You’re Going to Read How Many Books This Year?

Posted January 4, 2009 · Filed Under Recommendations · 1,017 views · 3 Comments

bookcase Back in the dark ages (when I was young and there were no personal computers, cable TV, video games or Internet), books were my best friends. I traveled the world, learned how to do things, exposed myself to new ideas and ways of thinking – none of which would have happened any other way in the little town where I grew up. As a kid, I easily averaged reading 300 books a year, and remember my mom “forcing” me to go outside and play during the summer.

All these years later, I’ve let reading time be overtaken by the demands of my life and work, and I really miss it. (This is one of the ducks I recently identified I was missing in my life.) See that bookcase in the picture? That’s one of three bookcases here in my office, and many, many of those titles are, as yet, unread. That’s going to change.

Are you with me?

One Book a Week – Ambitious But Possible

I can’t see myself making the time to read 300 books this year, even though I have that many right here waiting, but I can see myself making time for one a week, so that’s my plan. Here are the titles I’ve picked for January:

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Review From Publishers Weekly: Unabashedly inspired by Malcolm Gladwell’s bestselling The Tipping Point, the brothers Heath?Chip a professor at Stanford’s business school, Dan a teacher and textbook publisher?offer an entertaining, practical guide to effective communication. Drawing extensively on psychosocial studies on memory, emotion and motivation, their study is couched in terms of “stickiness”?that is, the art of making ideas unforgettable. [...] Fun to read and solidly researched, this book deserves a wide readership.

The Power of an Hour: Business and Life Mastery in One Hour a Week by Dave Lakhani
From the Inside Flap: The Power of an Hour gives you the blueprint for making changes one at a time that add up to a big difference. Most books that promise to help you improve yourself and your business are too formulaic and too focused on one particular aspect of life to really work. But this book is different. It’s a holistic guide to the practical, everyday actions you can use to supercharge your personal and business development.

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama
Despite my self-imposed book buying ban (because, as you can see, I have enough to keep me busy for the year and then some), this is a book I’ve wanted to buy since it was published. I’m happy to report I’m going to be able to read this book without breaking my ban, because one of my wonderful friends bought this for me because she loves me (or maybe because she was sick of hearing me whine about wanting it…lol) Either way, I get to read it this month! Woo-hoo! I’ve slated it for week 3 in honor of Barack’s Innauguration as President and President’s Day. Can’t wait!

The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual by by Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls and David Weinberger
Review from Business Week: “For every retail or consumer-products company wondering why its Internet marketing doesn’t seem to be working, The Cluetrain Manifesto…offers fresh and sound advice, expressed in entertaining prose. Its oft-repeated premise – that markets are conversations – should be pounded into the collective brain of corporate executives.”

My Rules, a Surprise and My Hidden Agenda

One of the rules I’ve set for myself is not to limit myself to just the books on my shelves. I’ve got at least that many, if not more in e-book form here on my hard drive. They count. (And they don’t count against my book buying ban, mostly because I’ve got way more hard drive space than bookshelf space.) Which means I’ve already got one book under my belt: Todoodlist. You’ve already got my review of it.

Here’s the surprise: If you buy Todoodlist through this link by Midnight Monday, January 5th and forward a copy of your purchase receipt email to me at Suzanne at vAssistant Services dot com, I’ll enter you in a drawing to be held Tuesday morning where the winner will be reimbursed their $14 personally by me! Those of you who’ve already purchased Todoodlist through my link will be entered in the drawing, too, if you send me your receipt. (I know 4 of you have, but I don’t know who you are.) So, if you’ve been on the fence, go on and get it, forward me your receipt and you could get your first book of 2009 on me! (My self-imposed book buying ban does not include buying books for others, by the way. Besides, it’s an e-book, so it’s really safe!)

So, what’s my hidden agenda, you ask? It’s three-fold, actually:

to promote reading books of all kinds. Reading is FUNdamental, remember? And it’s good to get off the computer every now and then. (Gasp!)
to find out about great books. You’re going to leave me a comment and tell me what books have made a difference for you, right? (Don’t worry – I’ll add your recommendation to my Amazon wish list or get it from the library, if I can’t wait.)
to hold myself accountable for my reading goals by blogging about the books I read. See? I’ve gone and shot off my big mouth and told y’all I’m gonna do this. So, expect to see a post each week, probably on Sundays, (oh God, am I really typing this?!?!) about the book I’ve read.

So, you’re going to read how many books this year? Leave me a comment…

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Before You Try to Get Your Ducks In a Row…

Comments

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3393 Responses2009-01-04+21%3A33%3A37Suzanne to “You’re Going to Read How Many Books This Year?”

Margie
January 4th, 2009 11:10 pm

Hi Suzanne:

I’ll share! It literally has been YEARS since I’ve read a non-business or non-health related book, so Wild Swans, by Jung Chang has been a REAL treat!

It is the accounting of the author’s life growing up in Mao’s China. She was born in 1952 and the book is an accounting of her grandmother’s life, her mother’s life (and father) and her life. She now lives in England and even shares that experience. Amazing story!

Margie
Suzanne
January 4th, 2009 11:39 pm

Margie – thanks for coming by and leaving this suggested title! White Swans sounds like a book that would be right up my alley. Just reading about a life that has GOT to be so different than my own would be interesting enough, but a woman’s perspective on growing up in Mao’s China? Oh yeah…gonna have to make time for that one! Thanks!
Martha Carnahan
January 7th, 2009 6:12 pm

I too have committed to reading more books this year. Not one per week, but I have established a reading time each morning, and I certainly have a large stack to plow through (books, magazine articles, ebooks, etc.).

The only non-biz book I read last year was my absolute favorite book I’ve read in a very long time: “Eat, Pray, Love,” by Elizabeth Gilbert. Fantastic!!!

If you haven’t read it… maybe it’s on your shelf? It’s wonderful!

And I will be listening to the “Audacity of Hope” book-on-tape during my drive next week from Atlanta to Wash. DC for the inauguration. Yes, I’m one of the crazy ones going to mush in and freeze my tush off with the other 4 million!!

Happy reading!
Martha