As 2008 comes to a close I thought it would be great to do a series of posts looking back on this past year. I’m really surprised how many books I read in 2008 – and how many of them made such an impact on my life.
So here in no particular order are my top favorite books of ’08.
- On Becoming Fearless by Arianna Huffington. Every woman should read this book. Twice.Favorite Passage: “When we learn to accept ourselves – not just our public achievements and private successes but also our failures, inadequacies, cowardices, and desires – then we can transcend our fears. We master our fears by embracing them, not by subduing them. Our most meaningful relationships are based on a longing for expansion rather than a preoccupation with comfort and security. To live exuberantly – to fully know and be fully known by another – we must be prepared to illuminate the dark spots in our most intimate relationships and in our selves.”
- She by Kobi Yamada. There’s actually a story behind this one. One day while in Austin I was trying to kill some time when I wandered into Book Trader (one of the largest book stores in Texas). I found these amazing cards that said things like “She Loved Life – and it Loved Her Right Back” & “She Decided to Start Living the Life She’d Imagined” written in black cursive on the front and blank inside. I fell in love with them – it was like they were calling to me. Later I told my friend Marianne all about them – and she fell in love with them too.Fast Forward to 3 months later – and I’m sitting with my friend Tracey talking about an idea for a new company that focuses on Social Media services for Women Owned businesses. We’re trying to think of a name for our new venture when I screamed out – “We should call it SHE”. A few minutes later SHE evolved into SheConnects.Me – A Social Media Consulting Company for Women Owned Businesses based on the principles outlined in Kobi Yamada’s brilliant Poem/Book. A week later we took on a third partner – Elisea Frishberg who runs BizRadio. The rest as they say is History – which is to say that we signed our first client before we even launched our website. And if that’s not making history – I don’t know what is
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Because I’m so busy, I don’t read Fiction very often. But this series was captivating. Not as captivating as Harry Potter but close.
- The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” Randy Pausch, a Computer Science professor at Carnegie Mellon was diagnosed with a mortal brain tumor. The Last Lecture is his final legacy to his children and the world. There’s also a wonderful accompanying lecture on YouTube that you can find by visiting: The Last Lecture Video Here.
What Were Your Favorite Books of 2008?
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Erica OGrady is the CXO of Peanut Butter Media. She is currently HOMELESS while working on a project called Twilight & Tea. Erica is a Writer, Adventurer, Explorer who Still Believes in Santa and Following Your Bliss -- For more information Text ERICAOGRADY to 50500
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OMG, I loved Twilight so much! I read the whole thing–all 700 pages–in one night. And I’m not a fast reader. I stayed up until 5. And my kids get up at 6! It was THAT crazy of a page-turner. But I haven’t read the sequels b/c I’m afraid they’ll be a letdown. I just want the memory of that fun, page-flipping night to stay perfect. Hope you are well! xoxo
P.S. That cat looks EXACTLY like the kitty I had growing up!
Thanks to TheBloggess for pointing me here, because I’m delighted by (a) a SHORT DOABLE LIST that’s not trying to impress me with a hundred ‘worthy’ titles I’ll never get around to;
(b) a realistic VARIETY — I too never get to fiction (occupational hazard) but have heard of 3 of the 4 and have been meaning to at least read the backs of two of them… something fearless, some fantasy, some reality and some inspiration — nice breadth;
(c) PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS that come with stories, with nice intros that are well-crafted, and with an understanding that, not only did you get through them all, but you didn’t want your time back.
THANKS.
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