2007 Reading List

This is my pre-50 Book Challenge reading list for 2007.

1. Tipping Point: Malcolm Gladwell
2. Fabulous Nobodies: Lee Tulloch
3. Flying Solo: Robert Gerrish and Sam Leader
4. Shopgirl: Steve Martin
5. The 12 Secrets of Health and Happiness: Louise Samways
6. Rabbit Redux: John Updike
7. Diplomatic Baggage: Brigid Keenan
8. The Body Owner's Manual - an acupuncturist's teachings on health and wellbeing: Deborah A. Degraff
9. Twelve Sharp: Janet Evanovich
10. Layla's Story: Vanessa Gorman
11. Stuffed - growing up in a restaurant family: Patricia Volk
12. Josh Hartnett definitely wants to do this...: Bruce Beresford
13. Getting Things Done: David Allen
14. A Spot of Bother: Mark Haddon
15. Tender at the Bone: Ruth Reichl
16. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: Ken Kesey
17. The Acupuncture Response: Glenn S. Rothfeld
18. Julie and Julia: Julie Powell
19. Toast - the story of a boy's hunger: Nigel Slater
20. Losing My Virginity: Richard Branson
21. Elegance: Kathleen Tessaro
22. Seek My Face: John Updike
23. 30 Days - a month at the heart of Blair's war: Peter Stothard
24. Once While Travelling - the Lonely Planet story: Tony Wheeler
25. Company: Max Barry
26. Family Life - birth, death and whole damn thing: Elisabeth Luard
27. Innocence: Kathleen Tessaro
28. Sex and the Married Girl: Mandi Norwood

2008 Reading List

My first attempt at the 50.

1. How to Grow Your Business By Taking 3 Months Off: Louise Woodbury and William de Ora
2. Still Life: Elisabeth Luard
3. Deep Waters: Andiee Paviour
4. From Here to Paternity – the diary of a pregnant man: Andrew Cullen
5. How to Stop Time – heroin from A to Z: Ann Marlowe
6. Brain Sex: Anne Moir and David Jessel
7. An Uncommon Reader: Alan Bennett
8. The Year of Magical Thinking: Joan Didion
9. My Favourite Wife: Tony Parsons
10. The Adultery Department: Paul Byers
11. Show Me The Money - a guide to fame and fortune: Max Markson
12. B Model - an embellished memoir: Miranda Darling
13. Larry's Party: Carol Shields
14. 10 Lessons to Transform Your Marriage: John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman
15. Beating the 24/7 – how business leaders achieve a successful work/life balance: Winston Fletcher
16. French Letters: Bruno Bouchet
17. Captain Corelli's Mandolin: Louis de Bernieres
18. Bright Lights, Big City: Jay McInerney
19. Basic Black - the essential guide for getting ahead at work and in life: Cathie Black
20. I Want What She's Having - the experience of creating a pleasurable business: Naomi Simson
21. The Last of the Savages: Jay McInerney
22. The Spin: Hugh Mackay
23. Eat Pray Love: Elizabeth Gilbert
24. Nothing to Be Frightened Of: Julian Barnes
25. Mating in Captivity - unlocking erotic intelligence: Esther Perel
26. The Dice Man: Luke Reinhart
27. Paradise Postponed: John Mortimer
28. The Household Guide to Dying: Debra Adelaide
29. The Triumph of the Airheads and the Retreat from Commonsense: Shelley Gare
30. A Million Little Pieces: James Frey
31. Leaving Paradise: Sonia Harford
32. The Careful Use of Compliments: Alexander McCall Smith
33. La Bella Figura: Beppe Severgnini
34. Kingdom of Fear: Hunter S. Thompson
35. Diane – A Signature Life: Diane von Furstenberg
36. The Book Thief: Markus Zusak
37. The Coup: John Updike
38. Hotel Babylon: Imogen Edwards-Jones
39. Peyton Amberg: Tama Jamowitz
40. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency: Alexander McCall Smith
41. The Nice and the Good: Iris Murdoch
42. To Hell in High Heels: Helena Frith Powell
43. Secrets of Female Entrepreneurs Exposed: Dale Beaumont
44. How Stella Got Her Groove Back: Terry McMillan

A new year of reading

Welcome to A Year in Pages, a blog documenting my reading experiences in 2009. I read a lot, and work with words every day in role as a writer, editor and publisher for my business, FlapJack Custom Publishing.
A couple of years ago, I read about the 50 Book Challenge – reading a book almost every week for a year – and decided to give it a go. In 2008, I fell just short of the goal at 44 books (although a huge improvement on my total of 28 in 2007), so have decided to try again in 2009 - and write about the books I read along the way.
There are few rules for my challenge - both fiction and non-fiction books are eligible. As I don't often buy new books - we're already out of bookshelf space - a lot of my books come from my local library, so a fair few older ones sneak onto the list. And because I constantly looking for new insights to grow my business, there will be a smattering of business books along the way. My only real rule is that the books have to be chosen organically, depending on what I am thinking, interested in learning, or just feel like reading at the time. And no book can be excluded because it looks too long (Lionel Shriver's The Post-birthday World, at around 520 pages, is currently sitting in my 'ready to read' pile - so we'll see how quickly I can get through that).
So that's all really - I'll read, and update this blog as I finish each one.
Your comments, recommendations, and your own experiences with reading - goal-oriented or otherwise - are welcome.
Happy reading.