What to Read to Be Great
So far this year I’ve read 136 books, and I´m on track to reach over 250 books in 2024.
So far this year I’ve read 136 books, and I´m on track to reach over 250 books in 2024.
No, this newsletter isn´t just to brag about my incredible dedication to reading and storytelling, but to share some of my favorite books this year.
I read just about anything interesting to me, as well as ideas I might not agree on. I make a conscious effort to get input from different viewpoints and opinions and also understand why some books do well - while others flop. I might be doing some research for a future project. 👀
I´ll split the books into three categories; fiction, non-fiction, and history & politics. I´ll also give you a short sentence or two for each book so you can get a sense of why you should read them
Fiction
Red Rising series - Pierce Brown
Yes, the whole series. All 6 books. Game of Thrones meets Hunger Games in space. It´s f**** fantastic. Society is caste-based, and segregated by color. My average rating for this series is 8 out of 10, some books being so good I already want to read them again.
Dark Matter - Blake Crouch
Are you happy in your life? An amazing science fiction book with endless alternate universes. Crouch hits on all the emotions in this book and keeps the suspense for all 398 pages.
You can also watch the series on Apple TV+, it´s also great!
Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
Yes, we are back in space and the world is going to freeze to death. This was my third Andy Weir book in 2 months and it´s my favorite. One of the best books I´ve read this year. The main character and his new friend save Earth after A LOT of difficulties.
The Martian - Andy Weir
Another journey in Space and another Andy Weir book. This book became the blockbuster movie with the same name. If you have ever wondered how much living alone on Mars sucks - here you have your answer. Weir´s storytelling and humor are great.
Non-fiction
The Bed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb
One of two books I have given a perfect score this year. Procrustes was a man who made his visitors fit his bed to perfection by either stretching them or cutting their limbs. Yes, morbid, but Taleb’s view is that humans are being modified to fit technology, reality being bent to fit economic models, diseases being invented to sell drugs, and the breadth of intelligence being limited to what can be tested in a classroom. It´s funny, intelligent and a must-read.
Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb
The other book that has a perfect score this year. Both are by the same author. Taleb is just as funny and intelligent in this book as in The Bed of Procrustes. His insights and reflections are mind-blowingly good and you will find yourself saying “aahaaa!” and laughing every other sentence.
Ultra-Processed People - Chris van Tulleken
Please stop eating machine chemicals. You have evolved to eat real food, not factory-produced chemicals and machine oils (yes, you are actually consuming machine oils). This book is great and gives you a lot of insights to the food industry. I promise you will shop differently next time you visit the grocery store.
Reflections on the Guillotine - Albert Camus
France kept the death sentence with the guillotine for a long, long time. This book by Camus had me reflecting on some big questions in life. Highly recommend.
Ready, Fire, Aim - Michael Masterson
Man makes plans and God laughs. Action beats planning every time. In life and in business. Although this book is geared towards business owners and scaling, there are valuable life lessons in this book.
How to Die - Seneca
In continuation of Monday´s newsletter - a little reminder of your death. Seneca was a stoic philosopher and his books live on almost 2000 years later. The man had some early wisdom! In this book, he reflects on death and how to meet it, as we all eventually will.
Bad Therapy - Abigail Shrier
Stop sending your kids to therapy. Yes, seriously. Too much therapy and too little life experience lead to devastating results. It´s normal to feel down, it´s normal to go through adversity, it´s normal to feel like life is tough. It´s extremely important that kids, and you, deal with the real world and not just your own emotional realm. Read this book! (PS; take away phones and tablets. They are not okay)
Black Box Thinking - Matthew Syed
What is most important; blame or progress? Take a look inside the highest-performing organizations in the world and see how they think. Why do accept repeated medical errors, while having anxiety about flying airplanes with an astounding lower fail rate? This is an eye-opening book!
Confessions of an Advertising Man - David Ogilvy
Today’s marketers have a lot to learn from the OGs. Ogilvy changed the industry and in this book, he breaks down his best tips and learnings.
Never Finished - David Goggins
You are capable of so much more than you think. Goggins might be “too much” for a lot of people, but this book was great. It gets you fired up and helps you on your path to growth.
History & Politics
The War on the West - Douglas Murray
What is happening to the West? We are tearing down statues, banning people from universities and we are eliminating our fundamental values. You might not agree with everything Murray writes, but this book is important.
White Pill - Michael Malice
Communism. The fantasy world with never-ending green fields where we all live in harmony. Yeah, not exactly how communism works, is it? This book looks at how corrupt a nation and system can get, and who benefits. Malice takes a hard look at the Soviet Union and dismantles all arguments for a similar system. Highly recommend!
Catch 67 - Eylon Levy
Oh boy, touchy subject, but here we go. The Israel - Palestine conflict is still ongoing and has been for a long time. Longer than your local news source cares to tell you. The conflict is both fundamental and religious, and will never be resolved. That´s the harsh truth. This book talks about both sides, religion and history. It´s the fourth book I´ve read on the conflict, and it´s the most balanced one.
Lisbon - Neill Lochery
So far, the biggest cliche of the year. I stayed in Lisbon for a month earlier this year and got inspired to read about the city’s history. And wow, Portugal and Lisbon are so interesting. Lisbon is a huge melting pot of cultures and has a lot of history. Loved the city, loved the book. Recommend both!
Ghost on the Throne - James S. Romm
For history buffs and nerds. This book talks about the events after Alexander the Great’s death. Who should sit on the throne? Do you really want to follow such an iconic figure and rule in his shadow? While others saw it as their chance to take back or conquer new land. It´s a great book, and the title alone makes it worth it.
That is in total 19 recommendations, with a total of 25 books in total. That´s a lot of books and they might not all be for you, but I’m sure you can find something you like!
Have you read something great this year? Send me all your recommendations!