14 Books for 2014

Reading is important to success. As the old adage goes, “Readers are leaders and leaders are readers.” I know it’s not 100% true, but it is usually the case. Reading sparks the imagination, hones critical thinking, and gives us the information we need to succeed in different arenas.

This is part of my reading list for 2014. I intend to read more than this, but these are the ones I know I want to read for sure:

Start is a book I started last week, but I’m including it in the 2014 list because it won’t be finished till then. As I mentioned in my last post, this book is about encouraging you to start pursuing your dreams, following the path to awesome. I’m really enjoying it so far.

On Writing is a book about writing from the great novelist Stephen King. Since one of my goals this year is to write a book and have it in the hands of an editor, I want to read from one of the greats about great writing. This book came highly recommended by several people.

The Four-Hour Body is a book about health and fitness. It’s by Tim Ferriss who wrote the bestseller The Four-Hour Workweek. I read The Four-Hour Workweek and really enjoyed it (although I wouldn’t endorse everything he suggests), and The Four-Hour Body piqued my interest. I’ll let you all know what I think later.

The Lion of Fallavon is a Fantasy-Fiction novel. I haven’t read one of these in a long time, although I really enjoyed them in high school. I chose to read this one because the author is a friend of mine and I know that he is a very talented and creative individual. If any book is sure to renew my interest in fantasy fiction, it’s this one.

Christ-Centered Preaching was named one of the top 25 most influential preaching books of the last 25 years by preaching magazine. It has also been highly recommended to me by several friends, pastors, and bloggers that I read. Even though this blog will mostly focus on other areas of life, preaching is still a part of who I am and what I do, and I want to make sure I’m constantly improving in that arena.

Crazy Busy is a self-proclaimed “(Mercifully) Short Book About a (Really) Big Problem,” by Kevin DeYoung. I’ve read other books by DeYoung before and have really enjoyed everything I’ve read from him. I’m looking forward to reading this latest release.

Tribes by Seth Godin, is a short book that has had a huge impact in the way people see the world, and particularly the online universe. This is another book that has been highly recommended by more people than I could count, but that I haven’t finished reading yet.

Atlas Shrugged is a classic novel by Ayn Rand. I’ve seen some movie adaptations of the book recently and they made me interested in reading the book. I’ve heard a little about Rand’s system of philosophy that underlies the book and I’m interested to see it at work in this novel.

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell (of Outliers fame) was recommended by my dad while we were visiting for Christmas. It will be interesting to read, not only for his business insights, but also for seeing his perspective on a Bible Story.

Invest is a bit of a dark horse on this list. Sutton Turner, the author, is the executive pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and his lead pastor Mark Driscoll wrote this endorsement for the book which landed it on my list for this year.

Wellbeing is another book by Tom Rath, who’s book Eat Move Sleep I really enjoyed. This book, which seems a little more research heavy, also seems to really line up with the main idea behind this blog: improving your wellbeing in all areas of life.

The Power of Habit has been highly recommended to me by several people as well, and also fits in well with the main idea behind this blog. The idea in this book that intrigues me most is the idea of a sort of “habit cycle” that we can manipulate to change our routines.

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber is a business classic, one that I’ve been wanting to read for years. It seems to be particularly well suited for people who are interested in starting their own businesses.

Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki is another book I’ve been eyeing for a while. Kawasaki earned his fame working for Apple and is known as an expert in “enchanting” customers as a business.

As you can see, there is quite the variety of books in this list. And clearly not all of the books will appeal to everyone. My reading list reflects who I am and who I’m interested in becoming. What’s on your reading list?

You can purchase any of these books from Amazon by clicking on their cover images. A portion of all purchases go to support this blog.