Back at the beginning of the year, I devoted some time to the website 43 Things and created my list of 43 things. I've found several things I've done in the past, and since starting the list I've accomplished 5 of my "things" - and assuming I make it 6 more days without a cigarette, I'll have accomplished 6!
Anyway, one of my things, which I completed yesterday, was to "Read 50 Books in 2008." Early in the year, I began to get worried about my prospects, so I began counting audiobooks as well, but I actually ended up making it without audiobooks - I have read 50 actual books this year (not counting books read to my 3-year old).
My point in posting about this is not to brag, although I must admit I'm fairly proud of this accomplishment. Granted, some of the books were very short, but others were very long and complex, so I figure it basically evens out. The point of it all was to expose myself to ideas, and I did that in spades.
I'll post my general "year in review" blog in a few days, but these books - the fact that I took the time out of a busy year to expose myself to diverse topics, to just reflect on my life and the world I live in - has colored everything else. It has made a year that was rich with love also rich with wisdom.
One of the books, Making Your Dreams Come True, is of special interest ... not because it was necessarily the best book, but because it makes you really think about the purpose or your life. My "mission statement" after finishing that book was pretty clear to me:
To teach and to learn
The goal to read 50 books, which I'd come up with months before I read that book, was a reflection of the purpose of my life, and I hadn't even realized it at the time. I worked for Project SEED and strove to be a writer, eventually getting a job as the About.com Physics Guide, based on this purpose ... and all the time, I was completely unaware of it on a conscious level. I went to a liberal arts college to learn physics and philosophy (and some math), and before that to the Indiana Academy ... even back then, I was being guided by a principle that I'd never articulated.
Below is a list of my 50 books and the 22 audiobooks that I've read this year! (The list is basically in the order I read/listened to them. * indicates an audiobook.) Feel free to e-mail me if you would like to know whether any particular book is worth reading.
- The Faiths of the Founding Fathers David L. Holmes
- Sky Horizon by David Brin
- Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang by Paul J. Steinhardt & Neil Turok
- Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku
- Why Science? by James Trefil
- Multiple Streams of Income* by Robert G. Allen
- The Physics of Superheroes by James Kakalios
- Love + Sex with Robots by David Levy
- Education of an Accidental CEO* by David Novak
- The Writing Diet by Julia Cameron
- Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg
- Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt* by Aida Donald
- A Short History of Nearly Everything* by Bill Bryson
- A Mind at a Time* by Dr. Mel Levine
- The Myth of Laziness* by Dr. Mel Levine
- 15 Secrets Every Network Marketer Must Know by Dr. Joe Rubino & John Terhune
- George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty* by Bill Minutaglio
- Our Endangered Values* by President Jimmy Carter
- Five Minds for the Future by Howard Gardner
- The Appeal* by John Grisham
- The Gospel According to Science Fiction by Gabriel McKee
- The One Minute Father by Spencer Johnson, M.D.
- The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me by Richard Paul Evans
- The One Minute Millionaire by Robert G. Allen & Mark Victor Hansen
- FairTax: The Truth by Neal Boortz, Congressman John Linder, & Rob Woodall
- Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Your Own and Other People's Minds by Howard Gardner
- Nothing Down for the 2000's* by Robert G. Allen
- Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez
- The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
- Creating Wealth* by Robert G. Allen
- First, Break All the Rules* by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
- The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil by Phil Zombardo
- Think and Grow Rich (21st Century Edition)* by Napoleon Hill
- The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad* by Robert Kiyosaki
- Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative by Sir Ken Robinson
- Making Your Dreams Come True by Marcia Weider
- The Tower by Ricahrd Paul Evans
- The Spyglass by Richard Paul Evans
- The Call of the Wild* by Jack London
- Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
- Acres of Diamonds by Russel D. Conwell
- The Christmas Candle by Richard Paul Evans
- Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan
- Creativity, Wisdom, & Trusteeship: Exploring the Role of Education edited by Anna Craft, Howard Gardner, & Guy Claxton
- The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It by Johnathan Zittrain
- Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World by Craig Keilburger & Marc Keilburger
- Walden* by Henry David Thoreau
- The Yiddish Policeman's Union* by Michael Chabon
- Spider Star by Mike Brotherton
- Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, & Robert B. Cialdini
- A Sense of the Mysterious: Science and the Human Spirit by Alan Lightman
- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman* by Richard P. Feynman
- What Do You Care What Other People Think?* by Richard P. Feynman (this is the basis of the Matthew Broderick film Infinity, which I also watched this year)
- The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of Science, and What Comes Next by Lee Smolin
- Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions by Lisa Randall
- Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Fabric of Reality by Brian Greene
- The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design by Leonard Susskind
- Quantum Physics & Theology: An Unexpected Kinship by John Polkinghorne
- Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln* by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law by Peter Woit
- Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior* by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
- The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
- Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School* by John Medina
- Many Worlds in One: The Search for Other Universes by Alex Vilenkin
- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking
- The Power of Mentoring by the McGraw-Hill Companies
- Hiding in the Mirror: The Mysterious Allure of Extra Dimensions, from Plato to String Theory and Beyond by Lawrence Krauss
- Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott
- Sphereland by Dionys Burger
- The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics by Leonard Susskind
