The Books I Read in 2023
Mordy Golding
Helping humans leverage AI | Full Stack Product Leader | Ex-LinkedIn, Adobe | Founder | Advisor | Author
Sometime in 2016, I read in a NYT article that Bill Gates reads about 50 books a year. I love to read and aspired to do the same. But shocker: 2017 came and went and I think I read like 5 books. Clearly, I was going to need a strategy… the goal of 50 books wasn’t just going to happen on its own. And so my journey began with intent, reading 19 books in 2018, 26 in 2019, 27 in 2020, 30 in 2021, and 40 in 2022.?
So how did I do in 2023? I’ve had my best year yet: 41 books! Each year, I get one step closer to reaching 50. But even more shocking to myself, this means I’ve learned from 183 books over the past 6 years.?
In addition to just reading, I’ve also added a few things this year, both in terms of efforts to better retain what I’ve learned, and also to learn first-hand about the LinkedIn ecosystem. I’ve published my Read Learn Share newsletter, and I’ve also started a monthly LinkedIn LIVE series where I go deeper into what I learned in each book:
OK—let’s get to the list! Here’s the list of the 41 books I read in 2023, organized by genre, with the usual rating and review (1-5 where 5 is best).
Business/Professional Development
[Rating: 5] An incredible book by master Dan Ariely that unravels the mystery behind what makes humans believe in things, regardless of whether they are true or not. A must read.
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool
[Rating: 5] Fantastic book that breaks down the process for what it means to learn and gain new skills. If you truly want to learn how to learn (anything), read this book.
[Rating: 5] An eye-opening read that explains how people respond to the words you use, and how the words you choose can influence others in various ways. Incredibly insightful.
[Rating: 5] Need a jolt of positivity in your life? My mother had actually recommended the book and I have to say, it has completely changed my outlook. Want to know why I'm so positive? Read this book and find out!
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara
[Rating: 5] My colleague Rohan Rajiv recommended this book and I'm glad he did! The author was the general manager of the world's #1 restaurant. The stories are incredible and relatable, the journey is incredible, and the advice and takeaways are ever useful. I also follow Will on LinkedIn and suggest you do as well!
[Rating: 5] Ozan follows up his bestseller "How to Think Like a Rocket Scientist" with this gem that helps you realize how you already have all the tools you need to succeed.
[Rating: 5] Do you really need me to tell you to read a book by Seth Godin? You don't, but I'm telling you to anyway—especially so if you feel the weight of your organization is keeping you and your team from doing your best work.
Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That Is And What You Can Do About It by Steven Pressfield and Shawn Coyne
[Rating: 4] We often spend endless hours writing documents that no one ends up reading. It's time you spent your energy on learning how to write what people will want to read, and this book will help you get there.
The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you by Rob Fitzpatrick
[Rating: 4] Suggest by my friend James Raybould, this short book helps you focus on how to ask the right questions and get feedback from customers to help validate your ideas. Highly relevant.
A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman
[Rating: 4] Hari Srinivasan recommended this book from award-winning film producer Brian Grazer. The author suggests makign time to have "curiosity conversations" with people and I find the book inspiring and actionable.
How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between by Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner
[Rating: 4] It almost seems like projects coming in years late and billions over budget is the norm, but if you're honest, the same likely happens with projects closer to work and at home. This book gives actionable advice to ensure you become a master at delivering projects on time and on budget.
An Interview With Failure: Pull back the curtain, dissolve your fears, take a leap forward by Sam Yankelevitch
[Rating: 3] What's it like to have a conversation with failure? LinkedIn Learning Instructor Sam Yankelevitch talks about this topic that is often very difficult to face and helps you learn in an interesting and readable format.
[Rating: 3] LinkedIn Learning Instructor Todd Dewett teaches valuable leadership lessons through a fun and engaging story with echoes of a personal Pixar fave.
Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential by Tiago Forte
[Rating: 3] Tiago has become a wealth of productivity inspiration. This book gives tips on how to take notes and keep your thoughts organized.
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
[Rating: 3] Recommended by my friend Avi Singer, this book, somewhat similar to Carol Dweck's Mindset, helps you change your focus to the positive.
[Rating: 3] Can you imagine relocating your family to a new country to take on a new job, only to arrive and learn that you've now lost that job? Osnat weaves her personal journey with keys to an entrepreneurial approach to your career and your business.
Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior by David Hawkins
[Rating: 3] My colleague Susan Williams recommended this bestseller, which is a deep read. I found it to be an interesting way to think about what we spend time on thinking about and how we can change our approach.
[Rating: 3] This was the year of ChatGPT and this book was a fun experiment from Reid Hoffman. I found the book interesting because it gives you a peek into the mind of Reid on how he chooses to interact with AI. How I interact with ChatGPT today is likely due to the influence from this book.
Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present by Nick Trenton
[Rating: 2] Too often what prevents us from taking action is the constant overthinking we do. I was actually hoping for more from this book. It was ok, but maybe I'm overthinking it? ;)
Coaching From Essence: Create a Thriving Practice Doing Powerful Work With Clients You Love by Robert Ellis
[Rating: 2] I spent some time focusing on my coaching skills this year. Not because I'm a professional coach, but more because I'm a manager, and coaching is an important skill for managers to have. LinkedIn's internal L+D team provided some great coaching with Michael Bungay Stanier, and this was a decent follow up read for me.
Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp , John Zeratsky , and Braden Kowitz
[Rating: 2] As a Product leader, you want to move fast and test new ideas to see what sticks before investing too much time or resources. This book is a bit dated, but outlined the steps on how to take an idea and quickly get it to a point where you can get actionable feedback.
领英推荐
Personal Interest/Health
[Rating: 5] This book is a must read. We all want to be healthy, but there is so much out there on the topic that it's hard to know what to believe or where to start. This book has completely changed the way I think about my own personal health. More importantly, it has led me to act and change. I feel healthier and know that the actions I'm taking now will help me in the future.
[Rating: 5] I posted about losing a friend this year to a devastating brain injury. This incredible book, written by a brain scientist who realized she was having a stroke and wrote about her experience during the event and the 8 years it took for her to recover, helped me understand what my friend was going through, and helped me in the process as well.
[Rating: 4] All the talk this year about UFOs and how the government finally admitted publicly about them got me curious. This book, actually written by my cousin, is a fantastic history about the various intertwined government programs, some secret and some not so secret. Eye opening for sure as you learn about how much individual members of congress can influence vast programs.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby, Jeremy Leggatt
[Rating: 4] ChatGPT recommended this memoir when I was asking for books that would help me understand what my friend was going through after his brain injury. It's a short book, but so incredibly human that you immediately connect with the author (who sadly passed shortly after completing the book).
The Light of Reason: A Scientist's Inspiring Journey of Recovery and Finding the Value of Life by Tamar Jehuda Cohen
[Rating: 4] While researching books about brain injuries I came across this gem that offers a Jewish perspective on the value of life. The author, also a scientist, describes in incredibly vivid detail her own journey suffering a stroke and the many years that followed in her recovery. It's a riviting personal story that got my hopes up and changed my perspective.
How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger, M.D.
[Rating: 4] My colleague Erica Michel recommended this book after a discussion about embracing a plant-based diet. What I loved most about this book was the author's approach, who admits it took him and his family many many years to go completely plant-based. I found the book helpful as I embrace the idea of eating more plants, not ONLY plants. Very pragmatic.
[Rating: 4] A follow up to How Not to Die, this book focuses specifically on ways to approach eating that lead to healthy weight loss. I've found the advice easily actionable and personally satisfying.
Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! By David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker
[Rating: 3] Airplane! is probably my most favorite movie of all time, but I had no idea how it was the one movie that changed everything. This is a wonderful history of the people behind the groundbreaking film and how they made it happen. I also had no idea that the authors started with their own improv theater (Kentucky Fried Theater) and their first film was the classic Kentucky Fried Movie. The only reason for the lower rating here is because the format is written as an interview with the 3 authors, and wasn't as easy to read.
Biography/History
The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland
[Rating: 5] I visited Auschwitz this year and when I saw this bestselling book, I wanted to learn more about the incredible story about the man who managed to escape. The book is incredibly well-written and researched and having just been there, I was able to visualize the story with great detail and effect. An incredible story about survival.
Into the Black: The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her by Rowland White
[Rating: 5] I'm very much the space junkie—I still remember with clarity my father waking me up to watch the launch of the first Space Shuttle, Columbia. This book details everything leaading up to that launch and opened my eyes to how complex the program was, how important the Air Force was making the Shuttle possible, and so many other incredible details. I also found it incredible to learn how resourceful engineers and pilots can be when faced with challenges. I think I read this book in one setting—could not put it down.
The LEGO Story: How a Little Toy Sparked the World's Imagination by Jens Andersen
[Rating: 5] Who doesn't love LEGO? This book is the best account I've read about how the company started and documents its rises and falls throughout history. This book was so amazing and eye-opening that it inspired me to start my LinkedIn LIVE series where I just had to spend 30 minutes talking about all the things I learned from this book.
The Guns of August: The Outbreak of World War I by Barbara Tuchman
[Rating: 4] I'm a huge Barbara Tuchman fan and was looking to better understand how WWI started. It's incredible to learn about all that happened during that month of August and how close we were to the conflict being stopped before it began. Incredibly well written and researched.
