This year I’ve set myself the goal of reading 35 books, as well as being more conscious of what I’m consuming outside of books too — less trash, more interesting/useful/meaningful content.

In terms of non-book content, my current favourites are Renegade Collective magazine, Inc., and Medium.

When it comes to books, I’m off to a flying start — not only am I 2 books ahead of schedule, I’ve started with some fascinating and inspiring reads. Here’s the first installment for the year.

Steve Jobs — Walter Isaacson

I love me a biography and I’ve had this on my to-read list for quite some time, so when I saw it while visiting family over Christmas I immediately dived in.

Steve Jobs^ got my reading year off to a fantastic start. What a fascinating man! Isaacson’s treatment is thorough and balanced, presenting all facets of a very complex (and at times, very unlikeable) person. While it’s a pretty hefty book it was never dull and kept me glued to the end.

In fact, I need to buy my own copy so I can underline and make notes. One of my (many) favourite things about Jobs’ method is, figure out what people want before they realise it themselves. Remember what a revolution the iPod was? But before that, as we all cruised around with our Discmans, we would never have conceived of digital music on a tiny device. Amazing!

The Woman Who Stole My Life — Marian Keyes

The Woman Who Stole My Life^ stars Stella Sweeney, whose life is satisfying in it’s unglamorous simplicity. When she’s suddenly struck down by Guillain-Barre Syndrome and trapped in her own body, Stella turns her terrifying ordeal into a book that becomes an unexpected best-seller.  But is the life she dreamed of everything it’s cracked up to be?

I was apprehensive about this book’s release, given that I found Keyes’ last book a tad unsatisfying. Never fear though, in The Woman Who Stole My Life Keyes is back. While there’s nothing particularly special about this one, if you love Keyes’s books you’ll love this too — it has the imperfect heroine, the humour, the feels; everything that Keyes does best.

Book of Lost Threads — Tess Evans

Book of Lost Threads^ is the first novel of Australian writer Tess Evans. It is a story of family histories, community, loss and redemption. It opens with Moss’s arrival at Opportunity, a small Victorian town, in search of man she knows by name only. This arrival shakes up the town and reveals secrets that each player is struggling with.

While at times it’s clear this is a first novel (the prose is sometimes awkward or obvious) it’s a terrific debut. The characters are rich and sympathetic and the story carries you along to it’s satisfying conclusion.

Daring and Disruptive — Lisa Messenger

In Daring & Disruptive: Unleashing the Entrepreneur^, Lisa Messenger shares what she’s learned from decades as an entrepreneur. While she’s at pains to stress that this is her story and might not apply to everyone, there is an abundance of valuable information in these pages.

This is not a business how-to, more a personal development, ‘consider this’ prompt to make positive changes in your life. Despite her success (she once chilled with Richard Branson on his private island!) Lisa is down to earth and accessible, and this book provides a great deal of food for thought. Plus it’s easy to read — I was done in just 2 days.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane — Neil Gaiman

When the family of the un-named protagonist find themselves short on cash they decide to rent out his bedroom, unwittingly opening their world to supernatural forces beyond their imagination. While his parents dismiss the boy’s concerns, he befriends the Hempstocks from the farm down the road, three gentle yet powerful women who are more than they seem.

I looooove Neil Gaiman and The Ocean at the End of the Lane^ did not disappoint. Like The Graveyard Book^, this is something of a fairytale for adults, with whimsical prose and at-times dark subject matter. I strongly recommend getting the audiobook because Gaiman reads the novel himself, adding a beautiful richness to the story (and fantastic character voices!)

Did not finish…

Part of getting through 35 books, or more, this year is being more discerning instead of wasting time chugging through books I’m not into. So in January I started and discarded One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern. Like the rest of the world I read and loved P.S. I Love You but this one was verging on painful so I’ve set it aside. Maybe I’ll come back to it but I doubt it. It’s not well written (and/or poorly edited), beating the reader over the head to make it’s point. If you want an example of how not to apply ‘show, don’t tell’ to your writing, try the first few chapters of this book.

Next on my list (i.e. books I’ve already started): Julia Gillard’s biography, a novel I picked up at a $5 store, a guide to rocking social media and an audiobook on writing. I’ll bring you my thoughts on those (and hopefully a few more!) in the Autumn update.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

^affiliate links. Header image via Unsplash.