I reached the end of 2012 with a total of 53 books finished, and 1 book abandoned (because it was crap)

Fiction = 28

Non-Fiction = 25

That’s almost 50-50 which I am pleased about. 

DIVISION BY GENRES:

FICTION

Children’s = 1

Crime = 6

Fantasy = 13

Inspirational = 1

Mainstream = 1

Literary = 1

Poetry = 1

Science Fiction = 3

YA = 1

NON-FICTION

Business = 7

Education = 1

Marketing = 3

Memoire = 5

Personal Development = 7

Philosophy = 1

Writing = 1

Here is my short list of BEST BOOKS out of all the ones I read. This is a totally biased list, based on my opinion alone. 

FICTION SHORT LIST

Bridge of Dreams – Anne Bishop

The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho (This was my fourth or fifth re-read)

Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian – Eoin Colfer

The Wandering Fire – Guy Gavriel Kay

Indulgence/Treachery/Kindred in Death – J. D. Robb (Three books in the same series) 

And the Best Book of the Year Award for Fiction goes to: 

Bridge of Dreams by Anne Bishop

Anne Bishop’s writing has enthralled me from the beginning. I tend to have more favourite books rather than favourite authors, but she is one of the few. I read all of her books. Bridge of Dreams, while a stand-alone, is really the third book set in the world of Ephemera. Bishop’s strength is her beautiful writing, and strength of capturing emotions. You can’t help but feel for her characters, as you feel deeper and deeper connection with the story. Bridge of Dreams captured me, took me on a journey, and made me experience the world and the characters as if I was there. That’s what the best stories do. 

NON-FICTION SHORT LIST 

Start with Why – Simon Sinek

Linchpin – Seth Godin

Purple Cow – Seth Godin

How to Win Friends & Influence People – Dale Carnegie

The Flinch – Julien Smith

Personal Development for Smart People – Steve Pavalina

And the Best Book of the Year Award for Fiction goes to:

Personal Development for Smart People by Steve Pavalina

As you can see from the short list, this book had a lot of mighty competition. I would recommend that you read all of those books if you haven’t already. But what sets Steve Pavalina’s book apart is the one thing I found lacking in all the other personal development books so far. His principle work for all areas of life, in a way that makes sense. So you can focus on your career and ambitions by using same principles that you can use for your family and relationships. It’s all around personal development method for your entire life, not just one part of it. 

That’s my 2012 reading statistics. One of the first things I did after midnight on 1st of January was to create a new tab for my 2013 reading list. I have been keeping this list since 27th of July, 2009, and it’s been invaluable. I only regret that I did not  start sooner. 

What about you? Do you keep a reading list or a reading journal? What do you record? 

ACTION YOU CAN TAKE TODAY:

If you have not yet kept a reading list, start one now. It will give you insights about your reading habits as well as your evolving interests. It will also show you gaps in the areas where you may need/want to read more. 

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