World of Our Fathers: The Journey of the East European Jews to America and the Life They Found and Made by Irving Howe
[Rating: 4] As I continue to dive more into my paternal past, I am spending more and more time learning about what Jewish life in New York was like in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This book is a masterpiece that really helped me broadly understand all that was happening at the time, and about the daily experience of being an immigrant in America.
[Rating: 4] Tour guide Yehudah Geberer recommended this book during our trip to Poland earlier this year. Since my family comes from Russia/Lithuania and Hungary/Czechoslovakia, I never really took much time to learn about the rich Jewish history in Poland. This book really helped me understand what I experienced when we visited Warsaw.
[Rating: 4] It wasn't easy to find this book, but it is a classic masterpiece that details the history of Jews in America. I was surprised at how little I actually knew, and this book helped shape my new understanding on the topic.
[Rating: 4] The "discovery" of Penicillin is a story that's barely 100 years old. And yet it completely changed the course of human history. I never realized how the discovery coincided with WWII. This book also opened my eyes to the mechanics of drug development and funding, and how companies are incentivized in various ways. Fascinating read.
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel
[Rating: 4] I never understood why some watches say "chronometer" or why so many watches are branded for navigators until I read this book. A fascinating history of time, clocks, watches, astronomy, and the race to figure out how to accurately calculate longitude. I never realized the importance of so many aspects of travel, navigation, and time that today, we literally all take for granted.
Stitching a Life: An Immigration Story by Mary Helen Fien
[Rating: 3] Historical fiction, this book documents the journey of a Jewish immigrant from Russia coming to America in the late 1800s. As I begin to document my own family history, this book was enlightening and inspiring.
[Rating: 3] Much has already been written on this in-depth biography on one of today's most interesting people alive. I found the book incredibly detailed and augmented a lot of what I had learned from other sources as well (i.e. The Founders last year).
A Bintel Brief: Sixty Years of Letters from the Lower East Side to the Jewish Daily Forward by Isaac Metzker
[Rating: 2] A friend recommended this book, which is a compilation of letters published in the Jewish Daily Forward in the early 1900s. The original "Dear Abby", these letters help you get a feel for what immigrant life was like during those times.
If you’ve read this far, I’ve got a surprise for you…
Inspired by my friend James Raybould, here’s the list of all 183 books I’ve read over the past 6 years. You can download them and filter them any way you’d like to inform which books you’d like to add to your list!
Ok, now that I’ve shared my list, let’s see yours!
Anything here that you've read or want to read? What books should I read in 2024?
Let me know in the comments!
AI & Ethics & Rights & Justice | Educator | TEDx Speaker | Neurodivergent System Thinker | Dad
1 年If you're taking recommendations for 2024, here are a couple: Your Face Belongs to Us - Kashmir Hill Fire Weather - John Vaillant The Mountain In the Sea - Ray Nayler Doppelganger - Naomi Klein
Certified Naturalist
1 年I found this video by Tim Ferris’s compelling: https://youtu.be/YQOrqAKKcUQ?si=G860x8i78NkNm6wH
Visio expert | Business process consultant | Dynamic speaker and instructor | LinkedIn Learning Instructor | Book author | Educator at heart
1 年Thanks, once again, for your list, Mordy. As a neuroscience geek, I'm especially interested in your titles on that subject. Re penicillin: Lauren Belfer wrote a fascinating historical fiction account of WWII and penicillin called "A Fierce Radiance." Like your description of "The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat" I was fascinated to learn that penicillin was discovered years earlier but manufacturing it was so difficult that it didn't see significant use until that problem was solved around the time of WWII. Because it was so much more effective than anything that came before, it bred intrigue, spying, and bribery, and it had the power to affect the outcome of campaigns and the war. BTW, I read 38 books this year. My list tends to skew toward fiction -- about 2/3 -- but the other third is pretty diverse.
If someone helped you focus on the best in you, accept and move on from the worst in you, and always stood by your side, what then could you be?
1 年If you don't mind sharing, I would be interested to hear a more personal takeaway from your top books. For my top 3 Kuntres Avodah - Shalom DovBer Schneerson - the abc's of deep inner spiritual and emotional work. Permission to challenge myself to actually change who I am through prayer Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle - the confidence to let everything go that is not in front of me now in this moment, the conviction that such practice will lead to good, even in times of extreme pain and uncertainty Embracing Our Selves - Hal and Sidra Stone - meeting my emotions face to face and learning to see them and speak with them
Occupational Therapist Driving Wellness Through Neuroscience and Burnout Prevention I Founder and CEO of Hands On Approaches I Creator of Transcend?? Community
1 年Can’t wait to check out your list. Been reaching this goal myself for the past six years and definitely see the impact in my personal and professional development. Would love to catch your lives. How can I be notified?