The 26 Books Challenge

By on January 4, 2011

One of my personal resolutions for 2011 is to read more books. At first, I was just going to keep a list of about 20 books, which are subject to change, in a Google Document. But then, I stumbled across a post by Blogger Arik Hansen. He published a list of the 26 books he plans to read on his blog, Communications Conversations.

I thought what a great way to hold yourself accountable and follow through with a resolution. So, I’m going to take Arik’s lead and publish my 2011 reading list here, so that I can be held accountable throughout the year. I’ll also periodically post mini-book reviews (both written and video) on my blog.

Follow my progress throughout the year at the 26 books tab on my blog. Happy Reading!

Non-Fiction:
1. Unmarketing- Scott Stratten (Finished. With 26 books in less than 365 days, I figure I can have a bit of a head start. Right?)
2. The Art of Non-Conformity- by Chris Guillebeau (2/3 of the way through)
3. Trust Agents- Chris Brogan and Julien Smith
4. The Now Revolution- Jay Baer and Amber Naslund
5. Linchpin- Seth Godin
6. Crush It!- Gary Vaynerchuk
7. Back of The Napkin- Dan Roam
8. The Accidental Billionaires- Ben Mezrich
9. Cracking Creativity- Michael Michalko
10. The Audacity of Hope- Barack Obama
11. The Four Hour Workweek- Timothy Ferriss
12. The 80/20 Principle- Richard Koch
13. Putting The Public Back In Public Relations- Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge
14. Gamestorming- Dave Gray, Sunni Brown and James Macanufo
15. The Pursuit of Happyness- Chris Gardner
16. WikiBrands- Sean Moffitt, Mike Dover and Don Tapscott
17. Delivering Happiness- Tony Hsieh
18. The Referral Engine- John Jantsch
More Reads:
19. Eat, Pray, Love- Elizabeth Gilbert
20. S*it My Dad Says- Justin Halpern
21. The Book of Awesome- Neil Pasricha
22. The Last Song- Nicholas Spark
23. The Nanny Diaries- Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Kraus
24. Lipstick Jungle- Candace Bushnell
25. Marley and Me- John Grogan
26. My Sister’s Keeper- Jodi Picoult

*This list is subject to change.

Do you have any books that you think I have to read this year? Please leave your suggestions in the comment section.

About Jessica Malnik

I build online communities. I create content. I make digital magic. Mizzou alum. Closet Gator fan. @SocialSanta2012 & @onmyblockfilms champion. Hopelessly addicted to Instagram and college sports.
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11 comments
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mmbizon
mmbizon

Great list, Jessica! How was "Unmarketing"? I've been meaning to read it! Perhaps I'll have to make a list of my own. Posting it is such a great idea! I just had "Content Rules" recommended to me, so I'm happy to see Jay had good things to say about it in his comment. So ... "Unmarketing," "Content Rules" and "The NOW Revolution" are my big three for the year so far. I frequented a few books sales last semester, so I'll have to see what I got from those that should be on my list as well.

Vanessa
Vanessa

Hi Jessica - first time here! I may do a similar list for accountability. There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to read great material out there!
If you read one book for pleasure this year, I recommend ONE DAY by David Nichols. It is simply the most amazing book I've ever read - laughed and cried. Interesting structures and amazing characters. It comforts you and makes you want more out of life.

Also almost done Never Eat Alone - good book on relationship building. Came across the Rules of Work which had interesting contents but Cover looks menacing. Plan to read non conformity also.

Tracy Brisson
Tracy Brisson

Great list and very inspiring. I need to put my own list together! The Back of the Napkin is on my unofficial list.

I read and recommend Linchpin and Eat, Pray, Love on my website. I read The Four Hour Website and got a lot out of it, but don't have it listed as a formal recommendation on my website because I think it appeals to a narrow base. Based on your other books listed, I think it will be a fit for you. Accidental Billionaires and My Sister's Keeper are also great, and very short reads.

It looks like you have enough books, but here are my official recommendations for 2011 based on what I've read.: http://opportunitiesproject.com/resources/books/. At the bottom is a link to more fun, books, too. Cheers!

Carlee Mallard
Carlee Mallard

Yea -- I'm a really *slow* reader. Sometimes takes me like 2 months to read 1 book... so 10 seemed like a realistic number to me :)

Carlee Mallard
Carlee Mallard

Oh hey -- Regina's reading my copy of Linchpin :)

Look forward to meeting you at SXSW too, Jessica!!

Carlee Mallard
Carlee Mallard

I've already read 3 of those (Linchpin, 4-hr workweek & My Sister's Keeper and recommend all of them, but I would probably read Linchpin first).

On my list I've got: Switch (Chip & Dan Heath), The 7 habits of highly effective people (Stephen Covey), How to Win Friends & Influence People, & The Mesh (Lisa Gansky).

Good luck! I've only resolved to read at least 10 books this year... haha.

Kirk Baumann
Kirk Baumann

Oooooh, some good ones there! Check out my book list for job seekers: http://campus-to-career.com/reading-list/ On the list are Made to Stick, Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh's book from Zappos) and more. I'm also reading the autobiography of Mark Twain at the moment. Very interesting!

Have a great weekend!

Kirk Baumann
www.campus-to-career.com

Regina Twine
Regina Twine

Awesome list Jessica. I've been looking for a good list to start before SXSW. This is a great start. Once my life calms down, I'll publish my list. I'm currently reading Linchpin, Strengthfinder 2.0 and Our Kind of People. Hospitals do give me nice quiet time to catch up!

jaybaer
jaybaer

Thanks Jessica! Delighted to have The NOW Revolution on your list. Are you going to review these books here? Or via video? You should!

Incidentally, you might need to move our book down a couple slots, as you won't be able to get a copy until about Feb 1. I don't want our release date to throw off your progress! A few others I'll recommend if you end up finishing early: Content Rules; Thank You Economy (Gary Vee's new one); MicroMarketing; and Flip the Funnel.

Jamie Favreau
Jamie Favreau

Great book list I have some of those books I just haven't read them. I need to start reading.

Trackbacks

  1. What Books Should I Read in 2011? | The Opportunities Project says:
    January 24, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    [...] am taking a tip from my Twitter and Brazen Careerist colleague Jessica Malnik who listed  26 books she wants to read in 2011 (she has a great blog so you check out her [...]