David Harris talks about the 50 book challenge
It seems that the "50 book challenge" has become all the rage on the net this past week. (One version of it here.) The idea is to read 50 books in a year and, in some versions, blog about them.
[via Jim McGee]
I didn't hit 50 books this year, though I did hit 38 (on my goal of 40). I didn't blog about most of these because they don't always apply to my primary topics. This list does gives a flavor of what I like and who I am (in order by when I read them):
The Love of Stones by Tobias Hill
The Suffrage of Elvira by V.S. Naipaul
The Living Company by Arie de Geus
The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett
Society of Mind by Marvin Minsky
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel
Moon Palace by Paul Auster
Adventures of Huckelberry Finn by Mark Twain
Beyond Engineering: How Society Shapes Technology by Robert Pool
The Knowledge Activists Handbook by Victor Newman
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos by Donald J. Wheeler
Atonement by Ian McEwan
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
Gem of the Prarie by Herbert Asbury
Seabisquit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Demystifying Six Sigma: A Company-Wide Approach to Continuous Improvement by Larson Alan
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking by Dale Carnegie
Life of Pi by Yann Martell
Best Thing I Ever Tasted by Sallie Tisdale
The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young
Fried Butter: A Food Memoir by Abe Opincar
The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1 by Lemony Snickett
Elizabeth and After by Matt Cohen
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Map that Changed the World - The Tale of William Smith and the Birth of a Science by Simon Winchester
Off Keck Road by Mona Simpson
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
A Cooks Tour by Anthony Bourdain
Tepper Isn't Going Out by Calvin Trillin
Axemaker's Gift by Robert Ornstein
Hidden Faces by Saladore Dali
How to Become a Successful Consultant in Your Own Field by Hubert Bermont