-100-books-in-a-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sqlskills.com\/blogs\/paul\/once-in-a-lifetime-100-books-in-a-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Once in a lifetime: 100 books in a year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n(This is my last blog post for 2009 – thanks to everyone who reads my blog and takes part in the SQL community – hope you have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!)  <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nEvery so often you have to challenge yourself with a goal that actually stretches your abilities and tests your stamina. At the start of 2009 I set myself the goal of reading 50 books during the year. By the time January was over I'd already read 18 books so I upped the goal to 100, thinking it would be easily achievable. How wrong I was! <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nI'm very proud that I stuck with this through the year and met my goal, finishing the 100th book on December 29th. I deliberately chose the final book to be Scotland: The Story of a Nation, by <\/font>Magnus Magnusson<\/font><\/a>. He used to be the host of the UK quiz show<\/font> Mastermind<\/font><\/a> (that I loved as a teenager), and his catch phrase was "I've started, so I'll finish!<\/em>". An appropriate statement on my undertaking this year! <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nIf you held a gun to my head and forced me to pick from all the book's I've read this year, my #1 favorite book is Cormac McCarthy's The Road<\/strong> (no, I haven't seen the movie). Incredibly powerful, haunting, and ultimately sad book – I get a lump in my throat just thinking about the story and it's ending. If you only read one book next year, read that one.<\/u><\/font><\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nOverall, it was an excellent experience and I recommend everyone to try something similar at some point in their lives. Many people have expressed an interest in seeing the complete list plus my favorites for the year, so this blog post is my summary for you all (and as a neat way of getting closure for me too). It's divided into three parts: data, top-10, and the complete list. <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nI hope you enjoy reading this as much as I've enjoyed putting it together, and it inspires you to try some of these books, or even to set yourself a reading goal next year. Do let me know what you think. And I'll leave you with the saying that's governed 2009 for me:<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nIn omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro!<\/em><\/font><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nAnalysis of What I Read<\/strong> <\/font><\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nI read a total of 39674 pages, or about 109 pages on average every day, and a book every 3.65 days. Of course some days I didn't read anything and some days I read 500 pages, depending on what I was doing. You might ask – how the hell did you make the time for that with everything else you do? Well, I flew 138000 miles during the year and spent quite a few days sitting by pools in hot places getting on time zones before teaching classes, mostly in India (2 trips) and Thailand (4 trips) – that's a lot of time right there. I made time when at home, reading pages here and there while cooking, taking a break from work, in bed, etc. It also helps that I love reading, and I read quickly (I don't speed-read, or skip sections, every word is read and digested). <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nSeveral people through the year poo-poo'd my goal, saying I must only be reading small books, or 'fast reads'. No. I picked a general range from my library (I've got 900+ books – I don't like electronic readers, and one of my favorite past-times is buying books). Here are two charts: the first shows the number of pages in each book, in order that I read them; the second shows the proportion of books in each genre I read. <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" \"\" <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe average book length was 397 pages, and as you can see, I'm a huge history buff, so 42% of all books were either hard history, or historical fiction. Make fun of me for producing charts if you want, I don't care :-) <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe Top-10<\/strong>  <\/font><\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nNow on to the top-10. I tried very hard get down to 10 and couldn't – so you get my top-11. It's just impossible for me to order them so I'll present them in the order I read them, along with a little picture of the cover, and my mini-review from my <\/font>Facebook<\/font> page (I always post a little review when I finish a book, the first 3 I read before Facebook got it's evil claws into my psyche). The fact that only one hard history book is on the list does not imply that the others I read weren't good – they almost all were excellent, but just not as hugely entertaining or enthralling as the fiction I read. <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" #25 The Kite Runner<\/a><\/em>; Khaled Hosseini; 400pp; Fiction; February 14th<\/span> (From what I remember: My first exposure to life in Afghanistan. Follows the life of a kite-flying boy and his friend in Kabul as it's torn apart by conflict between the Taliban and other warlords. Very well written and highly recommended, as is the sequel A Thousand Splendid Suns that became my #38.) <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/font><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/font><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" #29 The Road<\/a><\/em>; Cormac McCarthy; 287pp; Fiction; February 26th<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> (From