I finished a book. It’s the first time I’ve read an actual book in about ten years, not something on my Kindle or iPad, and I have to say I enjoyed it. The book's weight, the paper's smell, and, best of all, no distractions, just a book and me. The book was The Wager: A tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann. It took me about two weeks to complete about 240 pages. The book is about a group of man-o-war ships that sail to South America from England in search of a Spanish ship with treasure. It sounds very cliche, but this happened in the mid-1700s when these countries were at war.
Takeaway from the book:
Life on these big ships was hard work, 300-500 people packed on a ship, being at sea for 6-12 months. Some were picked up from press gangs (“kidnapped”), some started young 12-14 years old and the survival rate was low. The food was scarce (salt beef and water), scurvy was rampant. Being the Captain looks easy from the outside, but it was a demanding job and most seemed to be against you. It was a hard life, and if you survived your reward was you might set sail on another ship and do it all again.
So be grateful for your life today, things are much easier than 200 years ago.
I’ve started two other books: a paperback fiction book called The Midnight Library and a Kindle book called Atomic Habits. Both are very different.
The Midnight Library recommended choosing different paths if you could redo parts of your life.
Atomic Habits is about building good habits, I heard James Clear on a podcast and wanted to check out this book. I’m intrigued by productivity and small incremental changes.
One of my goals for 2023 is to read more books and write about them, and this has motivated me that I can do this and enjoy it.
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