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 |     |
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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.