…What was the name of. last book that you read?
With a new decade upon us it’s time to reflect on the habits that you have and how they will take you through the next decade of your life…
Reading is one habit that should be on your list of habits to develop if it is not already apart of a daily habit you have.
My goal next year is to read a book a week. How will I accomplish that you ask?
Every Friday I will choose a book, look at the number of pages and divided it by 7 (days). This is how many pages I will have to read each week to accomplish this goal.
Reading has been one of the ways that I have learned so much about life, business, marketing, etc….
If I am reading a book, I look for takeaways that I can implement immediately and I also put together a syllabus of the things that I want to add later.
About 15 years ago I read the bible all the way through for 4 straight years. It seems like a lot but not if you break it down into bit-size manageable pieces.
The King James Version (1611) has 593 pages in the old testament and 183 pages in the new testament.
So that’s 593 + 183 = 776 pages to read / by 365 Days = about 2.26 pages a day. You are probably thinking, I can do that when you put it that way. And yes you can.
Readers learn more and earn more.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates released his annual end-of-year book list on Tuesday. He said:
“I think they’re all solid choices to help wrap up your 2019 or start 2020 on a good note,” the avid reader writes on his blog, Gates Notes and gave the following tips and recommended readings:
As the clock ticks closer to midnight on New Year’s Eve, it’s fun to look back at what you’ve accomplished this year. December is a great time to take stock of everything you’ve done over the last twelve months — including all of the books you’ve read.
Because I’m a data guy, I like to look at my reading list and see if any trends emerge. This year, I picked up a bit more fiction than usual. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but I seemed to be drawn to stories that let me explore another world.
I’m currently trying to finish Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell before the end of the year (it’s amazingly clever but a bit hard to follow). Along with A Gentleman in Moscow and An American Marriage, I finished The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion and a terrific novel about a woman who deals with grief by bonding with a Great Dane. I even picked up a short story collection in David Foster Wallace’s Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.
Maybe next year’s end-of-year books post will finally include the Wallace novel I’ve been wanting to read for a while: Infinite Jest.
For this year’s holiday books list, I chose five titles that I think you’ll also enjoy reading. I think they’re all solid choices to help wrap up your 2019 or start 2020 on a good note:
An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones. My daughter Jenn recommended that I read this novel, which tells the story of a black couple in the South whose marriage gets torn apart by a horrible incident of injustice. Jones is such a good writer that she manages to make you empathize with both of her main characters, even after one makes a difficult decision. The subject matter is heavy but thought-provoking, and I got sucked into Roy and Celestial’s tragic love story.
These Truths, by Jill Lepore. Lepore has pulled off the seemingly impossible in her latest book: covering the entire history of the United States in just 800 pages. She’s made a deliberate choice to make diverse points of view central to the narrative, and the result is the most honest and unflinching account of the American story I’ve ever read. Even if you’ve read a lot about U.S. history, I’m confident you will learn something new from These Truths.
Growth, by Vaclav Smil. When I first heard that one of my favorite authors was working on a new book about growth, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. (Two years ago, I wrote that I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next Star Wars movie. I stand by that statement.) His latest doesn’t disappoint. As always, I don’t agree with everything Smil says, but he remains one of the best thinkers out there at documenting the past and seeing the big picture.
Prepared, by Diane Tavenner. As any parent knows, preparing your kids for life after high school is a long and sometimes difficult journey. Tavenner — who created a network of some of the best performing schools in the nation — has put together a helpful guidebook about how to make that process as smooth and fruitful as possible. Along the way, she shares what she’s learned about teaching kids not just what they need to get into college, but how to live a good life.
Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker. I read a couple of great books this year about human behavior, and this was one of the most interesting and profound. Both Jenn and John Doerr urged me to read it, and I’m glad I did. Everyone knows that a good night’s sleep is important — but what exactly counts as a good night’s sleep? And how do you make one happen? Walker has persuaded me to change my bedtime habits to up my chances. If your New Year’s resolution is to be healthier in 2020, his advice is a good place to start.
What’s on your reading list for 2020? Drop your suggestion in the comment section so others can join in on the read to lead campaign.
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