What I'm Reading {150 Books in 2012}

As I’ve said before, for the last five years I’ve set a goal to read 100 books a year, exceeding it each year by at least a dozen. (See the “top” 100 books I read in 2011 here.)

In 2012, I’m making it more fun, and upping the number to 150. (In 2013, I went to 200.)

How I Do This

To understand how I read so much, check out these other articles I’ve written:

• How I Read 200 Books a Year
• How Audiobooks are Essential to Reaching my Reading Goals
• How to Read More by Setting Reading Goals

The List

Here’s my 2012 list — and this year I’ll be making the (big! bold! alert!) change of actually rating some of the books I read. I will not rate every book, because sometimes I forget. Yes. And also because I read such niche books sometimes that my ratings may not be relevant and/or helpful.

Ratings will go like this:

* {eh.}

** {useful information, but likely not something the general masses will fawn over.}

*** {good, but with the caveat that I read (and enjoy) weird books}

**** {darn good. worth buying a hard copy of to put on a nice shelf.}

***** {love! top-10 placement! life-changing! gold stars 4eva!}

Books Read in 2012:

1. The Message (Every year, I read through Peterson’s The Message.)
2. The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin. ****
3. Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found my Faith, Martha Beck. ****
4. Frozen Assets, Quentin Bates ***
5. The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, Crystal Paine. ****
6. Jesus Freaks
7. {health book}
8. Large Family Logistics
9. Empire of Sand**
10. All the Money in the World
    Laura Vanderkam.****
11. My Life in Doha
12. Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal, Conor Grennan.*****
13. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Paul Torday.****
14. Lone Traveller
    Anne Mustoe.***
15. Holy Cow
16. Saving Savvy
    Kelly Hancock.
17. Choosing to SEE
    Mary Beth Chapman.
18. Hiding from Reality
    Taylor Armstrong.
19. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher***
20. The Barefoot Executive – Carrie Wilkerson****
21. {health}
22. {health}
23. 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess***
24. Instant Speaking Success
    Paul Evans.
25. Same Kind of Different As Me
26. {health}
27. Cold Comfort
28. Radical -David Platt.***
29. Quiet****
30. Possum Living
31. {health}
32. 7 Money Rules for Life
    -Mary Hunt.
33. The Possibility of You
    -Pamela Redmond Satran.
34. In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor’s Journey in the Saudi Kingdom
35. A Mother’s Rule of Life***
36. The Dip
    -Seth Godin.
37. All That You Can’t Leave Behind
38. Friendraising
39. God’s Spy
40. All the Pope’s Men: The Inside Story of How the Vatican Really Thinks
41. Un Amico Italiano
42. Pajama School
43. {health}
44. Swahili for the Broken Hearted
45. The Peace “Corpse”
46. The Power of Giving: How Giving Back Enriches Us All
47. {health}
48. {health}
49. Wrecked
    -Jeff Goins.
50. Lady’s Hands, Lion’s Heart
51. Turn Right at Machu Picchu
    -Mark Adams.
52. Platform, Michael Hyatt. ***** (see my glowing review here)
53. Borrow
54. Making Ideas Happen
    -Scott Belsky.
55. The Mesh
56. Planting Dandelions
57. Apples Are from Kazakhstan
58. Confessions of a Public Speaker
    ****
59. So Many Books
60. The Year of Living Biblically
    -A.J. Jacobs.
61. The Element
62. Write It Down, Make It Happen
63. {health}
64. {health}
65. Good Idea. Now What?
    -Charles T. Lee.
66. Death by Meeting
67. Finding Shangri-La
68. The 00 Startup00 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future
    (here’s my take on this great book)
69. Life Your Way
70. The Power of a Positive No
71. Dancing with the Witchdoctor
72. Time Management from the Inside Out
73. The Education of Millionaires
74. {health}
75. {health}
76. {health}
77. The Dirty Life
78. What Successful People Do Before Breakfast
79. State of Wonder
80. Unbroken
81. What Remains
82. Anything
83. Empty Promises
84. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
    *****
85. Bringing Up Bébé
    ****
86. Fifty Days of Solitude
87. Love from Paris
88. The Paris Wife
89. Postcards from Delaplane
90. Book Lust To Go
91. In the Land of No Right Angles
92. The Tale of the Rose: The Love Story Behind The Little Prince
93. Wild
94. Dinner with Persephone
95. La Bella Lingua
96. The Writing Life
97. {health}
98. {health}
99. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World
100. My First Coup d’Etat
101. The Power of Habit
102. Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t
103. Steve Jobs
104. The Joy Diet
105. Running With Scissors
106. Yemen
107. No Reservations
108. Backpacked
109. Learning to Breathe
110. Twichiker
111. Never Say Never
112. Onward
113. Traveling with Pomegranates
114. The Fourth Instinct
115. Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake
116. The Table Comes First
117. {health}
118. Some Assembly Required
119. The Paleo Lifestyle
120. {health}
121. The Paleo Diet
122. Wheat Belly
123. {health}
124. The 816 to Baghdad
125. Against the Grain
126. From Blog to Book
127. Under the Tuscan Sun (yes, finally)
128. The Secret Daughter
129. The Night Strangers
130. The Rushing Woman’s Syndrome
131. The 100-year Old Man Who Jumped Out the Window
132. 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life (an ebook by my friend Crystal Paine)
133. Community Wins (an ebook by my bud Bryan Allain)
134. {health}
135. White Rhino Hotel
136. Skios
137. All Roads Lead to Austen
138. My Father’s Island
139. Almost Amish
140. The Good Girl’s Guide to Style
141. {health}
142. You Can Buy Happiness – and it’s Cheap!
143. The Big Short
144. Under the Afghan Sun
145. As the Romans Do
146. Do it Anyway
147. The Taliban Cricket Club
148. One for the Books
149. Curtain
150. Four Seasons in Rome