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Books I Read in 2012

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I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah, enjoying some good times with friends. As my friends, family, and readers know, I really love to read. Once of my first posts on the old blog was a list of books I had read in 2011, and I’m happy that I was able to commit a little more time in 2012 to reading. I finished 26 books, roughly one every 2 weeks. Some were long (Pillars of the Earth), some were short (The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness), some were audiobooks (The Stand), and many were read on Kindle (15 of 26).

Without further ado, here’s the list …

2012books

Favorite Book of 2012

The Stand - Stephen King

Favorite Book Runner-up

The War of Art - Steven Pressfield

Most Enjoyable Read

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

Best Business Book

The Lean Startup - Eric Ries

Best Development Book

The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg

The Entire List

What did you read in 2012? Any of the above books? Please share your additions and favorites in the comments!

Disclaimer: All of the links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no additional cost to you. 

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  • http://www.mondayisgood.com/ Tom Dixon

    I thought The Power of Habit was exceptional..and first book I read completely on Kindle..starting to get converted to the digital thing.

    • http://mattragland.com/ Matt Ragland

      Yep, I actually listened to PoH on Audible, still really enjoyed it. Would have liked to be able to highlight some important passages though.

      • http://www.mondayisgood.com/ Tom Dixon

        That is why I usually find myself buying books in multiple formats…audio & book or Kindle. I think the idea of audio books is great…but my mind tends to wander while listening…

  • http://anglofil.ro/ Alex Enășescu

    Let’s see. from your list I’ve found “You are a writer” inspiring if a bit lightweight, and “The freedom of self-forgetfulness” a wonderful reframing of self-esteem. Tim Keller seems to hit nails on head with just about every book he writes. I’m very much looking forward to his book on vocation.

    Other books I’ve enjoyed this year are Tony Reinke’s book on reading which has helped me structure my reading habits quite a bit, Joshua Becker’s “Living with less” and “Steal like an artist” as a no-nonsense guide to how creativity works.

    Thank you for this blog Matt, I’ve been a subscriber since your guest-post on tentblogger. Please keep on doing what it is that you!

    • http://mattragland.com/ Matt Ragland

      Alex, thanks for the encouragement and for reading, it’s great to hear!
      I hadn’t heard of Tony’s book, it sounds very good, given how much I read, and would like to read even more! What’s the title?

      • http://anglofil.ro/ Alex Enășescu

        Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books, which is exactly what it is. :)

  • http://twitter.com/JoHarris0n Jo Harrison

    Oh, Pillars of the Earth and The Night Circus are two if my all time favorites… Are you going to read World Without End in 2013? I didn’t manage to read as much this year due to starting my business but I want to get back into it in 2013 as I really miss all the great books.

    • http://mattragland.com/ Matt Ragland

      Hey Jo, thanks for sharing! I enjoyed our hunt for the buffer referral button this week as well! I haven’t read WWE yet, I was ready to pick it up, but several reviews say it is too similar to Pillars. I would have enjoyed simply a continuing story of the next Kingsbridge generation. I have instead begun another Follet book, Fall of the Giants. Also on my list is the Steve Jobs book, which I received last year but didn’t finish. What are you looking forward to in 2013?

  • http://thesimplegym.com/ Morgan Ragland

    Great list! It’s been cool to share a lot of these with you!

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