I read 50 books in 2023 and here are my 16 favorite
Hello friends,
I read a lot of books, and I hope you enjoy this list of my favorites from last year. Drop a note if you’ve read any of these and have thoughts you want to share!
My 16 favorite books of 2023
(I started to organize these but then figured, that’s going to take a long time and you don’t really care, so I alphabetized them for your viewing pleasure.)
Amoralman by Derek Delgaudio. Crazy story, which I learned about by watching what has to be the best ‘magic’ show I’ve ever seen.
Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein. I’ve been trying to soak up everything I can on how Buffett and Munger (RIP) built Berkshire Hathaway since I founded Purpose Group in 2022.
Holly by Stephen King. I don’t read a ton of fiction — other than the Timmy Failure books I’ve been reading with my 11-year old, which are so fun :) — but every year I read whatever Stephen King and John Sandford (see below) put out, and they rarely disappoint.
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. All I can say is: WOW. I highly recommend the audiobook.
I’m Not Yelling by Elizabeth Leiba. This book was so good that I recorded a podcast episode with the person who gifted it to me.
Jeff Bezos: Invent and Wander by Walter Isaakson. I really appreciate the long-term thinking that Bezos (and Buffett) have.
Judgment Prey by John Sandford.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. I read this on our family trip to France this summer, along with my 18-year-old, in anticipation of the movie coming out. The book was fantastic. The movie was…ok.
Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths to Transform Your Workplace by Mita Malick. I gifted this book to more people in 2023 than any other, and I even had the chance to interview Mita on my podcast!
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. Just about every year, I re-read this one.
The Life Brief by Bonnie Wan. Bonnie is so incredible, and this book is so powerful that I had to bring her back on my podcast to talk to her about it.
We are never meeting in real life and Wow, no thank you by Samantha Irby. I’m not sure I’ve ever laughed harder than when I read these books. I’m now devouring everything Samantha Irby has written.
Honorable mention
The books listed below were some of my favorites, however, they’re also Ripples Media (my publishing company) books, so in the spirit of not being totally and completely biased, I thought I’d list them here in the hopes that you’ll check them out (and trust me that I wouldn’t list them here if I didn’t love them!)
Disruptor by Alex Gonzalez.
The Conquering Creative by William Warren.
You Get the Agency You Deserve by Jared Belsky.
Honorable(r) mention
I technically finished this book on like Jan 2 of 2024, so I can’t include it in this list, but…it’s so freaking good that I can’t stop recommending it, so here is what I bet will be my favorite book read in 2024:
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara.
I probably love this book partly because I’m obsessed with The Bear (second only to Succession on my all-time favorite TV shows list.) I have a podcast coming out about it soon :)
The Point
I love to read, and I hope you enjoy some of these book recommendations. Please do share some of your favorites from last year.
Oh, and as always, I hope you’re happy.
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