One of my New Years Resolutions in 2011 was to read two books a month. I didn’t quite hit my goal as I was often out enjoying the countryside during summer. However, I did succeed in making reading a daily habit.
I enjoy balancing fiction with non-fiction. Non-fiction appeals to my left-brain and I feel I’m becoming learned. When I read fiction, I choose the classics.
The book that had the most impact on me this year was Atlas Shrugged. Maybe it’s because (at 1168 pages) it’s one of the longest novels in existence. Maybe it’s because Rand’s style is repetitious to drive her point home. Either way, it’s a great work that altered my view of the world. I only wish I’d read it sooner.
Fiction
- Earth Abides by George Stewart
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (audiobook)
- A Christmas Carol, narrated by Patrick Stewart (audiobook)
Non-Fiction
- Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
- Return to the Little Kingdom by Michael Moritz
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
- On Writing by Stephen King
- Decoded by Jay-Z
- Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson
- The Humane Interface by Jef Raskin
- Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson
- Design as Art by Bruno Munari
- Ordering Disorder by Khoi Vinh
- Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
- Walden by Henry David Thoreau
- Grouped by Paul Adams
I’ve renewed this reading pace as a resolution for 2012 and I’ve got a stack of books I’m excited to read. I’ve also found I need to take time to reflect on my daily reading, otherwise the knowledge is not as firm in my mind. You should follow my Goodreads account to add me as a reading buddy.
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