My wife is due in just over 11 weeks. She’s beautiful. We cannot wait for this baby to join our growing family. But there’s something about making a family of four (we’ve been married for 27 months) that is incredible. Something about it feels so real. I only just last week felt the baby kick for the first time. My wife has been feeling the kicks forever, but I kept barely missing it. It’s one thing when you find out your wife is pregnant. It’s another when you see her belly begin to grow. And it’s a whole ‘nuther thing when you feel that baby kick. We are getting so excited.

As the responsibilities of fatherhood and work have grown for me, some things (like this web site) have fallen by the wayside. My reading in 2019 suffered. Yet I was overall happy with the books I chose to read. Perhaps less fluff than in previous years. Anna Karenina was the best, but I must say that Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow was an amazing treat. Of particular note is that Towles was an investment banker for his whole career until his writing took off. AGIM is the story of a Russian count confined to live out his days in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow and his relationship over the years with a young girl. I’ll say no more, but I highly recommend the book. Anyways, here’s the 2019 list. Lord of the World — Robert Hugh Benson Dune — Frank Herbert Poland — James Michener A Gentleman in Moscow — Amor Towles Be Obsessed or Be Average — Grant Cardone Angels in Iron — Nicholas Prata Anna Karenina–Leo Tolstoy In the 2020s, I will read 120 books, so I can’t afford many upcoming years where I only read seven books.