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August is usually a slow month in Lisbon. This year was no exception. People are on holidays, there’s almost no traffic, and the mood is much more relaxed. I got some sun, did some sports, got more involved with photography, and read a lot of course Here are the books I read in August 2010:

- The Elephant Vanishes, by Haruki Murakami
- Committed, by Elisabeth Gilbert
- Photo Nuts and Bolts: Know Your Camera and Take Better Photos, by Neil Creek
- Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom
- On Chesil Beach, by Ian McEwan
- The Essential Guide to Portrait Photography

Last month I had a couple of weeks off. I had a chance to be in the Algarve for 10 days, where I rested, hit the beach and the pool, and read a lot. I would have read more, if the Larsson books (great reads, btw) hadn’t been over 600 and 700 pages long respectively Maybe this month I will choose shorter ones…

Here are the books I read in July 2010:
- The Wild Things, by Dave Eggers
- The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson
- Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert
- The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, by Stieg Larsson

Little by little, I’m picking up the rhythm once again. Three books this month. The goal is four a month, so there’s still some work to be done. I’m having the next couple of weeks off. Between the beach, photographing, taking walks, seeing the sights, and being with family, I’ll sure find time to read some more. Here are the books I read in June 2010:

- A Single Man (Vintage Classics), by Christopher Isherwood
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
- The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers

Well, it was better than last month, but still far from the usual average. I’m trying to do better this month

Here are the books I read in May:
- ReWork: Change the Way You Work Forever, by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
- Between the Assassinations, by Aravind Adiga

Well, last month I said my average for books read would drop, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Only one book read in April. Looks like I’ll have to catch up in May.

– The Lover, by Marguerite Duras

Another month, another five books read. The road to a book a week is well under way. In fact, I am doing better. I’ve read fifteen books so far this year. I don’t think this rate will keep up for the whole year, but I’m happy so far. Here are this months’ readings:

- Essays In Love, by Alain de Botton
- Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell
- The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy
- Hiroshima Mon Amour, by Marguerite Duras
- The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho

Here are the books I read in February 2010. The goal of a book a week is still in place and well under control. This is the first time I’ve set a yearly goal, and it seemed like a very good one to start with. Here’s the list:

- The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
- What Matters Now
- How Proust Can Change Your Life, by Alain de Botton
- Dom Casmurro, by Machado de Assis
- The Schopenhauer Cure, by Irvin D. Yalom
- The Art Of Innovation, by Tom Kelley

Here are the books I finished in January 2010. Half as last month, but then again I had almost two weeks off in December. I believe a book a week is a very challenging and exciting goal. I’ll make it one of my goals for 2010. So far so good.

- When Nietzsche Wept, by Irvin D. Yalom
- Marketing School, by @ittybiz
- How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
- The Logic of Life, by Tim Harford

Now I’ve listed them I realize it’s more than I thought: Eight books in a month. This is a good rate to get rid of the pile I still have next to bed. Now if only I can control the “Buy Now” impulse…

Here is the list:
- A Whole New Mind, by Daniel H. Pink
- Up Till Now, by William Shatner
- The Medici Effect, by Frans Johansson
- “O Banqueiro Anarquista”, by Fernando Pessoa
- To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Suskind
- “Leite Derramado”, by Chico Buarque
- “Uma noite não são dias”, by Mário Zambujal

Great campaign in praise of books.