MichaelGowin.com/blog

"What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us."
–Thomas Carlyle

I recently finished my second graduate degree, an MBA. My first graduate degree, completed in 2000, was in contemporary theology. The professors are finished with me (for now) and so I’ve set a new goal: to read at least 50 books from June 2008 through May 2009.

Rationale

The first post I wrote on this site was inspired by my friend and colleague Bob Lowery. Bob reads books like a thirsty man drinks water. I’ve had a number of books or topics I’ve wanted to read over the last couple years but had difficulty working them in with a full-time job, school, family, etc. Now that this phase of my formal education is complete, I’m turning my attention toward self-education and pursuing titles and topics of both personal and professional interest.

Topics

The topics for my reading fall into four main categories:

• Marketing
• Design
• Business (entrepreneurship, leadership, management)
• Teaching (pedagogy and class preparation)

Other titles are not as easily categorized and comprise "personal interest" books–things I want to read just to read them or to become a better person.

Process

I’ve compiled a list of 51 titles and put them into a Google spreadsheet (available here). I’ll choose several titles for the current month and shade them in green then indicate when I’ve begun and completed reading them. Once a title has been completed, it will be shaded in blue. If I fall behind on the reading plan, the title(s) will be shaded in red.

I also plan to post regular updates to the site as I progress through the list, as well as posts explaining why I’m choosing the titles in the list. If I have time, I’ll try to provide some mini-summaries and/or reviews as well.

In addition to the regular posts, you’ll find a 50 Books Project page on the site with links to the spreadsheets.

In the next few days, I’ll share the some background info on why I’ve chosen these books and details on my titles for June 2008.

An Invitation

I’m doing this project on the site for a few reasons:

• If I make my goal public, I’m more accountable and more likely to follow through.
• I want to model for my students and children the value of reading and taking the initiative in one’s learning.
• Readers of this site may suggest titles I hadn’t considered, and that could guide my future reading.

So: I invite you to join me on this journey through the next year. You may be inspired to try something similar yourself. If you are, please leave a note in the comments and update me on your progress as well. We can encourage one another as together we grow in our knowledge and wisdom.

Filed under: 50 Books, Learning, Reading by Michael