In October I challenged myself to finish what I started, I set a number of goals for myself, the first being: Read 15 books before 2020—that’s 5 a month. On the 27th of December, 2019, with 4 days to go, I have completed that goal!
How I did it.
1. I planned ahead.
I made a list of 15 books I would like to read. During my reading plan I tweaked that list a little, I replaced a few books and moved others up or down the list. But overall, I would know which book I was going to read next whilst reading my current book.
2. I got a Kindle.
Paperback books are more expensive and have a longer delivery time. While some books are better to have in a paperback version, most of them work just as well on your Kindle. Take non-important books for example, books like Write The Fight Right, by Alan Baxter. I want the knowledge provided by the author, but I don’t need it on my bookshelf. More Than A Number: The Church That Jesus Built, by Michael Allyn Laborn however, I need on my bookshelf! When I want to lend that book to someone, I can. There’s a certain recommendation factor that comes into play here.
The cool thing about a Kindle is that you can take your entire ‘bookcase’ with you anywhere you go! I have a special pocket in my jacket, dedicated to my Kindle.
The price for a Kindle pays itself back after you’ve bought a number of books, Kindle version books are cheaper.
If you don’t have a Kindle yet, you can buy one here.
3. I calculated my progress.
I knew exactly how many chapters I needed to read per day in order to reach my goal in time. I calculated this in advance.
That’s all! Just those 3 things helped me reach my goal in time!
Note: If you want to set a goal, also set a deadline!
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Christendom has evolved into endless denominations and religious institutions who have all adopted various doctrines that may or may not be biblical. Today, Christians seem to be at war with one another, trying to convince each other that their church is the only church of Christ. With countless churches debating each other about what they believe is the “right way” to interpret scripture, it is time to actually study what scripture teaches us about the church.
In his book, More Than A Number: The Church That Jesus Built, Michael LaBorn takes readers on a journey to rediscover the church Jesus built. The very first chapter: “What would happen if Jesus visited your church?” Immediately grasped my undivided attention, since I grew up in a church which adapted all the characteristics of a cult. I left that church prior to reading Michael’s book, and while reading I discovered every chapter corresponded with my motives. Everything I was taught about Christendom seemed questionable, and I felt I had to rethink my entire existence. Reading this book has brought healing to my spiritual life in ways I cannot express.
This book impacted me greatly, because now I have in depth knowledge on what the church is meant to be like. I grew up thinking it’s us versus them—our church against the world. But we—as Christians—are all the body of Christ, and we deserve the unity the enemy tries to deprive us of.
For those who want a copy, I have 5 available for €10.- per copy (I’m not making a profit, I genuinely want others to read this book). Message me on Facebook!
In this book, Michael Allyn LaBorn takes readers on a journey to rediscover the church Jesus built. He uses scripture to clarify who Jesus is and what churches are supposed to be. He nails every chapter head-on. I’m in awe, this is by far the best Christian book I’ve ever read.
Reading the first half or so was tough, I couldn’t relate to everything and because of it, some of it bored me. But as I got closer and closer to the halfway mark, I started to relate to the contents of this book more and more. I believe this book goes together beautifully with More Than A Number: The Church That Jesus Built, by Michael Allyn LaBorn if you have been through something similar as I have. In any case, I believe this book is mandatory literature for all Christians—reading it would help you spot spiritually abusive systems before becoming entrapped.
The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, by Jeff Van Vonderen & David W. Johnson taught me how to recognize spiritual abuse and what leadership is supposed to be like.
I began reading this book because it was recommended to me by several business friends, and because I’m in the Clickfunnels Facebook group. It’s one of the best books on marketing out there.
Dotcom Secrets is currently the best business non-fiction book I’ve read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in business.
I began reading this book because I hoped it would help me. I tend to push people away a lot, and there was a certain negative view of people I wanted to change about myself. This book helped me in my healing process.
This book—in my opinion—should be mandatory for all to read. It should become a lifestyle, a culture even! One of the best books ever!
