I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.
What I read
- Foodist, by Darya Rose – a good primer for anyone wanting to feel better about food
- Mindset, by Carol Dweck – a LOT of research showing how your mindset (do you think people are capable of change?) matters in…everything.
I didn't get a lot of reading in this month, because I spent most of my time writing and editing my new class materials. This month I'm flying, so I hope to get more in!
What I’m reading
- Influence, by Robert Cialdini (Recommended by Leonie) – still in the middle of reading it.
- Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, by Sendhil Mullainathan
- The Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday
- Your First 1000 Copies, by Tim Grahl
My new bookish obsession
About a month ago (right when my workload was ramping up), I got obsessed with the idea of reading the Great Books – you know, the books that have formed the foundation of our culture, that teach us something about ourselves…those books that everyone else read in high school and college that I missed. (As a French Lit major I read MANY “classics”…in French. But I seemed to miss many of the English/American classics.) I scoured many Great Books list, and added the ones that seemed to show up the most (and that seem “great” to me). You can see my list of 102 Great Books here (some of which I've read, thank goodness!), but I'd love to hear from you – what are the most important books to how YOU see the world? Whether the Western Canon thinks they're “great” or not, what would be on your own Great Book list?
And also – what the heck should I do with this list now? Read through it in a year? Read one a month? Where would you begin?
My most-recommended books for your small business or life:
I've collected my most-recommended books in a list of 28 books in the Bibliography of my new course. This list is my answer to the question: Where do I start? And: How did you learn to..? I'm entirely self-taught via books, and these are the ones that have had the biggest impact in my own business business and life. You'll get the full bibliography when you purchase the course here.
Vanessa
July 12, 2014 at 11:58 am (10 years ago)I really loved listening to “Gulliver’s Travels” on CraftLit. Having Heather explain who Swift was lampooning and why made me get the joke and then see how the same stuff is still happening today. A lot of the books you want to read are on CL so you can listen to them on the road! I would also include “O! Pioneers” by Wila Cather, “The Country of Pointed Firs” by Sara Orne Jewette, “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith and “Dubliners” by Joyce. Also “Candide” by Voltaire was a surprisingly easy read and a fun satire.