52 Books in 1 Year Challenge

My friend and New York Times Bestselling Author Julien Smith challenges himself to read one book a week. I have decided that 2014 is a good year to challenge myself.

Why?

I have always been an avid reader and in 2013 I regret not making more time for reading so I am going to make up for it this year.

The Real Challenge

With so much content flashing in our faces it can be difficult to get around to a physical or digital book. So far on the 18th of January I can say I have already covered 3 books and half way on my 4th.

My Plan

I plan to create a list of the books I will be reading and some others that might be on my radar. This also plays into my three words. By reading books I am sort of observing what others have for advice.

This way I can keep track of my goals by writing them down and sharing it publicly.

I am working hard towards making 2014 a great year; the last time I had a great year was 2010 and time has flown by.

My preference will be books that will help my business partners, clients, and prospective clients serve their audiences and public better.

Currently Reading

The Peacemakers (The Nemesis Engines Book 1) by Olivier Blanchard

List of Books Read

1. Refuel by DrLaPuma

2. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk

3. Unthink: Rediscover Your Creative Genius – Erik Wahl

4. World Wide Rave by David Meerman Scott

5. Email Persuasion: Captivate and Engage Your Audience, Build Authority and Generate More Sales With Email Marketing by Ian Brodie

6. Body of Work: Finding the Thread That Ties Your Story Together by Pamela Slim

7.Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising by Ryan Holiday

8. The Small Army Strategy: A Guide for Turning Fans and Followers into Fanatics and Friends for Life by Srinivas Rao

9. 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

10. Mr. New York: Lew Rudin and His Love for the City by Seymour P. Lachman

11. Duct Tape Selling: Think Like a Marketer-Sell Like a Superstar by John Jantsch

12. Dot Complicated: Untangling Our Wired Lives by Randi Zuckerberg

13. The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth: Entrepreneurship for Weirdos, Misfits, and World Dominators by Chris Brogan

14. Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus

15. Once Minutos (Spanish Edition) by Paulo Coehlo

16. The Power of Visual Storytelling: How to Use Visuals, Videos, and Social Media to Market Your Brand by Ekaterina Walter & Jessica Gioglio

17. Content Chemistry: An Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing by Andy Crestodina

18. Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality by Jacob Tomsky

19. Creativity For Sale: How I Made ,000,000 Wearing T-Shirts and How You Can Turn Your Passion Into Profit, Too by Jason SurfrApp

20. Alchemist – 10th Anniversary Edition by Paulo Coehlo

21. Absolute Value: What Really Influences Customers in the Age of (Nearly) Perfect Information by Itamar Simonson & Emanuel Rosen

22. The Power of No: Because One Little Word Can Bring Health, Abundance, and Happiness by James Altucher and Claudia Azula Altucher

23. La Bruja de Portobello: Novela (Spanish Edition) by Paulo Coehlo

24. The Year of the Brave Bear: Speak Up. Stand Out. Change Your World. by Berni Xiong

25. How the World Sees You: Discover Your Highest Value Through the Science of Fascination by Sally Hogshead

26. Happy Work by Chris Reimer

27. Inferno, the Novel by Dan Brown

28. UnSelling: The New Customer Experience by Scott Stratten and Alison Kramer

29. Not for Sale by David Batstone

30. One Less One More by Robbie Vorhaus

31. The Art of Being Unmistakable by Srinivas Rao

32. Everybody Writes by Ann Handley

33. The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life) by John Maeda

34. Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype by Jay Baer

Books on My Radar

1. Ordovician by Colin Wright

2. Stop Talking, Start Communicating: Counterintuitive Secrets to Success in Business and in Life, with a foreword by Martha Mendoza by Geoffrey Tumlin

Just the Books that are Worth Reading

My only concern with this exercise is to make sure I complete books that are worth reading. Something I have learned from Chris Brogan and Julien Smith these past few years is that there are so many good books out there. Why waste time reading a book that is not up to par.

If you know of a book that might of interest to me feel free to mention it.

