50 book challenge (2008)

This page details my progress in a fifty book reading challenge to be completed between April 2008 and April 2009. I didn’t fully set out to read so many books but was instead determined to keep up a habit of reading 15 minutes a day. The results the followed.

Favourite book for 2008

I enjoyed most of the books I read during the year. Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography was very interesting and the books of John C. Maxwell highly enlightening about leadership. A favourite and that which I would recommend to all is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie with a title which puts sadly a lot of people off reading this classic.

However one book trumped all. Leadership and Self Deception by The Arbinger Institute. If you have any aspirations to leadership or management, this book is critical.

List of books read in 2008

#	Cover	Description	Finished	Rating
1.		3 Seconds: The Power of Thinking Twice by Les Parrott III.	2008
2.		A Christmas Carol (audiobook) by Charles Dickens.	2008
3.		Acres of Diamonds (eBook) by Russell Conwell.	2008
4.		A Kick in the Attitude by Sam Glenn.	2008
5.		As A Man Thinketh (eBook) by James Allen.	2008
6.		Becoming a Person of Influence: How to Positively Impact the Lives of Others by John C. Maxwell.	2008
7.		Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life by Gregg Levoy.	2008
8.		Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom by Robert T. Kiyosaki. 2nd read.	2008
9.		Dare to Dream . . . Then Do It: What Successful People Know and Do by John C. Maxwell.	2008
10.		Easey Peasey People Skills for Life by Allan Pease.	2008
11.		Find Your Great Work by Michael Bungay Stanier.	2008
12.		Get Them On Your Side by Samuel B. Bacharach. Thankfully I don't live in environments a politically charged as this book attempts to assist with.	2008
13.		Go And Be Successful: Directions for Those Who Want to Get There by Wes Beavis.	2008
14.		How to Avoid Detours on the Road to Success : Addresse's Stumbling Blocks Such as - Blaming Others, Choosing the Wrong Goals, Wasting Time, Self Delusion, Burdens of the Past and Quitting Too Soon. by Bill Newman.	2008
15.		How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Allow yourself to be put off by this title and you'll regret it. 4th read.	2008
16.		Just Ask! by Bill McGrane III.	2008
17.		Leap!: A Journey to Personal Power and Possibility by Jonathan Creaghan. A parable where the protagonist travels through the lands that represent the typical barriers to success. This book was a complete surprise to me.	2008
18.		Life of Abraham Lincoln, from the Ten Cent Pocket Series (eBook) by John Hugh Bowers. As an Australian my knowledge of Lincoln is limited to what I could see on TV. A man of true character. This book also serves as an introduction to the machinations of the American Civil War.	2008
19.		Listening Leaders: The Ten Golden Rules to Listen, Lead & Succeed by Lyman K. Steil. From the writers of the excellent Listening Leaders newsletter, this book is a little 'newsletterly' in style but don't be put off by that. Persevering past the first couple of chapters is gold. 2nd read.	2008
20.		Network of Champions: What's Right about America and How to Be a Part of It by Shad Helmstetter.	2008
21.		One Flew into the Cuckoo's Egg: My Autobiography by Bill Oddie.	2008
22.		Overcoming Time Poverty by Bill Quain.	2008
23.		Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself by Florence Littauer.	2008
24.		Piano on the Beach by Jim Dornan.	2008
25.		Questions Are the Answers by Allan Pease.	2008
26.		Secrets of Supplements: The Good, The Bad, The Totally Terrific by Gloria Askew.	2008
27.		Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono.	2008
28.		Stand and Deliver or Step Aside by Roger Fritz.	2008
29.		Straight by Boy George.	2008
30.		Talk Language by Allan Pease.	2008
31.		The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork Workbook: Embrace Them and Empower Your Team by John C. Maxwell.	2008
32.		The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting on What Matters by Peter Block.	2008
33.		The Ant and the Elephant by Vince Poscente.	2008
34.		The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (eBook) by Benjamin Franklin.	2008
35.		The Business School for People Who Like Helping People by Robert T. Kiyosaki.	2008
36.		The Dream That Will Not Die: The Rest of the Story Behind the Amway Phenomenon by Charles Paul Conn.	2008
37.		The Encore Effect by Mark Sanborn.	2008
38.		The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman.	2008
39.		The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman.	2008
40.		The Five Love Languages of Teenagers by Gary Chapman.	2008
41.		The Mind In The Making The Relation Of Intelligence To Social Reform (eBook) by James Harvey Robinson.	2008
42.		The One Minute Networker by Bryan Thayer.	2008
43.		The Out-Of-Town Expert With a Briefcase by Doug Wead.	2008
44.		The Silent Killers Within by Bruce Miller.	2008
45.		The Stoic Art of Living: Inner Resilience and Outer Results by Tom Morris.	2008
46.		Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace: Building Effective Relationships in Your Organization by Dennis S. Reina.	2008
47.		Winning with People by John C. Maxwell.	2008
48.		The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. Review on Quantum Gardener	2009-05-09
49.		Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box (audiobook) by Arbinger Institute. Review on Quantum Gardener	2009-05-12
50.		The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz. Review on Quantum Gardener, 2nd read	2009-12-02
51.		Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success by John C. Maxwell. The faster you fail, the quicker you learn, and the faster you stop failing. Embrace failure and you'll be successful quicker, 2nd read.	2010-07-05
52.		The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.	Reading

Note: You may have noted above the number of books in the list doesn’t match the number of books I said that I read. This has occurred because I’ve read one or more books multiple times during the year, but they are only shown as of the most recent read. You may also have seen dates outside the nominated reading year. Again, a book read in subsequent years will have a later date shown.