(Are you still kicking around the idea of one-on-one High Performance Coaching with me this winter? If so, better get off the fence, as time is almost out, the spots are almost gone.)
Many people have asked what books I have read recently. Since I have been keeping track of the books I read for the last few years, I noticed that I read about half as many books in 2020 as I did the previous years. I guess I read more when I’m traveling and am not faced with all the things I have to do at home.
I have several boxes of books we have picked up at garage sales for almost nothing. (One dollar for a box of paperback books.) Therefore, I am constantly reading new authors I haven’t read before that I find in these sales. I have stumbled onto many new favorites. When I finish a book, I give it away to either another person or put it in a neighborhood library box. If it is especially good, I keep it on my book shelf.
I tend to read about two books for fun for every book that imparts knowledge. In 2020 I read 18 knowledge books and 25 books for fun. It came out to just short of one book per week. Some of the books I read more than once.
So without further ado, here is last year’s book reading list, in the order I read them. There were a few books, which I didn’t include on this list, that I started but didn’t finish. If, after reading the first couple of chapters in a book, I find that I don’t like it, I move on to a better book. The books that I especially like and recommend that you read have links on their titles so you can conveniently find them yourself.
The Bible: I set out to read the Bible in 2020, which I do periodically, but I only finished the Old Testament, which is 80% of the book. I will finish the rest in the next few months. Didn’t quite reach my goal but I was close.
Deep Six by Clive Cussler: This is one of my favorite authors. He writes fun adventure stories.
The Pursuit by Johanna Lindsey: Another one for fun.
Spending Habits for Professionals Who Want to FIRE by BC Krygowski: A great book on keeping expenses down by a friend in the doctor finance realm.
High Druid of Shannara Trilogy: Jarka Ruus, Tanequil, Straken by Terry Brooks: Here is another one of my favorite authors. He writes fantasy adventures and I have read several of them.
Sea Change by James Powlik: Something for fun out of my boxes.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand: An old classic.
Blind Side by Catherine Coulter: Something new for fun.
Love Makers by Judith Gould: This one I didn’t care for but finished.
The World’s Fittest Book by Ross Edgley: Great book on fitness my son loaned me. Fun to read.
Financial Residency: Create Your Financial Plan Without the Long Hours and Sleepless Nights by Ryan Inman: Another friend in the physician financial world.
Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do by Robert Schuller: He is another of my favorite authors and this is one of his best classics. I read it again this year because so many people were going through tough times. This is a must read book for everyone. I have read it about 6-8 times.
Surviving Financial Meltdown by Ron Blue: Another book to help me coach people through tough times.
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris: A physiological thriller. Pretty gruesome book in the Hannibal Lecter series.
The Doctors Guide to Navigating a Financial Crisis by Dr. Cory S. Fawcett: I wrote this book this year and had to read it four times during editing. Designed to help you get out of a crisis after you are in trouble.
The Last Juror by John Grisham: He is one of my favorite authors, except for this book. It’s the first book I’ve encountered from him that I wouldn’t read again.
Mary Mary by James Patterson: Love his work and have read many of his books.
Murder, She Wrote – Madison Avenue Shoot by Donald Bain: My first in this great series. I will be reading more.
White Fragility by Robin J DiAngelo: With all the racial unrest last year I decided to pick a book to read on the subject and it was very enlightening.
Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie: My first book from her and I will be reading more.
Book Launch Blueprint by Tim Grahl: This is a how to on releasing a new book. Read it if you are an author.
Story Engineering by Larry Brooks: Another book for authors.
Age Proof by Jean Chatzky & Michael F Roizen: This was a sleeper I wouldn’t read again.
The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayn Dyer: This is a book full of strange concepts. Would skip it.
Murder, She Wrote – A Fatal Feast by Donald Bain: Another great in this series.
The Sky is Falling by Sidney Sheldon: I have liked all his books so far and this was no exception.
Silent Treatment by Michael Palmer: A thriller written by a physician. I like his stuff.
Ghost Wanted: (References Required) by Jim Fanshier: Jim is an old friend of mine who was part of our wedding 32 years ago. He has written several books and I have helped him as a test reader for each. He is a great story teller and this was no exception. Seems no castle in England is complete until it has a ghost.
Sleeping Beauty by Judith Michael: A new author to me from my book box.
The New American Revolution: The Making of a Populist Movement by Kayleigh McEnanay: Kayleigh has been very impressive to me from the first time I saw her as the press secretary to the president. I wanted to hear what she had to say and was not disappointed to get this inside look at how a non-politician became our president.
Murder, She Wrote: Nashville Noir by Donald Bain: Another in this great murder mystery series.
One Pilgrim’s Progress by Jo Paluzzi: I met Jo just before my wife and I walked the Camino de Santiago in 2019 for 450 miles. This is her story on the Camino. I read this and the next two books to refresh my memory of our Camino journey for a lecture I was preparing to give on our adventure.
Walking to Santiago: A How to Guide by Ryan Tandler: Everything you need to know to get ready for the Camino.
Camino de Santiago (Village to Village) by Anna Dintaman: This is the blow by blow information needed to walk the Camino.
The Weigh Down Diet by Gwen Shamblin: A Christians guide to dieting. I read this during the holidays to help keep me from exploding.
Dragon by Clive Cussler: Another great adventure by one of my favorite authors.
The One Thing by Gary Keller: During my recertification week for High Performance Coaching, this book came up and I knew I needed to read it. To be successful, you need to focus on only one thing at a time. This was a great help for me to end the year on a high note.
There you have it, my reading list for last year. It was fun. I didn’t like reading when I was younger but I am constantly reading now. Hope you read some good books this year. If you find a particularly good one, let me know. And if you are looking for something to read, maybe you should try one of my books in the Doctors Guide series. You can find them HERE.
