Books I read in 2009

Compared to 2008, my production is down in 2009. I had a target to read 24 books and despite a valiant effort in December (reading 7 books, mostly during the holiday season), I fell short. I blame it on social media. Here are the 18 books I read in 2009:

General business:

• Free (Chris Anderson). This book is a required reading for today’s business. You don’t have to agree with the author, but you need to be aware of the thinking behind the book. I also strongly suggest to follow the debates surrounding the Free concept — just Google for responses by Malcolm Gladwell, Fred Wilson and Jason Fried.
• Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell). This is another book that sparked a lot of debate, but I still think it’s fascinating read regardless of your position.
• The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell). Together with Free, I would consider this book another must-read.
• Blink (Malcolm Gladwell). I like this book slightly less compared to Outliers and The Tipping Point, but I would still recommend it.
• My Start-Up Life (Ben Casnocha). A fascinating and inspiring read. The author started an internet company when he was 13 and was making sales presentations in high school. It’s kind of embarrassing if I compare that to my own experience.
• Crush It! (Gary Vaynerchuck). The message of this book is that it’s possible to make a living in your area of passion by working hard and using the internet as a personal branding tool. The book could be a good read for those new to social media, but it doesn’t offer me anything new.

Self improvement / productivity:

• Ready for Anything (David Allen). This book is a disappointment compared to David Allen’s classic, Getting Things Done. Fans may enjoy reading this collection of thoughts around the GTD productivity system, but to me it offers nothing new. I bought this book in 2007 and it took all effort to finally finish it.
• The War of Art (Steven Pressfield).

Spirituality:

• Pelatihan Shalat Khusyu’ (Abu Sangkan). This is an Indonesian book for Muslims (roughly translated as The Practice of Deep Prayers). Muslims pray 5 times a day and after a while it can become a routine task where you’re just going through the motions. I think this book gives a refreshing view that Islamic prayers can be so much more.
• The Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle). I know Oprah is a big fan of the author, but I just don’t get this book. Not that I don’t agree with the message, it’s just the book is very hard to understand and apply. I have the audio version which is read by the author like a boring school lecture. I dozed off a few times listening to it.

Trading (I don’t talk about it in this blog, but I’m a currency trader. You can look up my profile at Currensee — you’ll need to sign up first, but my profile is viewable to everybody inside the network):

• Trading in the Zone (Mark Douglas)
  
• Day Trading and Swing Trading the Currency Market (Kathy Lien)
• Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (Edwin Lefevre)
• Trade What You See (Larry Pesavento)
• The New Market Wizards (Jack Schwager)

Others:

• The Pursuit of Happyness (Chris Gardner)
• iWoz (Steve Wozniak)
• The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game (Michael Lewis). I didn’t find out about the book until the movie came out. I think the movie is a good family entertainment, but the book is an excellent analysis on the game of American football. I read the book in two days — a must-read for those who enjoy football.

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