My top 7 Books for 2024
As a member of the Goodreads community, I eagerly dive into a yearly reading challenge.
In 2023 I conquered 27 books exceeding my goal of 15 books by quite a bit. The books I read were a mix of enlightening non-fiction and captivating novels.
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In 2024, my aim is to read 20 books (with hopes of surpassing that goal), and I’ve begun jotting down a reading list for the year. While I don’t want to rigidly plan all the books I’ll read, I’ve gathered a selection of must-reads:
- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: I wanted to read this for a while now. It frequents top-book lists about money and happiness since its release in 2020 and is even available for free (here).
- Don Quijote: One of my fiction books for 2024 is the Spanish masterpiece by Miguel de Cervantes Don Quijote.
- Grit: I picked up this recommendation on Medium in a book-list from Novel Nest. The book is about “Grit”, obviously. Grit means sticking with your goals by staying passionate and not giving up.
- Good Inside: This is a recommendation by Ryan Holiday. The book is written for parents, but it offers much more than that: it is about applying classic Stoic principles to navigate challenges such as stress, uncontrollable situations, anxiety and frustration.
- Feel-Good Productivity: This is the first book published by the productivity Youtuber Ali Abdaal where he summarized what he learned so far in the realm of personal productivity. I’ve heard some mixed reviews (from the pre-reviewers). However, I want to check it out myself in 2024.
- Can’t Hurt Me: This also has been on my reading list for quite some time now. In this autobiographical self-improvement book the author shares his journey from a troubled childhood to becoming a Navy SEAL and ultramarathon runner. It is about emphasizing the power of mental resilience and self-discipline to overcome life’s challenges.
- So Good They Can’t Ignore You: This one stands in contrast to number 3. Cal Newport argues against the conventional wisdom of “follow your passion,” advocating instead for developing rare and valuable skills to achieve career satisfaction and success.
These were my 7 must-reads for 2024. Further considerations for next year are the following books:
- The Feeling of Life Itself: The book delves into integrated information theory, proposing a novel perspective on consciousness and the nature of subjective experience in the realms of neuroscience and philosophy.
- Algorithms To Live By: This is a book about how you can utilize algorithms in your daily life in areas such as decision-making (cf. the optimal stopping problem).
- Hidden Potential: This is one of the newest books by the renowned author Adam Grant. The book teaches you how to handle challenges and become better.
- Think Again: This is another book written by Adam Grant; after reading many books by Simon Sinek in 2023, I want to explore more books by his counterpart, Adam Grant. It’s also a controversially discussed book about embracing intellectual humility and encouraging to reevaluate beliefs.
- The Art of Thinking Clearly: This one is from 2011 and I have it on my reading lists for a few years now. The book explores common cognitive biases and logical fallacies, offering practical insights to enhance decision-making and promote clearer thinking in various aspects of life.
- Build, Don’t Talk: The author shares practical advice on selling, relationships, negotiation, mental health, networking, and finances, aiming to help readers achieve their goals based on his entrepreneurial and content creation experiences.
- The Squiggly Career: This Sunday Times Business Bestseller is about how you should navigate work in a way that suits you.
- Indistractable: The book explores strategies and insights to help individuals overcome distractions in the digital age and regain focus in both personal and professional aspects of life.
If you have further recommendations, please let me know (on Medium or at LinkedIn).
Thank you for reading and have a great 2024 full of interesting and engaging books!