How to Read 39 Books a Year
Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan--
I'm a consultant and it's important for people in my position to be well-read. This works out because I love to read. Reading has even made me a better writer. Primarily, I read non-fiction books such as self-help, business books and autobiographies. Fiction is entertaining, but novels don't help my clients much.
My secret is to always have two books going at once. I always have an audio book playing in my Sebring convertible and rental vehicles. I also make it a habit to always have a real book with me. By reading a little bit each day, I can generally read about 35 books in a year.
Here's a list of the 39 books I read in 2007, along with a short description of each. You can read a more complete listing at the EdisonHouse Web site.
39. Hard
Call by John McCain and Mark Salter
McCain is a fan of history.
The information game is changing. Try to keep up.
37. Love It—Don’t Leave It: 26 Ways to Get What You Want At Work by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans
The grass, as you know, isn’t
always greener.
36. The Photographer’s Guide to
Puget Sound - Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them
by Rod Barbee
The author is passionate about the
great Northwest.
British, snobby and brilliant, it’s almost
natural for Hitchens to go against the grain.
34. Heroes of History: A Brief History of
Civilization from Ancient Times to the Dawn of the Modern Age by Will Durant
Will
Durant was such a prolific writer that this book came out after he was
dead.
33. Life Is Good: Simple Words From Jake and Rocket by Bert and John Jacobs
Fun advice from a hipster named
Jake and his equally hip dog Rocket.
32. Who’s Your Caddy?* by Rick Reilly
You don’t have to be a golfer to
enjoy this book, but you should have a sense of humor.
31. I Quit, But I Forgot to Tell
You by Terri Kabachnick
All
employees leave. Try to get give them
lots of reasons to stay.
30. The
Real Deal---My Life in Business and Philanthropy by Sandy Weill and Judah S. Kraushaar
Business savvy from perhaps the most successful
business man of our time.
29. Houdini—America's First Superhero by William Kalush and Larry Sloman
A fascinating book about the master
of self-promotion.
28. The
Missions of of California by Melba Levick and Stanley Young
Franciscan priest Junipero Serra
founded a string of missions over 500
years ago.
27. The
Power of Outrageous Marketing by Joe Vitale
Lots of ideas on how to think differently,
so you can market differently.
26. Confessions
of a Video Vixen by Karrine Steffans
Fluff fun from a female player.
25. How to
Say It To Seniors by David Solie
This book is for anyone who ever
had a mom or dad.
24. Passionate
Action—5 Steps to Creating Extraordinary Success in Life and Work by Doug Gray
An effective mix of text and
interactive segments.
23. The Wal-Mart Effect* by Charles Fishman
A fascinating profile on the
world’s largest corporation.
22. You
Don’t Need a Title To Be a Leader by Mark Sanborn
We’re all leaders in our own way,
whether we have a leadership title or not.
21. Arrogance by Bernard Goldberg
Angry rhetoric accusing the media
of having a leftist slant to news reporting.
20. I Rant,
Therefore I Am by Dennis Miller
High-brow, fast-paced humor.
19. Moneyball--The
Art of Winning an Unfair Game* by Michael Lewis
Actually the biography of Billy Beane and how
numbers have changed the game.
18. Alice
Cooper, Golf Monster—A Rock ‘n’ Roller’s 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict by Alice Cooper with Keith and Kent Zimmerman
How Alice got started in music, stopped by
alcohol and started in golf.
17. Folks
Upset by the Capital Karma—A Shock and Awe Campaign for Political Reform
Heavy-handed political rhetoric
with R-rated overtones.
16. I
Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This by Bob Newhart
Newhart was so popular, he had
the #1 and 2 albums in the country at the
same time.
15. 700
Sundays by Billy Crystal
Charming and funny, just like the
author.
14. You:
The Owners Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier
and Younger by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet Oz
Dr. Oz is on Oprah all the time; don’t be surprised if she gets him his own
show.
13. How To
Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen
The best feature of Larsen’s book
is the section of sample proposals.
12. How
Doctors Think* by Jerome Groopman, M.D.
A fascinating look at how doctors
and the rest of us process information.
11. Frank
Talk on Our Rotary Foundation by Frank Devlyn
Written in the popular “novel
with a moral” format.
10. Made To
Stick—Why Some Ideas Survive and Some Die*
Audio book by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
An eye-opening treat for anyone who needs to be
creative.
Audio book by Rhonda Byrne
I’ve known “the secret” for a long
time. The secret is the law of
attraction.
8. Change
Or Die—The Three Keys to Change at Work and in Life*
Audio book by Alan Deutschmann
Change is a
fascinating look at human potential.
by Leil Lowndes
People are your greatest resource. It pays to know how to talk to them.
6. The
Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More*
Audiobook by Chris Anderson
As an information marketer, this
book really captured my imagination.
5. Changing
Minds
By Howard Gardner
Want to change other peoples’ minds? “Listen with charisma.”
4. Influence—How
and Why People Do Things
By Robert B. Cialdini
Highly recommended for sales
people, managers and parents who want to be better.
3. Five
Regions of the Future—Preparing Your Business For Tomorrow’s Technology
Revolution
By Joel A. Barker and Scott W. Erickson
Five scenarios for what comes
next after what comes next.
2. The
Best American Nonrequired Reading 2002
Audio book adapted by Dave Eggers
This is the first issue of the eclectic
series.
1. Areas
of My Expertise
Audio book by John Hodgeman
John Hodgeman has had success
with his brief comic bits on The Jon Stewart Show.
* Highly recommended
Note: Some
of the books I read in 2007 are audio books but nearly all of the above titles
can be found in digital and non-digital formats.
My goal is to process at least 30 books a year. I’m in the self-improvement business so I favor non-fiction including biographies and psychology books. My annual reading lists are available at www.EdisonHouse.com.
Thanks, Mark! You've been a mentor of mine from the start with your high-content training programs. Everyone should bookmark www.MarkSanborn.com
Posted by:Michael Angelo Caruso | February 23, 2008 at 12:02 PM
Hey Michael,
Delighted to have made the list of 39--thanks for mentioning You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader.
I also try to read 30-40 books annually and spend a great deal of time selecting the best books (for me) so that I don't waste valuable reading time.
Keep up the great work.
Posted by:Mark Sanborn | February 20, 2008 at 06:05 PM