2007 in Review: Books

This was a great year for books. Yea, getting them, but also reading them. Each year I mainly just go with where my interests take me but I do have a few goals to try and have some discipline.

1) Each year I force myself to read 1 classic. 2) I read the book of scripture from the Sunday School lessons. 3) I read and dissect each general conference. 4) I read at least one book with a business theme. 5) I meet or exceed the number of books read from the previous year. In addition, this year I started a project on American Presidents so I most jumped in to this from the beginning.

I read 61 books this year which is a very good year; 5 a month. Last year I only read 45. I met my other goals as follows (listed in order of best to worst when possible):

Classics
Chronicles of Narnia 1: the Magicians Nephew, C.S. Lewis
Chronicles of Narnia 2: Lion, Witch & Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
Chronicles of Narnia 3: the Horse & His Boy, C.S. Lewis
Chronicles of Narnia 4: Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis

Scriptures
The New Testament
Fire in the Bones, Michael Wilcox
Wide as the Waters, Benson Bobrick
God’s Secretaries, Adam Nicolson
The New Testament Through 100 Masterpieces of Art, Regis Debray
The Life & Teachings of Jesus, Volume 1, Richard Holzapfel

General Conference
2007 Annual
2007 Semi-annual

Business
You’ve Got To Read This Book, Jack Canfield

In addition to these categories my 2007 reading breaks out into these categories (also listed from Best to Worst):

American History
Passing of the Armies, Joshua Chamberlain
April 1865, Jay Winik
The Most Glorious Fourth: Vicksburg & Gettysburg, Duane Shultz
Rediscovering God in America, Newt Gingrich
The Great Upheaval, Jay Winik
Our 50 States, Lynn Cheney
America: A Patriotic Primer, Lynn Cheney
What If’s of American History, Robert Cowley
Gettysburg, Newt Gingrich
101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived, Alan Lazar

General History
I Wish I’d Been There, Brian Hollingshead
The Greatest Stories Never Told, Rick Beyer

U.S. Presidents
George Washington, James Burns
Grant & Twain, Mark Perry
John Adams, John Diggins
Thomas Jefferson, Joyce Appleby
James Madison, Gary Willis
James Monroe, Gary Hart
John Quincy Adams, Robert Remini
Andrew Jackson, Sean Wilenz
Martin Van Buren, Ted Widmer
James K. Polk, John Siegenthaler
James Buchanan, Jean Baker
John Tyler: the Accidental President, Edward Crapol
The Bushes, Peter Schwiezer
Abraham Lincoln, Lord Charnwood

LDS Church History
The Worlds of Joseph Smith, John Welch
United By Faith, Kyle Walker
Lengthen Your Stride: Presidency of Spencer W. Kimball, Edward Kimball
Presidents and Prophets, Michael Winter
David O. McKay, Gregory Prince

LDS Doctrine
Preach My Gospel
Beholding Salvation, Kent Brown

Religion
Quest For God, Paul Johnson

Music
Beethoven, Edmund Morris
Storms: My Life With Fleetwood Mac, Carol Ann harris
Mosaic, Amy Grant

Trivia
Why?, Eric McHugh
Where?, Eric McHugh
When?, Eric McHugh
Who?, Eric McHugh
Know It All, Eric McHugh

Fiction
Harry Potter & the Deadly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
Simple Genius, David Baldacci
Stone Cold, David Baldacci
Bourne Legacy, Eric Van Lustbader