2025 Reading Year in Review

 By the Numbers

This year I read 41 books. I had 3 reviews in my pocket at the end of last year, and I used two of them. The last one will be up early next year. I checked out 40 books from the library, only one of which will not be reviewed on this blog. The sole book without a review is The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass. I've made a choice not write on this blog about how I do my craft or what influences it if it's outside of the mystery genre. 

However, books such as these are readily available at your local library. So get your library card today. 

Speaking of libraries, the total value my card gave me this past year was....$730.91. Not bad. But as we discussed in previous years, the value of the card should be measured between how much the median taxpayer pays I will use last year's number and see if I can get my buddy Travis to tell me how much is will be next  year. Travis took my seat on the library board this year, as I stepped away to concentrate on standing up my publishing business. He was so new, he didn't know to get that number and publish it. I've educated him, and this is as much my fault as it was his. I didn't check the agenda to make sure he took the appropriate notes. However, we have last year's numbers and I will repeat them here. 

How Much My Library Taxed Me:                         $240.52

How The Referendum Wanted to Tax Me:              $346.75

Adding those two numbers together we get:           $587.27

How Much My Library Card Saved Me in 2025:   $817.81

And if we adjust for inflation, here we have to take a guess, because the tax assessor in my township has been rolling through assessments which both raise the taxes and the tax rate is regularly raised...it's complicated which is why I didn't do a whole lot to explain it out.  And then the referendum was based on construction prices two years ago. As we know, we've been in an inflationary cycle, so those numbers are sure to go up. We must add both of them together to measure the true worth of the proposed new building. Why you might ask? 

Sure, this is as good a place as any to explain policy out to people. 

In Illinois, public libraries are typically a part of one of two types of government units, municipal, or a public library district, which is its own, independent unit of government. There are pros and cons to each approach, But having served as a library trustee for four years, it is my considered opinion that libraries should be run at the county wide level. For a few reasons. Although it's shameful the way libraries are underfunded in America, I feel the larger unit of government would make for more equal sharing of resources. The richest sections of the county have beautiful, well maintained buildings at a fraction of the cost proportionately to those in the poorest sections of the county. Moreover, it would allow the highly trained professionals to diversify the collections into smaller authors, leaving the appropriate number of books for popular authors. (Although, there are those who complain about the wait times to get a new book from a popular author. I am currently still waiting for Michael Connelly's latest release from October to become available. He'll have another one out soon, and I guess I had better put myself on the waiting list soon, or I will be massively behind on his back list. lol.) It would also consolidate administrative overhead, one of the biggest drivers in my county of expenditures. And it would allow county wide priorities, such as redevelopment of economically challenged areas, to be front and center. Libraries are one of the few public goods that are used in person anymore. For every tax dollar spent on a library, the local economy gets one dollar in local taxes returned to it, provided the library is in a commercial area. (Mine is not, and I can't help but think if we were in the downtown area of one of the local villages, we would be of more use to our community.) They provide safe spaces for teens, increase literacy rates, and help with the development of entrepreneurship. They are immensely valuable places, filled with more than just books. 

But they need to be used. I don't use my library enough to be considered a super user. But I do use it regularly. I admit I'm an above average user, so the number needs to be more than the two numbers added together. This year it was, last year it was not. Which means that as long as I'm working on this project, it's technically possible to say a new building would be worth it.