7 Books to Read This Year

I love the magic of a good book and how reading helps you discover and learn about new places, perspectives, and people. It’s become a tradition for me to share my book recommendations each year, because I appreciate all the great suggestions I get in return. If you enjoy getting absorbed in a good book, here are some of my favorites from last year to add to your list. Don’t forget to share your recommendations with me in the comments too!

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson?

I’m not sure if “binge reading” is a thing, but that’s how I’d best describe what I did when Walter Isaacson released his book about Elon Musk in September. By November, when I attended a fireside chat with Isaacson to promote his new book, I’d finished the 680-page biography.??

Like most people who work in or follow tech, I was familiar with Musk and many of his companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, the Boring Company, and X (formerly Twitter). What I found fascinating was Isaacson’s full access for two years to Musk and the behind-the-scenes look he gives readers, including the acquisition of Twitter. Isaacson has been criticized for a lack of objectivity after spending so much time with Musk, but personally, I found his writing fair and nuanced. I didn’t end up liking Musk more or less after reading the book, but I did have a deeper understanding of him.

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

After traveling to Jeju Island in Korea, several people recommended See’s novel about haenyeo, the women sea divers, who have a rich history of harvesting abalone, octopus, and other sea life on the island. The women are known for their independent spirit and represent the traditional matriarchal society in Jeju.?

The story takes place over seven decades and follows the friendship of Mi-ja and Young-sook, starting in their childhood through their elderly years. In their lifetime, they experience the Japanese occupation of Jeju, World War II, the Korean War and division of the country between North and South, and cultural changes through generations. It’s a beautiful story about a life-long friendship that endures several phases of Mi-ja and Young-sook’s lives including marriage, children (and eventually grandchildren and great-grandchildren), moves, deaths, war, and political differences.?

Bitter Brew: The Rise & Fall of Anheuser-Busch by William Knoedelseder?

Bud Light made headlines throughout this year, as sales fell following a boycott from customers after an influencer campaign and a botched response to the backlash. This book covers the history of Anheuser-Busch well before this year’s controversy, beginning in 1852 when the brewery was founded by Adolphus Busch, an immigrant from Germany.

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says, “wealth does not pass three generations.” The thinking goes that the first generation builds wealth, the second is inspired to preserve it after seeing their parents’ hard work, and the third generation squanders it since they never witnessed the work it took to build it.

Anheuser-Busch was led by a dynasty of Busch family members over 156 years through two world wars, Prohibition, and the Great Depression, to become the “King of Beers.” After decades as the world’s largest brewery, it eventually faced declining growth until InBev acquired the company in a hostile takeover in 2008. The book covers the rise and eventual decline of the iconic American brand and the family heartbreak, scandals, and tragedies of the Busch family over five generations.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

I decided to read Frankl’s memoir about surviving the Holocaust, after seeing it recommended again and again in a Twitter thread about influential books (I suppose there is still some good on Twitter).? Frankl, a psychiatrist, shares his personal account of surviving four Nazi concentration camps, and losing his parents, brother, and wife. It's a sad and tragic story of course, but Frankl’s resilience and perspective through devastating circumstances are inspiring and made me grateful for my own life.

Frankl writes "...everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” During one of the most difficult times in human history, Frankl persevered to not only find meaning in his own suffering, but to help fellow Holocaust survivors.?

Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott

I read Kim Scott’s book about how to build successful teams for the second time last year. Scott’s leadership philosophy, which she calls “radical candor” centers on personally caring about employees, so you can challenge each other directly, in order to create accountability and teams that deliver results.

I find Scott’s approach helpful and her personal experience from years at Google, Apple, and coaching CEOs, are relatable and useful. The book is broken into two sections — the first covers Scott’s leadership philosophy and the second is a how-to handbook. I continue to reference her guidance when soliciting and giving feedback, collaborating on big decisions, interviewing, and structuring team meetings. Her book is a practical guide to management and building a successful team.

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

McConaughey’s book is part memoir, part guide to life, and part a collection of stories from diaries he’s kept for decades. He shares personal stories from his childhood in Uvalde, Texas, film school at the University of Texas at Austin, and his quick rise to celebrity after starring in Dazed and Confused at?22 years old.?

McConaughey’s optimistic charm shines through in his writing as he shares his philosophy to catch more “greenlights” in life, which he explains as being a way of “things in our life that affirm our way, they say ‘go, proceed, more, please carry on.’ While yellow and red lights make us slow down in life — they can be crises, hardship, intervention, interruption.”?He reminds readers that yellow and red lights eventually turn green too. From a turbulent childhood to a behind-the-scenes look at movies he’s starred in including A Time to Kill, Dallas Buyers Club, and Wolf of Wall Street, McConaughey’s book is a candid story from one of Hollywood’s most versatile stars, and is filled with wisdom from a life well lived.?

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People & the 8th Habit by Stephen Covey

Reading Stephen Covey’s timeless principles from his classic book is somewhat like watching a movie over and over, and picking up on new details each time. This time, I found the 8th habit, “find your voice and inspire others to find theirs” particularly helpful. Covey shares lots of helpful advice and examples about empathy, patience, building trust, and serving others. When dealing with circumstances beyond your control, Covey suggests thinking about the best you can do under the circumstances and to ask yourself, “what can I contribute?” I find this so simple, yet very powerful, as we all face big and small circumstances each day that we cannot change. I continue to re-read Covey’s book every few years, because I always pick up something new, and find his advice easy to understand, but difficult to master.