So after blowing the doors off my goal in January with 4 books read, I got off to a great start in February with 3 books read and almost finished 2 others.

 

Again, I have to admit that if it wasn’t for listening to books through my app, I don’t know if I’d get through more than 1 each month. (Shout out to audible.com again!)

 

In looking at the list of books I’ve completed this year, there isn’t much of a pattern to which one comes next, I’m essentially re-reading the books I got through last year while adding a few new ones into the mix.

 

I fear at the pace I’m going, I’ll be running out of books very soon in my audible library and have to grab some physical books to get through. Not a bad problem to have, though.

 

Here’s the brief review of February’s books.

 

 

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

(Finished Feb 6th)

 

This book was one that you’ll find, or at least I have, on many peoples “must-read” list if you are desiring to be a creative in whatever field you are called to.

 

Pressfield does a fantastic job of identifying root causes of our fears and apprehensions calling out the ‘resistance’ that is our number 1 enemy in life.

 

In one of Seth Godin’s books, Linchpin, he references this resistance and gives his own take on it as well. The two perspectives are eye-opening and will cause intimate introspection.

 

The brilliance of the book really stems from the plain, straight-shooting talk Pressfield provides the reader, especially the one who is seeking such inspiration.

 

 

Quitter by Jon Acuff

(Finished Feb 14th)

 

If you’ve never read any of Jon Acuff’s material, I highly recommend you grab something of his today, even if it’s following him on Twitter or Instagram.

 

Acuff has a highly engaging personality that is mixed with humor, satire, puns, and truth.

 

This is his 3rd book and first in what I would consider a series of writings about tackling the mindset of moving from your current job into your dream job and how to approach this process of finding the work that you enjoy.

 

One minute he’ll have you laughing, then the next he’s reading your mail and the conviction just might bring you to tears.

 

Always a transparent writer, if you need some practical advice on moving out of where you are into a more rewarding place, I highly recommend this book.

 

 

The Dip by Seth Godin

(Finished Feb 16th)

 

This is a very short read, in fact, you could finish it in 1 day or even 1 sitting depending on how fast you read.

 

Ultimately, Godin writes about the period when work moves from enjoyable to loathsome.

 

He describes the emotional stage of knowing when it’s okay to quit something and when to stick it out as being crucial to your success in life, to me this is especially relatable to the life of an entrepreneur.

 

If you can embrace and survive that temporary setback of going through the dip, then you will discover value when you emerge on the other side.

 

This isn’t a fully comprehensive “to-do” book, but rather an exploration of the inevitability of the dip we face when we take on something new.

 

Perhaps this isn’t a book for everyone, but if you’ve faced or are facing a period in your hobby, work, business that has seemed to have the air taken out of the emotional high you were in, I recommend grabbing this and reading during your lunch break.

 

 

As you can see, the last book I finished was on Feb 16th with almost 2 weeks left in the month.

 

I could have finished 2 other books, but I slowed down with my reading and was able to accomplish other items on my task list.

 

Also, I removed the ‘star ratings’ I gave last month. Don’t know if that’s truly a scientific approach or even helpful, it seemed a little pretentious, so I excluded it.

 

I’m still on track to beat the goal I set out to accomplish, and I’m hoping to implement the value I’ve extracted from each of these books.

 

 

**DISCLAIMER – I am not claiming to be a professional “book reviewer” and these opinions are just that, my opinions taken from my perspective on life. Please feel free to disagree, by all means, just keep it civil.

 

 

Did the reviews give a peek into a book you’ve heard about before but not read or introduce you to anything you might find interesting?

 

Comment below and let me know what you think or what you’ve been reading!