what I remember: Follows a father and son heading west through post-apocalyptic USA and their encounters with other survivors. As I said above, my favorite book of the year. Incredibly powerful – a masterpiece. Go read it.) <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" #37 Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China<\/a><\/em>; Paul Theroux; 480pp; Travel; March 30th<\/span> (From what I remember: I love Theroux's travel writing – his knack for portraying people he meets and irreverent appraisals of places he passes through. In this book he explores the Chinese rail network. I'd love to follow in his footsteps on my next trip to China – been twice, but didn't take any trains.) <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/font><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" #51 The White Tiger<\/a><\/em>; Aravind Adiga; 304pp; Fiction; July 1st (Winner of last year's Man Booker Prize. Excellent story about a driver in India – I can really relate to it after our two trips to India earlier this year being driven around the streets. Quick read – recommended.)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" #59 The Enchantress of Florence<\/a><\/em>; Salman Rushdie; 368pp; Historical Fiction; July 25th (My first Salman Rushdie book turned out to be a real page-turner. Excellent story, steeped in 16th Century history of the Mughals and Florence (a real favorite city of mine – planning a week-long trip next year). Richly told story, great twist at the end. Looking forward to reading a bunch more of his, on a UPS truck towards me already :-) Highly recommended!)<\/span><\/span> <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/font><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" #64 Shadow of the Silk Road<\/a><\/em>; Colin Thubron; 400pp; Travel; August 6th (Terrific account of following the 4000-mile Silk Road from Xian to Antioch. Central Asia really seems to be "a paradise or hell of mingled ethnicities" with borders that don't really divide the peoples of the area. Very strongly recommended – although the book has engendered some serious wanderlust in this reader!)<\/span> <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/font><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" #78 The Name of the Rose<\/a><\/em>; Umberto Eco; 552pp; Historical Fiction; September 21st (I love Eco's works (this is my 4th of his) – they're hugely involved and heavy going to read, with long sections of complex prose. His stories are always involved and erudite, and this is no exception – a murder-mystery set in an early 14th century Italian monastery, amidst the Imperial vs. Papal backed theological struggles of the time. Unfortunately I'd seen the movie so knew the end, but the book was excellent – lots of pithy, syllogistic discussion. Highly recommended, but not for the casual reader.)<\/span> <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/font><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" #80 The Elegance of the Hedgehog<\/a><\/em>; Muriel Barbery; 336pp; Fiction; September 29th (Translated from French, this wonderful book concerns a concierge of an upper-class apartment building in Paris. She's low-born but very intelligent, which she hides from the vacuous residents of the building. The other major character is a 12-yr old girl, also hyper-intelligent, but unhappy and suicidal, with startling insights on life. Life changes for them both. Beautiful book, highly recommended.)<\/span> <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/font><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" #85 Sea of Poppies<\/a><\/em>; Amitav Ghosh; 560pp; Historical Fiction; October 19th (I've got a real thing going for writers portraying life in India right now. This book follows the stories of a bunch of people around the time of the Opium Wars, who are linked into the trade in India – both Indians and Westerners. Various calamities befall the Indians and they end up on a schooner, the Ibis, heading down to Mauritius. A very compelling story, expertly told and I'll be picking up some more of his novels from Amazon. Highly recommended.)<\/span> <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/font><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" #93 The Meaning of Night: A Confession<\/a><\/em>; Michael Cox; 720pp; Historical Fiction; December 7th (Superlative story telling! Been reading this (long) one for a few months on and off. Compelling tale of a man discovering his true origins and trying to win back what is his, with twists and turns along the way – written as a confession from the point of view of the man himself. Dark and brooding, mixed in with life in England in the 1850s. Highly recommended.)<\/span> <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\" #100 Scotland: The Story of a Nation<\/a><\/em>; Magnus Magnusson; 752pp; History; December 29th (I deliberately chose my goal-meeting final book of the year to be Magnusson's magnum opus: his 700pp work on the history of Scotland. Extraordinarily well-written and comprehensively researched, I strongly recommend this book to anyone with Scottish roots.)<\/span> <\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe Complete List<\/strong> <\/font><\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nAnd now, for completeness, here's the entire list of all 100 books I read, with links to Amazon.com so you can explore further.<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Mademoiselle Boleyn<\/font><\/em><\/a>; Robin Maxwell; 355pp; Historical fiction; January 2nd <\/font><\/li>\n
  2. Ghostwalk<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Rebecca Stott; 368pp; Fiction; January 7th <\/font><\/li>\n
  3. The Old Patagonian Express:By Train Through The Americas<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Paul Theroux; 404pp; Travel; January 8th <\/font><\/li>\n
