I gave myself a goal to read a book every month in 2011. I didn't quite accomplish that, but I did read 14 books, so I got there on average. I tried to alternate fiction and non-fiction. Here's the list:
January
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Outliers - Malcom Gladwell
February
The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
March
Blink - Malcolm Gladwell
Choke - Chuck Palahniuk
April
The 4 Hour Body - Tim Ferriss
May
Galore - Michael Crummey
Born to Run - Christopher McDougall
June
Freedom - Jonathon Franzen
Long Way Round - Ewan McGregor
October
Solar - Ian McEwan
Lost in Shangri-La - Mitchell Zuckoff
November
Robopocalypse - Daniel H Wilson
I really enjoyed all the books, and I think the fiction vs non-fiction balance really worked well in keeping me interested. I intended to pick a favorite, but it's a lot tougher than I thought it would be. The social science aspects on the Gladwell were really fascinating (and I'm not a guy who is normally interested in the soft sciences). I did read a good amount of quality fiction, Solar was a bit of a slog, taking me several months to finish, but the payoff at the end was worth it (I am a sucker for universal messages, broad philosophical statements about the nature of man, etc.).
I guess if I was held at gunpoint and had to pick a favorite, I'd pick Long Way Round. Ewan McGregor's adventure tale was captivating and inspiring. I started researching getting a motorcycle license, looking for international adventure etc. Of course, I read this right after we found out my wife was pregnant, and while recovering from a torn ACL, so I did not get to do much adventuring, but it still was a great read.
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