Posted in Featured, Professional Development, Top 3 and tagged Book, Book Reviews

10 Comments

Stephen Baker on January 19, 2014 at 9:26 am

Hi Raul, I think its important to get away from books directly related to job and career. The more the subject matter overlaps in reading, the less we learn. What’s more, I’ve found that the best ideas come from different domains. Magic happens when ideas mix. With that in mind, I’d recommend The Tiger, by John Vaillant, The Adversary, by Emmanuel Carrere, and 1493 by Charles Mann. Also, I’m coming out with 2 books in May, one on health care (with Jonathan Bush) Where Does it Hurt?, and the other a Dystopian novel called The Boost. Incidentally, I’m reading Marcel Proust’s massive In Search for Lost Time. It’s great, but I would NOT recommend it to anyone who wants to read a book a week!
- Raul Colon on January 19, 2014 at 12:02 pm
  
  @disqus_w77f6A5F4H:disqus great to see your message here before I forget. I will be in NYC at the end of the month. Would love to have coffee or just meet you in person.
  
  Will put these to my amazon wish list and once I finish the two I am working on will choose them.
  
  I agree with you. When I go to conferences I try to go to sessions which I have very knowledge off. For example at SXSW when I go every year I follow people around into sessions just to make sure to listen to something refreshing and different.
  
  Once again thanks again for the comment!
Rick Lipsett on January 20, 2014 at 10:07 am

Mafrén, this is a very good challenge you have put for yourself. Although I would not go so strict about it. You may find some books require more time or you may want to take longer on some, so you can really enjoy them. Maybe 2 books a month? I dunno.

Also, If you are thinking of making room for books concerning your spiritual life, I would recommend these two:

1. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Dr. Norman Geisler and Dr. Frank Turek: http://amzn.to/1aDVhdC

2. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel : http://amzn.to/1jhNdnL

Those are two on my list. Haven’t read them but have been recommended to me by various people, plus I’ve seen good reviews.

Take good care and hope to see your post next year to know how it went with this new challenge!
- Raul Colon on January 20, 2014 at 1:41 pm
  
  Rick,
  
  I like enjoying a good book but with my lack of time I want to read books that are not as long and I can read in a week. Just for this year!
  
  Just trying to grab a bunch of ideas that will be helpful!
  
  Might add one of those books to my list just to follow @disqus_w77f6A5F4H:disqus’s advice on reading something outside of my interests!
  - Rick Lipsett on January 20, 2014 at 2:00 pm
    
    How long should the book be?
    
    Anyways, if you get to read any of those, let me know your thoughts on it! A warm hug, mafrén.
Prometeo on January 21, 2014 at 12:15 pm

Good challenge. I’ll like to try it.

Adelante y éxito.
- Raul Colon on January 21, 2014 at 2:02 pm
  
  Go for it … Ya yo termine el libro 4!
babote on January 25, 2014 at 2:02 pm

I was an avid reader in High School. Once I entered college, the text books took their toll on me. I stopped reading for many years. Last December, I decided that I would return to this passion of mine. So far, I’m on my third book as well. It is a great feeling, especially to a fledgeling writer as me. Good post, and a great challenge. Blessings.
Guest on February 15, 2014 at 12:34 pm

I noticed you are looking for books that will help you and your business partners and I recently read an eye opening book about running and
growing your business called “Liber8 Your Business” (http://liber8yourbusiness.com/) by multi-award winning
entrepreneur and author Laura Humphreys. Laura started as a secretary and
since has grown and sold multiple businesses, so you know she knows her stuff!
The book primarily works on a backwards approach to business strategy,
encouraging you to look at the end goal and build your business from there. It
makes sense because too often we get caught up in the day to day routines of
running a business and become complacent. By taking a backwards first look at
our business plan, we can then successfully plan and execute the steps
necessary to reach our goals and get the business to where we want it to be.
Very informative and intelligently written, I highly recommend this book to
anyone looking to get ahead of the game when it comes to growing a business.
- Raul Colon on February 17, 2014 at 8:04 pm
  
  Thanks for the suggestion will definitely take a look at the book.