The Book Project: A Challenge for Myself in 2017
At the beginning of 2017, I began what I like to call The Book Project. I challenged myself to reading a book a week for the entire year. You see, I’d grown pretty lazy when it came to reading. (Plopping down at the end of a long day to watch a Friend’s episode was so much easier…)
But I’m loving this challenge so much, and I thought that some of you would be interested in hearing some of the books I’ve been reading. Plus, I’d love your suggestions of additional books I should put on my list.
The Book Project
My list of books will be a jumble. There will be some writing and business books, and I’m leaning heavily on memoir at the moment. Some of the books I’m reading haven’t been released yet, and I’ve read those in order to offer endorsements for them. I’ll tell you more about those as the release dates get closer.
The ones in bold are the ones I’ve completed reading. Those not in bold I’m in the process of reading.
Just because the book is on the list, doesn’t mean that I recommend it. (I would love to get back the way too many hours I spend on The Cookbook Collector. Others loved it. Me? Not so much.) Rather, this is a list of what I’m reading and the challenge I am taking on.
Hillbilly Elegy is just stunning. An Invisible Thread was tremendous and touching, and Kitchen Confidential was a riot.
But the book I’m recommending right now is Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. This is possibly the best memoir I’ve read in my life. Trevor is the late-night host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Born in South Africa to a white dad and a black mom during the time of Apartheid, Trevor spends his formative years learning how to lie about who he was and who his parents were in order to stay on the right side of the law. An amazingly funny, touching and personal book. Loved it.
My current list of books
So here is where I’m at so far for my 2017 book challenge.
- Making Love Last: Divorce-Proofing Your Young Marriage Laura Taggart (Releasing July 4th, 2017)
- Hillbilly Elegy By J.D. Vance
- Doing Busy Better Glynnis Whitwer (Releasing July 4th, 2017)
- EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches Dave Ramsey
- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
- An Invisible Thread Laura Schroff and Alex Trusniowski
- Kitchen Confidential By Anthony Bourdain
- How to Listen So People Will Talk Becky Harling (Releasing August 1, 2017)
- The Cookbook Collector Allegra Goodman
- Loving My Actual Christmas Alex Kuykendal (Releases Sept 5th, 2017)
- The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
- Disrupted Dan Lyons
- Drinking: A Love Story Caroline Knapp
I’ll update you as I add more titles to the list on my year challenge, The Book Project.
So please, tell me what other books I should add to the list. Great memoirs, stunning fiction, helpful non-fiction? I want it all.3