  4. Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Tom Holland; 464pp; History; January 9th <\/font><\/li>\n
  5. Eternity<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Greg Bear; 416pp; Science fiction; January 10th <\/font><\/li>\n
  6. Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Alison Weir; 512pp; History; January 11th <\/font><\/li>\n
  7. Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of Planet Earth<\/font><\/em><\/a>; The Onion; 256pp; Humor; January 13th <\/font><\/li>\n
  8. Dead Reckoning: Tales of the Great Explorers 1800-1900<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Helen Whybrow (Editor); 576pp; Travel; January 15th <\/font><\/li>\n
  9. If You Liked School, You'll Love Work<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Irvine Welsh; 320pp; Fiction; January 17th <\/font><\/li>\n
  10. The Professor and the Madman:A Tale of Murder; Insanity, and the making of the O.E.D.<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Simon Winchester; 288pp; History; January 18th <\/font><\/li>\n
  11. Isaac Newton<\/font><\/a><\/em>; James Gleick; 288pp; History; January 20th <\/font><\/li>\n
  12. Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book1)<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Stephanie Meyers; 544pp; Fiction; January 21st <\/font><\/li>\n
  13. New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Stephanie Meyers; 608pp; Fiction; January 22nd <\/font><\/li>\n
  14. Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Ross King; 208pp; History; January 24th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  15. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Stephanie Meyers; 640pp; Fiction; January 25th <\/font><\/li>\n
  16. Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Stephanie Meyers; 756pp; Fiction; January 27th <\/font><\/li>\n
  17. The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Robin Maxwell; 281pp; Historical Fiction; January 29th <\/font><\/li>\n
  18. Brideshead Revisited<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Evelyn Waugh; 368pp; Fiction; January 31st <\/font><\/li>\n
  19. Signora da Vinci<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Robin Maxwell; 448pp; Historical Fiction; February 1st <\/font><\/li>\n
  20. Chasm City<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Alastair Reynolds; 640pp; Science Fiction; February 6th <\/font><\/li>\n
  21. A Short History of Byzantium<\/font><\/a><\/em>; John Julius Norwich; 496pp; History; February 9th <\/font><\/li>\n
  22. Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Alison Weir; 441pp; History; February 11th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  23. To The Tower Born<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Robin Maxwell; 320pp; Historical Fiction; February 12th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  24. Virgin: Prelude to the Throne<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Robin Maxwell; 243pp; Historical Fiction; February 12th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  25. The Kite Runner<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Khaled Hosseini; 400pp; Fiction; February 14th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  26. Hellboy Library Edition, Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Mike Mignola; 278pp; Comics; February 21st<\/font><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  27. The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Robery Lacey; 240pp; History; February 22nd<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  28. Accelerando<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Charles Stross; 415pp; Science Fiction; February 23rd<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  29. The Road<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Cormac McCarthy; 287pp; Fiction; February 26th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  30. The Last Apocalypse: Europe at the Year 1000 A.D.<\/font><\/a><\/em>; James Reston Jr.; 336pp; History; February 28th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  31. The First Crusade: A New History: The Roots of Conflict between Christianity and Islam<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Thomas Asbridge; 448pp; History; March 1st<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  32. Hellboy Library Edition, Vol. 2: The Chained Coffin, The Right Hand of Doom, and Others<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Mike Mignola; 278pp; Comics; March 3rd<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  33. Lighthousekeeping<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Jeanette Winterson; 252pp; Fiction; March 4th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  34. Marvel 1602<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Neil Gaiman; 248pp; Comics; March 8th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  35. Eternals<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Neil Gaiman; 256pp; Comics; March 8th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  36. The Absolute Sandman, Volume 4<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Neil Gaiman; 608pp; Comics; March 13th <\/font><\/li>\n
  37. Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Paul Theroux; 480pp; Travel; March 30th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  38. A Thousand Splendid Suns<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Khaled Hosseini; 432pp; Fiction; April 1st<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  39. The Complete Memoirs of George Therston<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Siegfried Sassoon; 656pp; History; April 12th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  40. A Tale of Two Cities<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Charles Dickens; 544pp; Historical Fiction; April 21st <\/font><\/li>\n
