Top 5 Books in 2024

In time for the Holidays

I read enough good books in 2024 to make a top 5 list just in time for the holiday season. In no particular order, here are my top 5 from 2024.

Top 5

• How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil

  • Great for hard facts on the energy sources and use for our modern society. Smil does the math on what it takes to sustain our society.

• Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness by Steve Magness

  • A modern look at what we have been shown as traditional “toughness”

• How Minds Change by Dave McRaney

  • A fascinating look at how we make decisions and how we can (potentially) change our minds. It helps the reader by giving them tactics to better understand how we make decisions.

• From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks

  • This is a great book for those with some more “life experience”. It goes into depth on the best way you can contribute and share your wisdom.

• The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easter

  • I enjoyed reading this book about pushing yourself into being uncomfortable and how it helps you grow as a person.

Runner-Up

• Poor Charlie’s Almanac by Charles T. Munger (Author), Warren Buffett (Foreword), John Collison (Foreword), Peter D. Kaufman (Editor)

  • I had this on my pile of books to read for a long time. With the passing of Munger, I decided to finally read it. It was a good read.

• Life is in The Transitions by Bruce Feiler

  • A nice reminder that change is constant. I found it refreshing to hear all the different stories from everyone.

Non Finance Books

I thought I would throw a couple of non-business/finance books out as I tend to read a few of them as well.

• Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad

  • I find readying about a completely different path than my own helps ground me and appreciate my circumstances. This book is memoir of someone going through a cancer diagnosis, remission and eventual re-entry into “normal” life as a young woman.

• Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc

  • It’s an interesting perspective on how Fairy Tales shape how we see the world. The authors path is one that is very different from my own and I appreciate her perspective.

What were your favorite books this year? I would love to hear about them.

Thanks for reading.

Dean