Steve Jobs famously joked that the Amazon Kindle would never make it because no one reads anymore. Sadly, he has a point. 58% of people never read a book after high school!

And while books are not quite dead, the way people are reading them has dramatically changed. While most people do not read books, they often do a lot of reading on the web. But web reading is really a quite different type of reading. It is more random and less focused. It’s easy to start reading one blog and quickly follow a link to another, then stop and google a specific word or concept only to end up in wikipedia which leads you down yet another rabbit hole.

When reading a traditional book, there are not nearly as many distractions. For the most part, you just go from one page to the next occasionally skipping a few or even a chapter. Web reading is much more distracting. You have flashing advertisements not to mention people emailing and IM’ing you. Even if you had no distractions, it can be hard to focus on long pieces of content due to LCD backlighting and the eye strain it causes.

So, is book-reading dead?

I don’t think so, but it is evolving. It’s moving to e-books and blogs. Traditional publishers and retailers may also be a thing of the past as more and more genres move online and people become more comfortable with reading online.

Consider the plight of the computer book. In the late nineties, it was a thriving section of the publishing industry and people were snapping up books faster than they could be printed, but something happened after the dot com bust.

Even though the computer industry came back, the computer book never did. Programmers began to google for code and tutorials. And in many ways, the online version was better. It was easily searchable and you could copy and paste code directly into your compiler to be used immediately. Not to mention that blogs on new technology could be written much faster than books.

Amazon has also changed how books are purchased and read. I rarely ever browse a brick and mortar bookstore now. Why bother when I can see all the reviews of a book plus any related ones on Amazon? With most Amazon books, I can “search inside” and view the table of contents. And with many, I can buy them for $9.99 and have them in 30 seconds on my Amazon Kindle. How can a bookstore compete with that?

I was a bookstore regular and now I have not set foot in one for many months. There’s just no compelling reason anymore. Borders and Barnes and Noble should be very afraid. Books will have a future though they will be transmitted in different ways, bookstores are the ones that are in trouble…

A room without books is like a body without a soul.

-Cicero

Everyone has something in life that makes them happy and helps them unwind. Some people like partying and hanging out with friends. Others would rather recharge when they’re not around people. I fall into this latter category, and the best way for me to recharge is going to the coffee shop with a stack of books!

I typically have a large “to be read” pile and am usually working on 3 or 4 books at once. I don’t really stick to any genre though much of my reading lately is non-fiction and falls into the business or history categories.

I get a lot of use out of my library card, and lately I’ve even been reading electronically on an amazon kindle. My daily reading habits are pretty similar to Michael Hyatt’s (Blogger and CEO of a publishing company).

I read a lot, but I don’t waste my time on bad books. If I start a book and determine that it’s no good, I have no problem stopping immediately. I also don’t have a problem with skimming books if they are repetitive. I get through a lot of books this way.

Some are entertaining and I learn a little bit from others, but the best books are those that make a lasting change in my life. I’ve collected my favorites in a list so I present to you the 10 books that will change your life!

Atlas Shrugged: Explains Ayn Rand’s theory of objectivism through a fictional story. It is a tribute to those who work hard and what they can accomplish in the world.

Mere Christianity: Taught me that you can be a Christian and still be intellectually honest with yourself. Lewis’ work is a joy to read and deeply think through.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Covey’s book helped me find balance in my life and look at the big picture.

How to Win Friends and Influence People: Dale Carnegie’s classic book with a misleading name, will help you be a better person and is really about listening and being genuinely interested in others.

Getting Things Done: While Covey’s book focuses on the book picture, Allen’s book will help you get things done more efficiently on a daily basis.

Three Cups of Tea: Tells an amazing story of what one man can do to change the world for the better. It will inspire you to make a difference no matter how small it seems or how hard the task.

Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: A well-researched book by a Harvard MD that cuts through all the diet fads with clear evidence of what is the most healthy way to eat.  It changed the way that I eat for the better.

Man’s Search for Meaning: Told in two parts, it is first the amazing story of a holocaust survivor and second how a person can find meaning in their life even in the most troubling circumstances.

Free to Choose: Explains how economic freedom and societal freedom go hand in had, and how government intervention usually leads to problems. Strongly influenced my libertarian political beliefs.

Your Money or Your Life: Helps you realize that you are trading your life for your possessions by breaking down your possessions into how much of your life it took to get them. Will definitely make you think before embarking on that next impulse purchase.

I’d love to hear about any books have significantly impacted others. Also, what books do you have to recommend to me?

We read to know we are not alone
-CS Lewis