  41. Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Ross King; 384pp; History; April 28th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  42. Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Anthony Everitt; 432pp; History; April 29th<\/font><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  43. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Jack Weatherford; 352pp; History; May 9th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  44. The Killer Book of Serial Killers<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Tom Philbin; 352pp; History; May 13th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  45. Why We Suck<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Denis Leary; 240pp; Non-Fiction; May 23rd<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  46. Holy Terrors: Gargoyles on Medieval Buildings<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Janette Rebold Benton; 140pp; History; May 28th<\/font><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  47. Knights Templar: The Essential History<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Stephen Howarth; 321pp; History; Mat 31st<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  48. Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Paul Theroux; 496pp; Travel; June 17th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  49. The Thirteenth Tale<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Diane Setterfield; 432pp; Fiction; June 27th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  50. A Short History of Nearly Everything<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Bill Bryson; 560pp; History; June 30th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  51. The White Tiger<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Aravind Adiga; 304pp; Fiction; July 1st<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  52. Anil's Ghost<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Michael Ondaatje; 307pp; Fiction; July 2nd<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  53. Time Bandit<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Andy Hillstrand; 240pp; Non-Fiction; July 3rd<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  54. The Sea<\/font><\/a><\/em>; John Banville; 195pp; Fiction; July 4th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  55. The Glassblower of Murano<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Marina Fiorato; 368pp; Historical Fiction; July 5th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  56. The Book of Unholy Mischief<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Elle Newmark; 384pp; Historical Fiction; July 8th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  57. The Bookseller of Kabul<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Asne Seierstad; 320pp; Non-Fiction; July 11th<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  58. The Forge of Christendom: The End of Days and the Epic Rise of the West<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Tom Holland; 512pp; History; July 18th<\/font><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  59. The Enchantress of Florence<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Salman Rushdie; 368pp; Historical Fiction; July 25th<\/font><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  60. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Mark Haddon; 226pp; Fiction; July 28th<\/font><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  61. The Gathering<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Anne Enright; 260pp; Fiction; July 29th<\/font><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  62. Saving Fish From Drowning<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Amy Tan; 528pp; Fiction; August 1st<\/font><\/span><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  63. The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Thomas Laird; 496pp; History; August 3rd<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  64. Shadow of the Silk Road<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Colin Thubron; 400pp; Travel; August 6th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  65. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Junot Diaz; 352pp; Fiction; August 8th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  66. The Cloud Forest<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Peter Matthiessen; 320pp; Travel; August 12th <\/font><\/li>\n
  67. Redemption Ark<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Alastair Reynolds; 656pp; Science Fiction; August 17th <\/font><\/li>\n
  68. Year of Wonders<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Geraldine Brooks; 336pp; Historical Fiction; August 18th <\/font><\/li>\n
  69. Orpheus Rising<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Bateman; 480pp; Fiction; August 20th <\/font><\/li>\n
  70. The Catholic Church through the Ages: A History<\/font><\/a><\/em>; John Vidmar; 384pp; History; August 24th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  71. Edward the Confessor<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Frank Barlow; 408pp; History; August 28th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  72. The Places In Between<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Rory Stewart; 320pp; Travel; August 30th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  73. The Forever War<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Dexter Filkins; 384pp; Non-Fiction; September 5th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  74. Mogadishu!; Heroism and Tragedy<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Kent DeLong; 144pp; Non-Fiction; September 10th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  75. The Temporal Void<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Peter F. Hamilton; 736pp; Science