2015 Book List

Another year is in the books. (Ha ha, that was funny.)  How did I do?  Well, overall, I made it exactly halfway to my goal of 52 books per year with a nice round 26.  And what about my second goal of at least 26 fiction books?  I got 14 out of 26. So also about half.  If I stated that goal as a ratio (50% of all books read would be fiction) then I would have made it by one book.  This year I started keeping an audiobook going most of the time, and that really helped me fit reading in my schedule. Halfway through the year I recommitted to adding in fiction, and that was important for me as well.  

I’m also finally starting to get back my desire to write, partly due to one of my sons, who has aspirations of writing as well. He actually has roughed out 3 or 4 chapters in several different books already, so he is winning that one. I’ll admit, with school and work this last year, the dream of being a published young adult fantasy author was fading to the point where it was just about gone, but it is amazing what encouragement from a loved one will do.  So this year, I will add to my list of goals, despite not having actually attained either of them last year.  In 2016, I will read 52 books, at least 26 of which will be fiction, and I will write at least 12 chapters of a book of my own.  That is one chapter per month.  As a friend used to say: “Good luckers to me.”

Here is my 2015 list:

#	Book	Author	Completed
1	The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses	Eric Ries	January 7
2	Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn 1)	Brandon Sanderson	January 26
3	The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation	Matthew Dixon	February 3
4	The Well of Ascension (Mistborn 2)	Brandon Sanderson	February 9
5	Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success	Napoleon Hill	February 11
6	The Hero of Ages (Mistborn 3)	Brandon Sanderson	March 2
7	The Oz Principle: Getting Results through Individual and Organizational Accountability	Roger Connors	March 27
8	Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't	James C. Collins	March 27
9	The Alloy of Law	Brandon Sanderson	April 11
10	Artemis Fowl	Eoin Colfer	April 14
11	The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie	Alan Bradley	May 20
12	The One-Page Financial Plan: A Simple Way to Be Smart About Your Money	Carl Richards	June 8
13	The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag	Alan Bradley	June 18
14	The Illustrated Guide to Selling You: Custom Design Your Work Life	John Boyd	June 23
15	Winning Every Day	Lou Holtz	July 2
16	The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything	Ken Robinson	July 22
17	Wake up and Live!	Dorthea Brande	July 29
18	The Eye of the World	Robert Jordan	August 19
19	The Great Hunt	Robert Jordan	August 23
20	The Five Dysfunctions of a Team	Patrick Lencioni	September 2
21	The Dragon Reborn	Robert Jordan	September 5
22	The Shadow Rising	Robert Jordan	September 15
23	The Fires of Heaven	Robert Jordan	October 9
24	Lord of Chaos	Robert Jordan	November 16
25	The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict	The Arbinger Institute	December 21
26	Steelheart	Brandon Sanderson	December 30

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read (listened, really) to this one against my will. I was driving and Heather turned it on despite my protests, which were based on two facts: (1) I was already knee-deep in several books and fighting to get them done during the busy holidays and (2) I made a rule for myself about not starting series that weren’t complete. I don’t want to have to fight the lines to buy or borrow the new book, and there are so many great series out there that are already completed, it just doesn’t make sense to me.

So I lost the battle, and was forced to listen to another intriguing, well-written, action-filled book by Brandon Sanderson. Dang him. Ain’t nobody got time for this. The early development of David’s character bothered me a bit (he really made that many observations and did that much research as a kid/teenager, and no one else had?), but you’ve got to love any awkward regular guy who goes up against all-powerful beings and makes a fight out of it. As usual, I love Sanderson’s “magic” system. Totally unique from other books, but detailed. As usual, the plot twists were exquisitely executed, and when you look back, all of the signs/hints were there. As usual, it is an underground team of rule-breakers going up against and all powerful political figure (Mistborn)... ok, so that is the one flaw. If you think about that, there are too many parallels there, but I’m willing to overlook that as long as he keeps doing it so well…

So, I’m afraid that Sanderson is becoming my new favorite author, pushing Garth Nix back to the ex-favorite author lounge with Robert Jordan, David Eddings, Terry Brooks, Beverly Cleary, Lloyd Alexander, and others. (Yeah, Robert Kiyosaki and David Ramsey sit by themselves in the corner and argue financial philosophies. Nonfiction guys. Seriously.)

Anyway, this was a great book. You should read it. Review done.

The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute

The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As you see from my reviews of Leadership and Self Deception (here and here), I love that book. Anatomy of Peace is its sequel, and after reading both, I think they are out of order. Not only are they chronologically out of order--Anatomy is more of a prequel--but the introduction of the core concepts is better executed in Anatomy. The examples are more generally applicable, being focused on family rather than business relationships. The idea of treating everyone we meet as individuals whose ideas and desires are as valid as our own is such a powerful message. Learning to invite others to see us in that same light is equally valuable.

So this is a 5-star, must-read in my mind. I hope you get the same value from it that I did.