What books do you want to read in the next year. My goal is to personally read 20 books in 2008. That seems like a lot but it's less than 1 every 2 weeks. I found Anne's book list on Amazon, and that's a good place to start.

Personally, I checked out 2 books from our library at church today. "The Greatest Salesman in the World" by OG Mandino, and "Leadership 101" by John C Maxwell. These are both pretty short books and I hope to have both read by the end of this week.

Do you guys think it would be cool to start some kind of list of the books we've read, and the books we would like to read?

Read? Who has time to read?

(Seriously... I would love to read, but with 4 kids and a photography business, the only reading I do is OSP !)

Hm. I haven't thought about my list for next year, but right now I'm making my way through the one DJ posted a few months ago. I also tend to go to the Business section of used book stores: Last week I picked up "Anatomy of Buzz" by Emanuel Rosen--its great so far!

Is his list posted anywhere?

Ha, I get it, I really do understand that. Even if you can only read 30 mins a day, that adds up over a period of time. I know even that sounds hard. I have 2 kids myself. I know 4 must be double the work! I also understand that Mommy is a full time job in itself. I have found lately in my own personal life that I simply have to MAKE time for things. There will always be albums to design (I hope so!), there will always be clothes and dishes to wash and mouths to feed. It's very important to take time to grow and learn new things. Reading is a great way to do that!

Classic literature - totally not business related but I normallydon't feel like reading more about business after a long day and an entire business majors worth of business books behind me I read to get away and enjoy - I learn better from listening and observing than from reading.

Jason, I have been thinking of the same thing. I have goal of 12 books this year (1 a month), but I should get more than that done. My list is mostly business related, but some Christian book too. I am currently reading Lovemarks by Kevin Roberts.

Anatomy of Buzz is one I want to read, but I haven't picked it up yet.

i've been doing books on cd, since i don't have time to read. i got in "4 hour work week" and "tipping point" over christmas. my poor parents had to listen to tipping point with me, mwuhahahaha.

in a couple of weeks i'm hoping to have one to add to your list.

I just bought these

Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive: Outsell, Outmanage, Outmotivate,
and Outnegotiate Your Competition
Harvey B. Mackay; Paperback; $10.85

Wooden on Leadership
John Wooden; Hardcover; $16.47

Six Thinking Hats
Edward de Bono; Paperback; $10.19

The Richest Man in Babylon
George S. Clason; Paperback; $6.99

Indispensable: How To Become The Company That Your Customers Can't Live Without
Joe Calloway; Hardcover; $16.47

Non-Manipulative Selling
Tony Alessandra; Paperback; $14.95

Dream Big
Ian Falconer; Hardcover; $9.95

Now, Discover Your Strengths
Marcus Buckingham; Hardcover; $19.80

The Power of Positive Thinking : Ten Traits for Maximum Results
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale; Paperback; $11.20

Life Is Tremendous
Charles E. Jones; Paperback; $5.99

Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude
Napoleon Hill; Paperback; $11.20

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
Seth Godin; Hardcover; $10.15

As A Man Thinketh
James Allen; Paperback; $4.99

Be: Life Is Here and It Is Now
Kobi Yamada; Hardcover; $10.17

The Greatest Salesman in the World
Og Mandino; Hardcover; $10.15

Change the Way You See Everything: Through Asset-Based Thinking
Kathryn D. Cramer; Hardcover; $9.56

The Pursuit of Prime: Maximize Your Company's Success With the Adizes Program
Ichak Adizes; Hardcover; $9.98

I just finished Never Eat Alone which is absolutely a must read!!! Right now I'm in the middle of "Small is the New Big" by Seth Godin and am anxious to start a new one I got called "The Dynamic Path." We keep an ongoing book list and it's fun to keep track of what we've read. I think I got through about 9 specifically business ones last year, but have about another 20 already on my list!

i want to read 'if i did it'.

The "E-Myth Revisted" is an absolute must.

same here. have had middlemarch on my shelf waiting, waiting, waiting.

Books I've read that I'd recommend, off the top of my head:

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (abridged)
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
A Foreign Policy of Freedom by Ron Paul


The books I'm planning on reading this year so far:

The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Taleb
American Creation: Triumps and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic by Joseph Ellis


I don't like making huge lists of books I want to read because I find that I'm more likely not to get through them. Finding a few books that immediately pique my interest makes me eager to read them and then find something else.

Last Summer I read a book that changed my life. Seriously. It wasn't only the book, but everything I was doing all tied in together and it all just clicked. It helped me get out of a funk I was in for ten years or so. I'm still climbing out, but it's great to see the light up ahead.

Anyway, the book is "Blue Like Jazz" and I'd recommend it to anyone.

[edit] Sorry, I wasn't done.

It's a book about Christian spirituality and really opened my eyes to what I knew, but had either forgotten or just pushed aside. It's very easy to read, maybe not as "polished" as some books, but that's part of the attraction.

I also second "Blue Like Jazz".

I visited Becker's Amazon store book list and headed out to a 'Half Price Used Bookstore" and found a handful of stuff for $6.50 a book...and they are in good condition too!

off the Top of my head, my book list is:

Getting Things Done
Word of Mouth Marketing
The Dip (so I'll know if I need to get out of the biz)
Love is the Killer App

Thanks for starting this thread, as it is good to know what books are good when perusing a bookstore.

Audio books!!! Lack of time has always been my excuse until I started getting audiobooks on iTunes (Lots of iTunes gift cards for christmas LOL) and I can listen to them on my iPod while I'm at my day job (I sit at a computer all day in photoshop and don't have customer interaction )but anyone could listen while they're doing dishes or making dinner or in the car if you have the adapter thingie. I love it! You should try it!

I just got The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything and Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out, both look good

Brady, You will be my library this year! I have a few for you too.
Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke

http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Young-Rainer...rch_res_rpli_19

Thanks for the great list Brady! Off to check out some of your recommendations.

Another book to add to your list is It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be by Paul Arden. Becker mentioned it on his [b]school blog. I just got it from library last night and finished in about 30 minutes. It is small and very easy to read. But it is sure to provoke a lot of creative thoughts. It is on my list to buy now.

I want to read "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts
There will be a movie based on this book(Tom Hanks). My husband is reading it now, I'll grab it once he is done. Supposed to be a very good book, and a fat one too

I would like to read all of Jane Austens collection. So far I have only read Pride and Prejudice. She helps me understand relationships and it actually helps with my pictures believe it or not.
Emma
Sense and sensibility
Mansfield Park

I am going to dig up my copy of a book I read a long time ago: What to say when you talk to yourself. A must read for anyone who finds themselves saying negative things in their heads. (Which I am seriously guilty of!)

Steph