Fiction; September 14th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  76. One Hundred Years of Solitude<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Gabriel Garcia Marquez; 448pp; Fiction; September 15th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  77. Slaughterhouse Five<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Kurt Vonnegut; 288pp; Fiction; September 17th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  78. The Name of the Rose<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Umberto Eco; 552pp; Historical Fiction; September 21st<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  79. People of the Book<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Geraldine Brooks; 400pp; Historical Fiction; September 27th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  80. The Elegance of the Hedgehog<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Muriel Barbery; 336pp; Fiction; September 29th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  81. The Lost Heart of Asia<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Colin Thubron; 400pp; Travel; October 2nd<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  82. So Young, Brave, and Handsome<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Leif Enger; 272pp; Fiction; October 4th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  83. The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Umberto Eco; 480pp; Fiction; October 7th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  84. A Time of Gifts: On Foot To Constantinople<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Patrick Leigh Fermor; 344pp; Travel; October 10th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  85. Sea of Poppies<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Amitav Ghosh; 560pp; Historical Fiction; October 19th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  86. A Conspiracy of Paper<\/font><\/a><\/em>; David Liss; 480pp; Historical Fiction; October 23rd<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  87. Breakfast of Champions<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Kurt Vonnegut; 303pp; Fiction; October 27th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  88. Dogs of God: Columbus, the Inquisition, and the Defeat of the Moors<\/font><\/a><\/em>; James Reston Jr; 400pp; History; October 27th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  89. A Spectacle of Corruption<\/font><\/a><\/em>; David Liss; 396pp; Historical Fiction; November 5th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  90. Absolution Gap<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Alastair Reynolds; 704pp; Science Fiction; November 15th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  91. Spawn Collection, Volume 4<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Todd MacFarlane; 480pp; Comics; November 27th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  92. Parallel Worlds<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Michio Kaku; 448pp; Non-Fiction; December 1st<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  93. The Meaning of Night: A Confession<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Michael Cox; 720pp; Historical Fiction; December 7th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  94. Fine Just the Way It Is: Wyoming Stories 3<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Annie Proulx; 240pp; Fiction; December 8th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  95. The Shadow Lines<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Amitav Ghosh; 256pp; Fiction; December 10th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  96. The Lemon Table<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Julian Barnes; 256pp; Fiction; December 16th<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  97. Jackson Pollock<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Leonhard Emmerling; 96pp; Non-Fiction; December 21st<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  98. Fire and Steam: How the Railways Transformed Britain<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Christian Wolmar; 384pp; History; December 22nd<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  99. The Bedford Hours: A Medieval Masterpiece<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Eberhard Konig; 144pp; History; December 23rd<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/li>\n
  100. Scotland: The Story of a Nation<\/font><\/a><\/em>; Magnus Magnusson; 752pp; History; December 29th<\/font><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    (This is my last blog post for 2009 – thanks to everyone who reads my blog and takes part in the SQL community – hope you have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!)  Every so often you have to challenge yourself with a goal that actually stretches your abilities and tests your stamina. At the start […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-personal"],"yoast_head":"\nOnce in a lifetime: 100 books in a year - Paul S. Randal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sqlskills.com\/blogs\/paul\/once-in-a-lifetime-100-books-in-a-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Once in a lifetime: 100 books in a year - Paul S. Randal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(This is my last blog post for 2009 – thanks to everyone who reads my blog and takes part in the SQL community – hope you have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!)  Every so often you have to challenge yourself with a goal that actually stretches your abilities and tests your stamina. At the start […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sqlskills.com\/blogs\/paul\/once-in-a-lifetime-100-books-in-a-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Paul S. 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