With 2024 coming to an end, I like to do a look back and reflect on the year about to pass before starting to think about the year ahead. I read some great books in 2024. Below I’ve listed some of the highlights, in no particular order.
- Snowball, by Alice Shroeder.
I love business biographies. This year I read ones on Michael Dell, Yvon Chouinard (Patagonia’s founder), Jamie Dimon, and Warren Buffett. The Buffett one was my favourite. He has a carefully crafted public image and I thought this book did a good job of providing a more balanced overview of his life. He is a unique individual with a fascinating story.
- War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy.
Last year I decided I wanted to tackle one famous piece of literature a year and started in 2024 with War and Peace. “Tackle” is the right word since it’s a long and dense read. I ended up enjoying it more than I expected. What I found fascinating, is how consistent the themes in human nature are. I kept thinking, here I am reading a novel written by a Russian author in the 1860’s and the humour, interpersonal conflict, familial and marriage dynamics, are unbelievably relatable. With the breakthroughs in AI and so much discussion on the acceleration of technological change, I took some comfort from being reminded that while technology changes humans remain largely the same.
- War of Kings, Brandon Sanderson.
If you’re a fan of nerdy, fantasy novels, the Sanderson series is very good. A definite ‘page-turner’ and super enjoyable. This felt like Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones level quality.
- Far from the tree, by Andrew Solomon.
I read fewer books on parenting than I expected to with Henry being born this year. One book I did read and recommend, was Far From the Tree, which covers the topic of how families accommodate children with physical, mental, and social disabilities and differences. It was pretty eye-opening and empathy building.