This book describes how generation Y (millenials, aka the porn generation), are being socially engineered through music, hollywood, magazines and the internet, millenials are being brainwashed to have a certain world- view that is simply damaging and traumatizing.
This book was written by then 21 year old, unmarried, Ben Shapiro. Personally I recommend all books by Ben Shapiro, even though I’ve only read two of them so far. But the way he writes is just beautiful!
This book is a masterpiece! It’s art! More than a ‘How to’ book! In a very humorous way it instructs readers how to debate leftists and win. If you’ve ever watched a Ben Shapiro debate, this book is for you. It’s only a 30 minute read!
Reasons to read this book: it’s full of facts and logic, it’s hilarious and full of comedic illustrations, it’s the truth, it’s short (great for beginning readers) and it’s written by Ben Shapiro.
No more excuses. “Let the lawn get shaggy and the paint peel from the walls,” bestselling novelist Walter Mosley advises. Anyone can write a novel now, and in this essential book of tips, practical advice, and wisdom, Walter Mosley promises that the writer-in-waiting can finish it in one year. Mosley tells how to create a daily writing regimen to fit any writer’s needs, determine the narrative voice that’s right for every writer’s style and get past those first challenging sentences and into the heart of a story.
I’ve learned a lot about different types of narration, I undoubtedly got great value. And his daily writing regimen is something I’m definitely going to implement myself.
This was one of several books recommended to me by fellow (aspiring) authors and writers. It’s the best (out of 3) non-fiction book on writing I’ve read so far.
K.M. Weiland gives clear insight on book structure using examples from movies and books, but it was difficult to fully understand these examples since I hadn’t read or watched a single one of them.
I thought the book was going to be a little different, but it was still a good book to read as a Christian guy.
Author and martial arts instructor, Alan Baxter, presents a short, 12,000 word, ebook describing all the things a writer needs to consider when writing fight scenes. Baxter’s experience from decades as a career martial artist make this book a valuable resource for writers who want to understand what fighting is all about – what it really feels like and what does and doesn’t work – and how to factor those things into their writing to make their fight scenes visceral, realistic page turners. Baxter won’t tell you how to write, but he will tell you what makes a great fight scene.
While the book did provide value, I feel as if it didn’t reach its full potential—perhaps it was rushed. I learned what I needed to learn, and I can get back to it when I need to refresh my memory. Would I recommend it? Maybe.
I read somewhere, that this was President Donald J. Trump’s favorite book. It’s a great book about strategy and marketing. Seeing that President Trump is a master chess player and an incredible strategist, I understand why this book would appeal to him. Although personally it didn’t appeal so much to me.
The Art of War can’t only be applied to warfare, but also to marketing, chess, life… you name it! I read the whole book in one sitting.
I read this book to detect ‘tells’ by liars, as I think back to moments where others have lied to me, I feel I can now find the truth with more ease. Of course I can never be 100% certain, but as a writer who is obsessed with truth, this book helped.
I feel—as do many, I presume—that this book could have been so much better, had it been properly edited. Nevertheless, I now do have the knowledge I hoped I would receive.
Never again! One book by Robin Sharma was enough, I won’t read anything else he publishes. His videos and lectures are much better. I think he wanted to avoid certain rules for non-fiction books by making his non-fiction book idea into a fiction book. He could’ve cut the book in half and saved the valuable time of thousands of readers!
Why would anyone use more words than necessary to instruct readers on transforming their lifestyle? This book felt like a waste of time to me, very disappointing. The only way I could go through it was by listening to the audio book at speed 1.8x whilst reading it on my kindle.
I had such high hopes for this book, it was recommended by someone I know as research for one of the stories I had been working on. The plot is exactly what it needed to be, but the style of writing is just complete and utter garbage. Perhaps it’s because this book was intended for children?
I expected so much more. The storyline is great, but the writing style… how on earth could one write like that? I had to listen to the audiobook and read simultaneously to get through it, and reading this book took me longer than most books.
Someone recommended this book to me and lent it to me, but what a waste of time this was! I could’ve read something so much better instead.
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