Reading: 2015

One of my favorite authors has a great post worth checking out: 33 Thoughts on Reading. A few of the thoughts I enjoyed:

• I will re-read favorite books the way I watch favorite movies and play favorite records over and over.
• I will take a deep breath and understand that it is IMPOSSIBLE to read everything.
• I will make liberal use of the phrase, “It wasn’t for me.”
• I will not lend out a book if I ever want to see it again. If a friend asks to borrow a beloved book, I will buy and mail them a copy.

With over 600 books on my Amazon wish-list, there is no lack of titles for me to read. More importantly, books which are most relevant to me in the present will be read first.

Documentaries

These are documentaries that I find beneficial. Not necessarily, a book but influential nonetheless.

• Small is Beautiful — A Tiny House documentary that is honest, warming, and goes through the journey of building one’s own tiny home.
• Frank and Ollie: Special Edition — Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston are featured in this documentary about their career, lives, and friendship. Two of my heroes. They were part of the original Nine Old Men who were the original animation crew that Walt Disney trained. This DVD is one of my most treasured and inspiring possessions.
• Foundation 43 // Leo Laporte, Kevin Rose interviews one of my longtime heroes. Back in the ZDtv / TechTV days these two inspired me to make tech a career path for my life. So glad they did.

Previous Years

2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025

Books Completed

These are the books I’ve completed reading so far this year. Favorite books are denoted by a ★

2015	Title
	Ordering Disorder: Grid Principles for Interaction Design by Khol Vinh Good read on grid-based design for websites. Constraints always inspire creativity.
	On Web Typography by Khol Vinh Great primer on typography. Dives into how use type, find your design’s voice, and implement it for the screen.
	Brand Identity Essentials: 100 Principles for Designing Logos and Building Brands by Kevin Budelmann, Yang Kim, Curt Wozniak Great primer on typography. Dives into how use type, find your design’s voice, and implement it for the screen.
	Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team by Kevin Budelmann, Yang Kim, Curt Wozniak Great primer on typography. Dives into how use type, find your design’s voice, and implement it for the screen.
	Leap First: Creating Work That Matters by Seth Godin Great speech that Seth Godin gave, which is closely aligned with the following book.
	What To Do When It’s Your Turn (and it’s always your turn) ★ by Seth Godin Very inspiring. One of the best books so far this year. Take risks, do the work, create your art. Repeat.
	CSS3 for Web Designers, 2nd Edition by Dan Cederholm Better browser support led to a revision to this book. Updated to reflect the present.
	Sass for Web Designers by Dan Cederholm More than just a designer’s emotion… this book dives into the popular CSS pre-processor.
	Show Your Work! ★ by Austin Kleon This books speaks to me just as much as his first book did. This is about being an artist, doing your work, recharging yourself and sharing your art with others.
	We Learn Nothing: Essays by Tim Kreider A selection from Tim Ferris’ book club. Essays by satirical cartoonist Tim Kreider. Interesting to hear stories that took place in Baltimore and how the city used to be.
	Unlabel: Selling You Without Selling Out ★ by Marc Ecko One of the best practical books I’ve read on business in awhile. An entertaining narrative which shows you growth through the eyes of the author.
	The Dip ★ by Seth Godin On my list to read yearly. I learn something new each time I read this wonderful book. Know when to quit or stick it out.
	The Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth by James Altucher A great unfiltered read about breaking the mold, making money, and conducting business based on recent changes in society.
	Zero to One: Notes on Startups, Or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters Insightful book about taking a startup from zero to number one. Innovation is the differentiating factor to making a company unique. Instead of focusing on the competition, that uniqueness makes them stand out from the rest.
	The Hard Thing About Hard Things ★ by Ben Horowitz This book came to my attention via a recommendation to read it. Got so much out of this one. It isn’t the traditional, “what to do if you’re founding a startup” type advice. It’s the less glamorous advice. The tough examples that really were the hard lessons learned. Highly recommended reading.
	Turning Pro ★ by Steven Pressfield The follow-up to his book The War of Art, took 3 years to complete but it was worth the extra time. Such a great read. The perfect description for when someone turns pro.
	The Wisdom of Insecurity ★ by Alan Watts Discusses anxiety and being present.
	The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo Concise yet motivating read on tidying up. Gives practical advice and looks at the why of the problem.
	Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better by Pema Chödrön Commencement ceremony speech at Naropa University and followup interviews.
	Rising Strong by Brené Brown A researcher’s perspective for what to do when you fall flat and get back up again.
	Anything You Want by Derek Sivers Read this again after Tim Ferris’ podcast with Derek Sivers. Sivers covers lessons learned. You don’t have to fit the corporate mold for starting a company. Just think of the customer first and solve problems. Enjoy it.

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