2009 Goal Update: Books

I figure I’ll be transparent about this one. I set a goal to read 100 books this year. I haven’t picked them out yet. So far, according to my records in Evernote, I’ve read 8.

Why 100? No particular reason, except that it sounds ambitious. I’m hoping over the course of achieving this goal, I learn how to read faster, and I learn how to absorb more. I’m not sure if I’m going to post reviews of a certain percentage or not. I’ll of course post them for the Thomas Nelson books I review, and if anything really stands out to me, I’ll post it as well. I’ll also add books I’m reading or that have influenced my life to my Amazon A-store. Check it from time to time, and feel free to buy anything that interests you from my affiliate.

What books am I going to read? I have no idea. No doubt I’ll read some from the bookcase full of books that I haven’t read yet. I’ll probably read some public domain books that I download online. I’ll also probably buy some new books and check other books out from the library.

I’m working on developing reading lists to guide me. Some of the lists come from other places, such as the Personal MBA. Others came out of books that I already have. I’m also making a list of books recommended on other blogs.

I’m working on a post that will probably be called “How To Mentor Yourself Through Reading Books”. There, I said it, which means that I have to finish writing it. Keep checking back for updates.

I just bought 4 new books today. I had a $75 Amazon gift certificate from Christmas that I finally got around to using. First up is the ESV Study Bible. A lot of other Christian bloggers have it and love it. I don’t consider myself a “Christian blogger”, as in this blog is not predominately about Christian topics. I touch on them occasionally, and to be honest I would write about them more if my style and content appeal to people in that regard. In any case, although I mostly use Laridian PocketBible on my Samsung Epix, I still like to keep study Bibles around for study and reference. Some people don’t like them, but I find a lot of them are well done and provide different perspectives on issues.

Next up, I got some Francis Schaeffer titles. A lot of the philosophy and theology writers and speakers who have influenced me have been heavily influenced by Francis Schaeffer. I’ve only read his “How Should We Then Live” to date, but I figured it was time to read some of his books. I got the Francis Schaeffer Trilogy and True Spirituality. True Spirituality sounds like a book I need to read right now.

And finally, a book I’ve been wanting to read for a while, Options by Fake Steve Jobs, AKA Dan Lyons. Although I’m a firm believer in using books to absorb and discuss ideas, I also believe that reading should at times provide recreation, and I have no doubt that this book will just give me a good laugh.

I’m happy to see that links are working again. I had a lot of trouble getting Amazon text and image links to work, so I stopped using them. Bummer. If any of these books interest you, please consider buying them from my affiliate store. Consider it my version of the Blogger’s PayPal Tip Jar.