By the time you read this, I’ll have decided, but I just finished the first book and need to pick another. This post is more for me than anyone else, helping me to sit down and think for a minute.

I don’t have any pressing need to work on any of the other books for work or career. It’s more that I’m interested in various topics, so I need to pick a direction. I’m also cognizant of the future and which books I want to go through.

Recap

Here are the books I purchased and plan to read this year:

• Pro SQL Server on Linux (done)
• Advanced Data Analytics Using Python
• XML and JSON Recipes for SQL Server
• Learn Data Analysis with Python
• Beginning DAX with Power BI
• Azure and Xamarin Forms
• Practical Web Scraping for Data Science
• Pro Power BI Desktop
• Applied Natural Language Processing with Python
• Pro SQL Server 2012 Relational Database Design and Implementation

The question is, what’s next?

I’m really not sure, but I do know that I’ll be relatively less busy in February, really busy in March, and April will likely be like January. As a result, I want an easier book in March.

The challenge for me is understanding what’s easy and hard. I think the Azure/Xamarin one will be hard as I’ll need to practice skills that aren’t useful or tangential to work. The Power BI stuff is likely the opposite. The Python stuff is probably in the middle.

The Plan

My thoughts right now are that I need to research for a couple days. It’s Jan 31 as I write this, and I’m on vacation for a couple days. That’s both good and bad. Bad because I want to get away, good because I can find some spare time to just read and no do.

With that in mind, I’m going to read a chapter of 3-4 books and then decide in which direction to go. By the time this publishes Monday, I should have made a choice, but I’ll be busy working on other stuff, so I won’t get to update this post.

The four to get through a chapter on are:

• Azure and Xamarin

  Forms

• Practical Web Scraping

  for Data Science

• Pro Power BI Desktop
• Applied Natural Language

  Processing with Python

Wish me luck.