March was an even month in terms of reading. Two fiction, two non-fiction. One book a week average. That’s all good in my opinion. Not much else to say besides that I’m reading a couple of great books right know, that I’ll let you know of in a month 
If you have any recommendations, please leave them in the comments area.
- The Art of Non-Conformity, by Chris Guillebeau
- One Day, by David Nicholls
- Livro, by José Luís Peixoto
- Poke the Box, by Seth Godin
So, February was slower than other months. But, then again, it’s a smaller month. The three books I read are very different, just the way I like it. One won the Booker Prize in 2010, another is an interesting thriller, and the other a late 80’s classic, of which a sequel has recently come out. Here they are:
- The Finkler Question, by Howard Jacobson
- Moscow Rules, by Daniel Silva
- Less Than Zero, by Bret Easton Ellis
Where Good Ideas Come From, by Steven Johnson is a book that looks at the history of innovation from many varied perspectives. It’s a book I intend to read soon. Here’s a great introductory video made to promote it.
So the year starts at a good pace. 5 books read. That’s over the average of a book a week. Yes, my goal still stands this year. Let’s see if I can top the 53 books read in 2010.
Here are the books I read in January:
- A Murder is Announced, by Agatha Christie
- The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner
- American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis
- By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, by Paulo Coelho
- By Nightfall, by Michael Cunningham
A year ago, inspired by Julien Smith’s post, I set myself the goal of reading a book a week for a year. I am proud to say that in 2010 I read the grand total of 53 books. One a week, with one to spare. I didn’t force this goal in any way, just kept reading and this was the result. There were months when I read one book, and months when I read eight.
I am sure keeping this goal for 2011. I’ve learned loads, and traveled through the minds of brilliant writers, on topics from the art world and photography, to love and marketing.
As a reference to you and also to me, here are the links to the monthly updates on books read in 2010. Do you want to join me in this goal? Share your comments below if you feel the urge. Happy readings!
- Books read in January 2010
- Books read in February 2010
- Books read in March 2010
- Books read in April 2010
- Books read in May 2010
- Books read in June 2010
- Books read in July 2010
- Books read in August 2010
- Books read in September 2010
- Books read in October 2010
- Books read in November 2010
- Books read in December 2010
Not as good a month as others this year, but I got to read three books, with the holidays and all. I’ll post my thoughts on the experience of A Book a Week in a later post. For now, here are the books I read last December:
- How to Take Great Photos, by Peter Tellone
- The Unconventional Guide to Art and Money, by Chris Guillebeau
- The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger
Slow month, this November. I finished a couple of books, both very good. Rushdie takes us on a trip on his prodigious imagination. Stratten tells us like it is on UnMarketing techniques.
In the meantime I’ve started reading a huge (650 pages) but great book, so that’s upset my average for sure.
Here are the books I read in November:
- Luka and the Fire of Life, by Salman Rushdie
- UnMarketing, by Scott Stratten
Well, I had two weeks off in October, but didn’t read as much as I intended. I had traveling to do . Besides the books below, I read a lot about photography (mainly articles and magazines), and blogging in general. Here are the books I finished last month:
- Confessions of a Public Speaker, by Scott Berkun
- The Mesh, by Lisa Gansky
- ProBlogger, by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett
Darren Rowse of Problogger posted a video where he shares his thoughts on productivity and productivity tools. He wonders if, instead of trying to do more, we should try to do less.
Nowadays, with social media, blogs, email, TV, and also offline activities (friends, family, pets), we tend to fit more and more activity into out daily lives. Sometimes this can be overwhelming. I wonder if we should instead cut some of the extra fat, and focus more. Let go of what’s really not bringing us value, and concentrate on the activities that we really enjoy and can bring something extra to our lives and work. On this topic, I’m reading Leo Babauta’s new (free) ebook “Focus“, that is all about that. Your thoughts?
In September I read a total of eight books (between “real” books and ebooks). I’m doing good for my goal of A Book a Week. Some great stuff in there. From contemporary art to photography to fiction, I like to keep my interests varied. Here they are:
- The Essential Guide to Portrait Photography
- Transcending Travel, by Mitchell Kanashkevich
- Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton
- A Brief Guide to World Domination, by Chris Guillebeau
- 279 Days to Overnight Success, by Chris Guillebeau
- Linchpin, by Seth Godin
- Goodbye To Berlin, by Christopher Isherwood
- Small is the New Big, by Seth Godin
I’m thinking of buying a Kindle soon. Shelf space is getting shorter and shorter. Any thoughts for or against it?