I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions. Mostly because I have no follow through and I get bored with huge, unrealistic tasks. However, last year, after reading a post on Facebook by author Simon Wood about his goal to read 50 books, I decided to make a resolution of my own. I decided to read 50 books in 2013.
If you do the math, 50 books in one year averages out to a little less than one book a week. It seemed so easy at the time. What I forgot to do was factor in life and all of its little surprises along the way. Like working, having a family, having a small business, needing sleep... Even though Chris and I go to the library quite often, I was kind of surprised at how hard it was to find books I wanted to read. There are a few authors I eagerly await new books from each year (Simon Wood, Vince Flynn, CJ Box, Dan Brown) and a few whose lists I am trying to work my way through. That accounted for a few of the books on my list, which left me with about 47 more to find. My parents ended up being my saving grace on this one. My dad offered up his Louis L'Amour collection (of which I can proudly say I am now a 3rd generation Louis L'Amour junkie). My mom used her book club to send me oodles and gobs of books. She knows I love reading biographies, so she filled up my mailbox with a number of goodies, many of whom will be living permanently on my bookshelf. There were a few surprises along the way. For instance, I had no idea that I loved cowboy novels so much. That was a pleasant surprise. I also was able to finally read Jacques Pépin's autobiography, which I have been wanting to read for a couple of years--LOVED it! All in all, this was a great challenge. Although I didn't read the 130 books that Louis L'Amour read each year (how did he do that?!), I reached my goal and am going to shoot for 55 in 2014. I'm including my book list below. 1. The First 5 Minutes: How to Make a Great First Impression in Any Business Situation by Mary Mitchell with John Corr 2. You're Hired: How to Succeed in Business and Life by Bill Rancic 3. Naked in the Boardroom by Robin Wolaner 4. The Good Book and Good Business by Gary Hutto 5. Granny Dan by Danielle Steele 6. The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner 7. In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner 8. A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy 9. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner 10. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 11. Julie & Julia by Julie Powell 12. I Shouldn't Even be Doing This by Bob Newhart 13. 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal 14. Cosbyology by Bill Cosby 15. Bark if You Love Me: A Woman Meets Dog Story by Louise Bernikow 16. Friends Forever by Danielle Steele 17. Courderoy by Don Freeman 18. Bossypants by Tina Fey 19. Inferno by Dan Brown 20. When Light Breaks by Patti Callahan Henry 21. Heart and Soul by Sally Mendel 22. Happy Happy Happy by Phil Robertson 23. No Show by Simon Wood 24. Animal Farm by George Orwell 25. Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined by Drew Carey 26. Maybe (Maybe not): Second thoughts from a Secret Life by Robert Fulghum 27. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris 28. Starry Night by Debbie Macomber 29. Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour 30. I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron 31. Pure Drivel by Steve Martin 32. 1984 by George Orwell 33. Horse of a Different Color: Reminiscences of a Kansas Drover by Ralph Moody 34. Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe 35. Still Growing: An Autobiography by Kirk Cameron 36. Ernie: An Autobiography by Ernest Borgnine 37. Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews 38. One Day Me Talk Pretty by David Sedaris 39. Shaking the Nickel Bush by Ralph Moody 40. What's So Funny?: My Hilarious Life by Tim Conway 41. This Time Together by Carol Burnett 42. A Clearing in the Wild by Jane Kirkpatrick 43. Essential Bible Study Tools for Ministry by David R. Bauer 44. The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pépin 45. Here's Johnny!: My Memories of Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show and 46 Years of Friendship by Ed McMahon 46. Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson 47. Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith 48. Si-Cology 101: Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty's Favorite Uncle by Si Robertson with Mark Schlabach 49. Tomorrow Will Be Better by Betty Smith 50. Killoe by Louis L'Amour
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