This isn't a story about hitting a reading target; it's a testament to the power of literature in the face of life's uncertainties. Each book I encountered became a stepping stone on a unique path of self-discovery, offering unexpected insights and perspectives. You can find the entire list of books I read at the end of the article.
I'm a book lover through and through. In fact, I prefer reading books to the media coverage reports and ‘strategic’ presentations I read at work. Hitting the number seventy two on my reading list wasn't a set-out goal – it happened quite organically. Those book-a-week challenges never quite appealed to me. My reading is not about keeping score; it's about the joy of getting lost in stories that unfold in places and realities beyond my own.
This year, I found myself spending an inordinate amount of time on the treadmill – a contraption I consider the embodiment of monotony. Yet, it was books that transformed these sessions from mind-numbing to time well-spent. In fact, it might just be that my morning treadmill ritual was an excuse to indulge in my love for reading. Who knows?
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A genre omnivore: it's me, hi!
Reading has always been a pleasurable escape. It's my go-to activity for laughter, tears, and the occasional existential crisis. And let's not forget the sarcastic commentary I provide to an audience of exactly one – myself.
I can't say I'm drawn to memoirs, and fiction isn't my first love. Self-help books often leave me feeling a step behind, and health and lifestyle reads tend to highlight my dietary mishaps. I’m a genre omnivore – I gravitate towards any book that catches my interest. Kicking things off with Jennette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died (talk about starting the year on a light note, right?) perfectly prepped the stage for a year of eclectic and thought-provoking themes.
As the year progressed, I dove into topics that resonated with my professional life, too; yes from time to time I think about work, would you believe? Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber had me nodding in agreement and crafting mental notes for Monday morning meetings. The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss had me dreaming of a life where e-mails didn't dictate my existence. A dream quickly squashed by the next meeting invite (touché).
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Love for discovering new things
As I jumped from one title to another this/last year, I figured out something important. Reading wasn't just about finishing books. It was about my love for discovering new things. It was a year for growing, thinking hard about what I believe, and learning a lot. Reading to me is way more than just a hobby. It's like going on a big adventure that never stops, where each book is like a new pair of glasses that lets me see the world differently. Plus, it's fun to be the one who always has some strange book to talk about. If you don't believe me, just ask my colleagues on the team about the time I recommended a book about death and funerals (this, in fact, happened at least on three separate occasions).
The point of all these paragraphs
Okay, I've torn through quite a few pages this year (and for a dash of extra bragging, I didn't skip a single workout in 2023 either!). But it's not about the numbers, it's about the journey. Each book has been a step on a path uniquely mine. They were tools for constructing new ideas, viewing the world through different lenses, and gathering knowledge that really sticks.
This stack of books? It's my personal log, mapping the terrain I've covered in my quest for understanding and offering a hint of the paths I may explore next. So, let's hold off on any bookshelf judgment – at least until you've shared your own list (I’m sure we could find something ‘peculiar’ on it, too. ;-)Â
Bring on the next chapter!
So, here's to all the books that made me laugh, cry, and, at times, question my life choices. You've been the silent friends in a year of chaos and the wise sages in moments of doubt. Here's to the lessons learned, the escapades experienced, and the many page-turns that made 2023 an unexpectedly enriching year.
And a shout-out to the book that made me laugh so loud on the train, I turned heads and had people wondering if I'd stumbled on the world's funniest joke: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty. It was in fact one of the funniest books I’ve ever read.
What book made an impact on you in 2023?
My 2023 reading list
Here’s the grand reveal of my 2023 reading list; dive in, find inspiration, or simply nod in recognition if any of these have graced your own nightstand:
"I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy
"Spare" by Prince Harry
"This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor" by Adam Kay
"Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It" by Richard Reeves
"Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage" by Stephanie Coontz
"Bullshit Jobs: A Theory" by David Graeber
"Spoonfed: Why almost everything we’ve been told about food is wrong" by Tim Spector
"Confessions of a 40-Something F**k Up" by Alexandra Potter
"If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood" by Gregg Olsen
"The 7 Ages of Death: A Forensic Pathologist's Journey Through Life" by Richard Shepherd
"Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup" by John Carreyrou
"Debt: The First 5,000 Years" by David Graeber
"The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work" by John M. Gottman
"Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession" by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela
"The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich" by Timothy Ferriss
"Personal Effects: What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living" by Robert A. Jensen
"Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam" by Vivek Ramaswamy
"Friendaholic: Confessions of a 40-something Best Friend Collector" by Elizabeth Day
"Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody" by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay
"Paris: The Memoir" by Paris Hilton
"The Exorcist" by William Peter Blatty
"Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity" by Dr. Peter Attia
"The Microstress Effect: How Small Stressors Add Up to Big Impact" by Karen Dillon and Rob Cross
"You can't joke about that: Why everything is funny, nothing is sacred, and we're all in this together" by Kat Timpf
"Ultra Processed People: How the Modern Diet Is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It" by Chris van Tulleken
"The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides
"Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity" by Kim Scott
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory" by Caitlin Doughty
"Life in Five Senses" by Gretchen Rubin
"The Body: A Guide for Occupants" by Bill Bryson
"The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store" by Cait Flanders
"Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know" by Malcolm Gladwell
"Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death" by Caitlin Doughty
"The Search: Find Meaningful Work" by Bruce Feiler
"Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" by Matthew Desmond
"The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments" by Hadley Vlahos
"The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again" by Catherine Price
"How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy" by Jenny Odell
"Everyone's Got A Story To Tell" by Nick Fisher
"Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks" by Ben Goldacre
"Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions" by Johann Hari
"Lying" by Sam Harris
"Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence" by Dr. Anna Lembke
"The Audacity: Why Being Too Much Is Exactly Enough" by Katherine Ryan
"The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity" by Douglas Murray
"Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention" by Johann Hari
"So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed" by Jon Ronson
"Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away" by Annie Duke
"Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life" by Rory Sutherland
"Levi's Unbuttoned: The Woke Mob Took My Job but Gave Me My Voice" by Jennifer Sey
"2030: How Today's Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything" by Mauro F. Guillen
"The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life" by Mark Manson
"Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain
"Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life" by Nir Eyal
"The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture" by Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté
"A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America" by Bruce Cannon Gibney
"How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between" by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner
"The Woman in Me" by Britney Spears
"Killing Moon" by Jo Nesbø
"Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet" by George Monbiot
"How to Stay Smart in a Smart World" by Gerd Gigerenzer
"Risk Savvy: How to Make Good Decisions" by Gerd Gigerenzer
"From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life" by Arthur C. Brooks
"The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society" by Mauro F. Guillen
"The Twat Files: A hilarious sort-of memoir of mistakes, mishaps and mess-ups" by Dawn French
"Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind" by Andy Dunn
"The 80/20 Principle: The Secret of Achieving More with Less" by Richard Koch
"Wanted -> A New Career: The Definitive Playbook for Transitioning to a New Career or Finding Your Dream Job" by Marlo Lyons
"How Not to Age: The Scientific Approach to Getting Healthier as You Get Older" by Michael Greger
"Last Rites: The Evolution of the American Funeral" by Todd Harra
"When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing" by Steven Pink
"Laziness Does Not Exist" by Devon Price Ph.D