I created a reading challenge for myself to read 100 books in 2013.
I rang in the New Year having read 108 books. I tracked my monthly reading list and reviewed many of the books. The reviews also are linked on the list.
I used the Twitter hashtag #100Books to indicate reviews of the books I read and posts related to reading.
Now that I’ve reached the end of the challenge, I thought it would be fun to review for you what I learned, much like what Julien Smith did in his post, Lessons I Learned in Reading Over 200 Books.
Here are my three sentence or less reviews of the 108 books I read in 2013.
1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Doctors treated this woman’s body as a science experiment, just because they could. That’s just wrong.
Read my full review.
2. Get Out of My Life, But First Could You Drive Me and Cheryl to the Mall
Teens are difficult to get along with. Boys retreat. Girls stay and fight.
3. What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast
Successful people have intentional morning routines that further their goals. They don’t repeatedly hit the snooze button.
Read my full review.
4. Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World
This book is a must read for anyone who wants to build and online brand.
Read my full review.
5. Blacklisted from the PTA
Lela Davidson is one funny lady who writes about parenting mistakes that other people hide.
6. Getting More: How You Can Negotiate to Succeed in Work and Life
You can get a lot of things if you ask for them correctly and treat others right.
Read my review here.
7. 1-on-1 Management
The best managers spend focused time with individual employees, showing them how they matter to the organization and supporting their goals.
8. Finish Your Dissertation Once and For All
The best way to finish a big writing project is to schedule and protect writing time.
9. The Fault In Our Stars
Sick kids are sad, but they really understand life.
Read my review here.
10. Truth, Lies and Advertising
Successful account planners understand people and how to partner with them to create great work.
11. The New Elevator Pitch
The best way to communicate effectively is to focus completely on your listener.
Read my full review.
12. Daddy Love
There are sick people in this world who do terrible things to children. This book was way too real about one such person.
Read my full review.
13. Cover of Snow
There are places where it does nothing but snow. Crimes happen there. The snow makes solving them more difficult.
Read my full review.
14. All She Ever Wanted
Postpartum depression is real, but it can be overcome.
Read my full review.
15. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
Some people don’t fit in because of things about them that they can’t change. It’s unfortunate and unfair.
Read my full review.
16. Biography of Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was a jerk. And he was brilliant. And he was a jerk.
Read my full review.
17. I Thought It was Just Me, But It Isn’t
Shame is a circle we fear and perpetuate.
Read my full review.
18. Never Knowing
Sometimes we think we want to know things, but the truth is worse than anything we could have imagined.
Read my full review.
19. Advertising Account Planning: A Practical Guide
A step-by-step guide for understanding the job of an account planner.
20. Unleash the Power of the Female Brain: Supercharging Yours for Better Health, Energy, Mood, Focus, and Sex
It’s amazing that women aren’t all totally crazy. Our hormones are all over the place. We’re rarely balanced.
Read my full review.
21. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence
We treat trauma victims like they’re crazy. They aren’t. They’re suffering.
22. Here I Go Again
When people don’t like you, it’s probably your fault. Change your wicked ways.
Read my full review.
23. What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekends
Hint: They don’t work. If they do, it’s focused and limited.
Read my full review.
24. 25 Tips for Productivity
Lots of good stuff here. My favorite is “Write down key information.”
Read my full review.
25. Whatever You Love
When everything is taken from you, you want to take everything from the person who caused that
Read my full review.
26. Say When
When has a marriage veered too far off from the ideal to be saved? Perhaps it depends on the marriage.
27. Lean In
Women still aren’t treated equally. Not even close.
28. Getting Things Done
This is the productivity book. I took good ideas from my second read of it, but I mostly still think it’s too complex.
29. Making Marriage Simple
To make marriage simple, treat your partner the way you want to be treated and notice how he/she treats you.
Read my full review.
30. The How of Happiness
To be happy, figure out what’s making you unhappy and either fix it or let it go.
Read my full review.
31. Living Dead Girl
Sometimes life is worse than death.
Read my full review.
32. Think Like a Rockstar
If you think like a rock star, you can turn your customers into fans. Fans are loyal.
Read my full review.
33. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Being a teenager is a crazy, difficult thing, but it’s also an exciting time to find yourself.
Read my full review.
