I met my goal of reading 20 books in 2017. Please find them below, along with links, highlights and recommendations.
Next year, my goal is to read 5 incredible books. This will change my approach and force me to 1) exclusively hunt for incredible books and 2) stop reading books which are not incredible (this is hard for me!).
· Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync? — A different media reality requires a different media approach. A definition of the new marketing and how to change to take advantage of it.
· The Hitchiker’s Guide to Galaxy : Thank you for making fun of the human condition. Reading this book will help you take yourself, and life, a little less seriously. I needed that.
· The Art of Possibility : Transforming Professional and Personal Life: I got to examine some of the limiting assumptions I held about the world. Some of my favorite ‘practices’ from the book: ‘It’s all invented’,’Look beyond the measurement world’ and ‘Be the board’. (Recommended)
· The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts: In the future, the practical expertise provided by formal professions will be liberated and distributed in new ways through improved machines, artificial intelligence and high-performing systems. Interesting lessons for those considering entering those professions.
· Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future: A vivid story of the creation of a great man, through struggle and triumph, and why we should all dream boldly.
· Embracing Ourselves: The Voice Dialogue Manual: By listening to our voices and writing down what they say, we can talk back — and highlight opposing logic. It is then that we can find and address what is truly holding us back.
· The Art of Attracting Clients: How can you help open up people to their high commitments? This book reveals a powerful way to serve clients during ‘healing’ conversations. (Recommended)
· Surviving Your Adolescents: A great way to give parents and teachers perspective on teenagers. Provides ideas on how to effectively manage their relationships with teens. (Recommended for interested parents)
· Stick Up for Yourself!: A guide to help young people build their self-worth and personal power.
· The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human: I wanted this book to teach me to be a better storyteller. It didn’t. Instead, it explains why stories are so important to the human experience.
· The Lessons of History: An enlightened, yet biased, account of human history. A thought-provoking reflection on our greatest achievements, the patterns that we’ve been through and are destined to repeat and our future. (Recommended)
· A Powerful Mind: The Self-Education of George Washington: George Washington had reading habits that helped him grow through the different stages of his career. This was a unique, inspiring window into his life.
· Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World: An exciting exploration of several important places in the world, and how their geography explains both their past and their potential futures. (Recommended)
· Huckleberry Finn: Classic American story set at the end of the 19th century. Made me dream of the freedom of rafting on the Mississippi river.
· The Smudging and Blessings Book: Inspirational Rituals to Cleanse and Heal: This book provided inspiration for a ceremony I needed to create in my life.
· Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind: Cognitive, Agricultural, Scientific and Industrial revolutions. Then the future. Interesting questions posed included: Is the move away from being a hunter-gatherer the biggest mistake in human history? Is liberalism a poor-replacement for religion? Where are humans going next?
· Do the Work: A book for creatives that helps us step back and see the fight for what it really is: a dangerous adventure filled with enemies, resistance, pain, suffering. But what a ride! And what else is there to do anyway?
· L’Étranger — ‘L’absurdité est surtout le divorce de l’homme et du monde.’
· Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less: Focus on your highest point of contribution, choose what is most important and leave the rest, be unreasonably selective, say ‘no’ more often, create an incredible life where you do great work. (Recommended)
· Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads: Funny and practical. Enjoyed it and will review it in the future.
