Book Reading Goal for 2017 (Update)
One of my goals for 2017 has been to read two non-fiction books and one novel per month. Inspired by Shane Parrish’s suggestion, my plan has been to read 25 pages a day.
As of August 2017, I’ve read 12 non-fiction books and 17 novels. With some exceptions, I’ve managed to read 25 pages most days. I only wrote three book reviews (I’m not happy with this), and a summary for Kevin Kelly’s outstanding book The Inevitable, which you can download here for free or buy on Amazon.
Finally, a comment from Ryan Holiday from his recent AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit on the importance of reading:
To me, reading is both intrinsically pleasurable–it’s beautiful like music–but it also has a big ROI. I think most cases about reading use the former argument and not the latter. Not everyone loves the smell of books you know? Not everyone fancies are beautiful turn of phrase. So why try to change their mind along those lines?
(…) There is a quote from Bismarck: “Any fool can learn by experience. I prefer to learn by the experience of others.” Well, for 5,000 years we’ve been recording knowledge in the form of books and poems. That’s a lot of smart (and dumb) people talk about their experiences. Why wouldn’t you want to avail yourself of that? Why wouldn’t you want to save yourself a lot of painful trial and error? One book–that cost $15–could make you millions of dollars. Or help you meet the love of your life. Or give you an idea that changes the world. Or solve your anxiety or your resentment towards your parents.
But that can only happen if you pick one up and fucking read it.
Non-fiction (12 books)
The Inevitable. Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape our Future, by Kevin Kelly (Review) The Unofficial Author’s Guide To Selling Your Book On Amazon: The Top 5 Cheat Sheet for Self Publishing Authors, by Richard McCartney Antifragile, by Nassim Taleb The Habit Guide. Zen Habit’s Effective Habit Methods + Solutions, by Leo Babauta Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg (Review) Grit. The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth Deep Work, by Cal Newport (Review) Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, by Peter Thiel Daring Greatly, by Brené Brown Give or Take, by Adam Grant Hack Upwork: How to Make Real Money as a Freelancer, by Danny Flood
Novels. Fantasy, Science Fiction, etc. (17 books)
Nexus, by Ramez Naam Republic of Thieves, by Scott Lynch Fire Thief Reborn, by Seth Mullins Ruins (Pathfinder Book 2), by Orson Scott Card Visitors (Pathfinder Book 3), by Orson Scott Card Snapshot, by Brandon Sanderson Change Agent, by Daniel Suárez Changes (The Dresden Files, Book 12), by Jim Butcher Ghost Story (The Dresden Files, Book 13), by Jim Butcher Skin Game (The Dresden Files, Book 15), by Jim Butcher Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera Book 1), by Jim Butcher Academ’s Fury (Codex Alera Book 2), by Jim Butcher Cursor’s Fury (Codex Alera Book 3), by Jim Butcher Captain’s Fury (Codex Alera Book 4), by Jim Butcher Princeps’ Fury (Codex Alera Book 5), by Jim Butcher First Lord’s Fury (Codex Alera Book 6), by Jim Butcher The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O., by Neal Stephenson
Photo credits: Pavan Trikutam