Favorite Reads of 2024

A lot happened in 2024 and a lot changed, but there were still plenty of great books that were released that are worth taking a look at.

I've picked my 3(4) favorite buys of the year to share with you, with a deep dive into my favorite.

Nexus

Number one on my recommendations this year is “Nexus” by Yuval Noah Harari. I find his analysis of the risks to humanity from AI to be compelling and something that I am very interested in, so I will share some detailed thoughts on it below. The book is not filled with dramatic fear-mongering, but is a thoughtful exploration of what will change for us and what we (all) should be doing right now.

For me this is a clear-eyed perspective on our AI-infused future, and in particular why it is so critical that we prioritize the right self-correcting mechanisms to maintain balance with the increasing power that AI will have.

The Future of Geography

My second recommendation is Tim Marshall’s “The Future of Geography”. Even in the 6 months since I read this, the intensity of geopolitical conflict has increased and there have been several news stories about how different countries are increasing their military posture in space. Undoubtedly space will be the next theatre for great-power competition and “Future” gives a taste of what that will look like for us all.

I particularly like how the book takes the concept of "astropolitics," to explore how the geopolitical dynamics we know on Earth are extending into outer space. One of the key takeaways for me is how space has its own sense of "geography" and strategic locations, much like Earth - low Earth orbit, the Moon's mineral-rich surface, and the gravitational corridors that could become crucial for future space travel and resource extraction

Marshall's engaging writing style is familiar from his other books (and my favorite "Prisoners of Geography"), and when combined with his expert interpretation of geopolitics, makes "The Future of Geography" a compelling read on the future of international relations and the pivotal role space will play.

Unruly and Wanderlust

Third is a tie between “Unruly” by David Mitchell and “Wanderlust”. Totally different concepts, but both equally captivating books.

"Unruly" is an energetic journey through medieval Britain, exploring the lives of the kings and queens who made it so unbearable for the rest. Mitchell's typical dry humor and well-researched stories reveal these royals as both totally human and entirely alien. The book is a fast-paced history of England's monarchs, filled with bizarre ascensions, excessive beheadings, and uncivil wars. It's a must-read for anyone interested in a humorous yet insightful look at England's past

"Wanderlust" is a different type of journey, showcasing the most amazing hikes in North America with practical guidance, beautiful photography and detailed routes. Perfect inspirational gift for someone who loves the great outdoors, and it inspired us to take on Half Dome in Yosemite earlier this year. Hands down ranks as the single greatest day hike I've ever done.

Deeper into the future

What about Nexus? If you’ve seen my other reading retrospectives, you know I like the way that Harari challenges us to think differently.

In Nexus, I particularly like how he puts the AI revolution in the context of previous “information network” revolutions such as the printing press, and how each of these has been the catalyst for major historical changes. The key premise is that throughout history, humans have relied on information networks based on human-to-human chains (stories, verbal instructions) or human-to-document chains (book-based religions, bureaucracies). The advent of computers, and AI specifically, introduces two new classes of information networks: computer-to-human and computer-to-computer chains. Computers are now uniquely capable of creating and deciding independently - something that documents cannot do, as they always need a human to interpret. Computer-to-human chains already exist, most obviously in driving social media networks; but so do some computer-to-computer chains, such as the interconnected algorithms that drive search results.

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So what? What does that really mean for us individually and as humanity?

My main takeaways from the book:

• New intersubjective realities: In "Sapiens," Harari explains how the stories we tell each other and collectively believe give rise to intersubjective realities such as money, gods, and nation-states. With the advent of computer-human and computer-computer information networks, entirely new realities may be created and believed - beyond ones that humans create for themselves.
• This is just the start: Harari suggests focusing less on whether GPT-5 will be orders of magnitude better than GPT-4, and more on the fact that we are only 80 years into the evolution of this information technology. He draws a parallel to Mesopotamia 80 years after people started pressing sticks into wet clay and recording transactions - there was no way of imagining what writing and money would become over the subsequent 5000 years.
• Who has control: The soon-to-arrive network of billions of AI agents is unlikely to be intrinsically good or bad, but it will be fallible and extremely difficult for humans to understand. The question therefore is can we create a political and governance system that keeps this in check in parallel to this technology evolving, or will it outpace our abilities to control it, reaching a dystopia before we have the chance to build the guardrails?

Maybe most importantly, while the history of human information networks has been about getting a balance between truth and order, it has been repeatedly shown that more information does not equal greater truth. For democratic conversations to continue - and democracies themselves - Harari makes a compelling case that the balance between truth and order needs to allow more of both. Number one action for that? Control the slop that bots are creating and polluting our networks with.?

One quote from the book worth leaving you with: Civilizations are born from the marriage of bureaucracy and mythology. The computer-based network is a new type of bureaucracy that is far more powerful and efficient than any human-based bureaucracy we’ve seen before. This network is likely to create inter-computer mythologies that are more complex and alien than any human-made god. The potential benefits of this network are enormous. The potential downside is the destruction of human civilization.

Each of these books is a work of art in its own right, but if you are going to read one to keep you ahead of the curve, I think Nexus is definitely worth it.

So what have you been reading and what do you recommend next for me?