34. Save Me
How would you respond in an emergency and what might that response cost you?
35. The Joy of Teaching
This is a great guide on how to create teaching success. It’s a good read for a first-year teacher.
36. Primal Leadership
Real leadership takes focus, understanding and practice.
37. The Power of Unpopular
Doing what’s best for your brand and/or clients won’t always make you popular and it doesn’t matter one bit.
38. The Last Lecture
Knowing you’re going to die helps you focus on living.
39. The Affair
There is more than one side to every story. Sometimes there are three sides.
40. No Easy Day
This book is about the day Navy Seals caught Osama Bin Laden. It’s super interesting.
41. You Don’t Want to Know
Sometimes when you think you’re crazy it’s because the people you think you can trust are tricking you.
42. Simpleology
It’s not simple.
43. Stolen Innocence
Some children are born into terrible situations and it takes everything they have to break out of them.
44. Thirteen Reasons Why
We don’t understand why teens commit suicide, unless they leave us reasons.
Read my full review.
45. Always Watching
Sometimes the person you should fear the most is someone you would never expect.
46. Until I Say Good-bye
The story of a journalist battling ALS reminds me how heartbreaking the disease is.
47. The Sociopath Next Door
Sociopaths are everywhere. I bet you’ll identify at least one you know if you read this book.
48. Daring Greatly
You have to take big chances to do great things.
49. Spark
Exercise actually makes us smarter, not just physically healthier.
50. Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery
Sometimes people with unfavorable lifestyles go missing and not that many people care.
51. The Execution of Noa P. Singleton
You can know things that you can’t tell to protect the ones you love.
52. Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked
Some people are bat shit crazy and they can ruin your reputation, even when you’ve done nothing wrong.
53. Denial: A Memoir of Terror
Rape stays with you and changes the person you become.
Read my full review.
54. The Last Hour
Life can change in a second.
55. A Thousand Tomorrows
A story on inconvenient love and loss.
56. Coming Clean: A Memoir
Hoarding is a terrible illness that impacts everyone around the hoarder.
57. It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership
Gen. Colin Powell is a great leader with helpful stories to share.
58. The Crooked Branch
Life for our ancestors was really hard and they did what they had to for survival.
59. Still Alice
Some illnesses cause people to lose their bodies, but not their minds. Others work the opposite way.
60. Me Before You
Love doesn’t chose the most convenient times or the most appropriate partners.
61. When Cancer Strikes a Friend
The best thing you can do for a friend with cancer is help them reestablish control as much as possible.
62. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
These “laws” aren’t secrets. They’re mostly just about treating people right.
63. The Time Between
All families have secrets, but knowing them doesn’t necessarily change the way you feel.
Read my full review.
64. Decisive
We have way too many biases that impact how we make decisions. Understanding these biases can help us make well-informed choices.
65. The Last Goodbye
You can’t run from your past forever.
66. The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting
Parents aren’t perfect. Children aren’t perfect either. These mutual imperfections make use perfect for each other.
67. The Missing Girl
Perverts stalk children. This book makes you not want to let yours leave your sight.
68. The Gifts of Imperfection
Embrace your imperfections. They’re actually good for you.
69. Monster
There are serial killers out there who get away with things most of us can’t imagine. However, they can’t get away with everything forever.
70. Amazing Things Will Happen
Work hard and embrace opportunities as they present themselves and amazing things will happen in your life.
71. The Husband’s Secret
It’s not what you think it is, but it’s so interesting.
72. The Secret Lives of Women
Women live all types of unexpected lives. It’s ok if these lives work for them. To each her own.
73. The Good Nurse
The good nurse was not such a good nurse at all. He was killing patients.
74. My Life Among the Serial Killers
A job researching and interviewing serial killers sound really interesting.
75. Bossypants
Tina Fey is one funny lady. This book will make you laugh.
76. Necessary Lies
You can’t save everyone from everything, even if you want to.
77. Release Me
Sometimes you need to read a trashy romance novel.
78. Claim Me
Sometimes when you read a trashy romance novel, you need to read another one.
79. Bringing Adam Home
The disappearance of Adam Walsh resulted in a greater understanding of how many children go missing each year and better methods of communicating about those crimes.
80. Complete Me
Sometimes you get so wrapped up in the steamy sex scenes in trashy romance novels that you read the trilogy.
81. The Stranger Beside Me
Crime author Ann Rule was great friends with a serial killer and she didn’t have a clue.
82. My Story: Elizabeth Smart
Elizabeth Smart never should have survived being kidnapped and held captive, but she did and somehow seems grounded.
83. Two Kisses for Maddy
It’s difficult when a spouse dies and leaves the other to care for their infant child.
84. Traumatic Neuroses of War
War damages people emotionally. We don’t take care of them after this happens.
85. There’s More to Life Than This
Theresa Caputo is awesomely gifted. I think we should be best friends.
86. The Rosie Project
Creating a statistically sound method for finding a wife doesn’t mean the plan will actually work.
Read my full review.
87. Everyone Communicates, Few Connect
Be quiet. Listen to people. Process what they say before you respond.
88. Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence
We lack focus. It’s only getting worse. It’s because our attention always is divided.
89. The Midwife’s Confession
You don’t really know people or what they’re capable of doing. Everyone has secrets, even those you think you know most.
90. In the Still of the Night
Parents shouldn’t outlive their children. When they do, they will stop at nothing to find out what happened to their child.
91. Weird: Because Normal Isn’t Working Anymore
We have to be radical in our love for God and creating a lifestyle that shows it.
92. How to Talk so Teens will Listen and Listen so Teens will Talk
If you want your teen to listen, you should communicate with him or her like the adult he or she is becoming.
93. Attachments
When a quirky love story is set in a newsroom, it creates my favorite book of the year.
Read my full review.
94. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
Understanding why you do what you do creates an automatic mission and a way to motivate those around you.
95. Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson
The Manson Family was brainwashed and scary crazy.
96. Close Your Eyes
Things you believe with all of your heart can be wrong.
97. Blog, Inc.
This is a basic book about blogging for anyone looking to start the practice. It was a great reference for the blogging class I taught.
98. Secondary Traumatic Stress: Self-Care Issues for Clinicians, Researchers and Educators
People who work with those who are traumatized are at risk of experiencing trauma themselves.
99. The Book of Matt
Matthew Shepard was murdered, but it may not have been because he was gay.
Read my full review.
100. Big Brother
Obesity is a sad, emotion-driven disease.
101. The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking
I don’t remember them. That has to say something about the book or about me.
102. My Horizontal Life
Chelsea Handler is a ho, but her stories are really funny.
103. Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting through to Absolutely Anyone
People respond well to those who really listen to them.
104. The Scent of Rain and Lightning
There is nothing quite a fun to read as a good whodunit with an unexpected twist at the end.
105. Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)
We love to point out what others have done wrong, but we make excuses for or justify our own mistakes.
106.Creep
Scary people don’t always look that way.
107. The Dinner
A whole book can, in fact, be written as set during a single dinner.
108. The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Crazy crap happens when a pond turns into an ocean.
I hope you enjoy these simple reviews. Happy Reading!
JudyArzt thank you, Judy.
Jason__Ramsey Love fellow voracious readers! =)
gingerconsult profkrg completely agree with your Steve Job”s book…he was a jerk,,,
tryan2thomas He was a jerk…but no doubt he changed our lives in many ways. Still, I would not have been a fan of him personally profkrg
gingerconsult Happy New Year! And I hope we don’t run into jerks in 2014. 🙂
tryan2thomas Yes! Happy New Year – no jerks in 2014. Cheers!
gingerconsult tryan2thomas I would want to work with/for him, but I don’t deny his genius.
marikalynch Thanks so much!
marikalynch http://t.co/jD4Ql7ytR2
profkrg I won’t deny he changed lives with his innovations..but work for him? I would have passed 🙂
This is really quite an incredible accomplishment! Will you do it again?
geoffliving Thanks, Geoff. I appreciate you!
Tenacity5Media Thank you. I’m actually announcing my 2014 challenge today!
So. Impressive. You rock, Kenna! profkrg jeanniecw
BeckyGaylord Thank you, Becky!
RachelintheOC I love your choices and short review/lessons. I added some books to my TBR from your list. 🙂
Read_Wine_Blog oh sweet! Thats an article from profkrg — she deserves all the credit 😉
profkrg great stuff!
GhostOfChinaski Thank you!