My Favorite Books of 2022

I love reading. I love learning new things, taking on new perspectives, putting myself in someone else's shoes, tapping into the wisdom that humanity has accumulated over the years. Since I mostly read non-fiction, I learn many applicable things that make my life better. Yet I never feel like I read enough.

There was this interesting blog post that came to my attention some 5 years ago called The Tail End (https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/12/the-tail-end.html). Among other thought-provoking things, it says that if you have 50 years of life left and read 10 books per year, you will only get to read 500 more books. There are at least 150 million books out there, so even if you read 10 times that, you would still only get to 0.003% of all the available books. To make matters worse (or better), there's thousands of new titles published worldwide every single day.

This idea really struck me and ever since I have become much more selective about the books I read. First, I very rarely read newly released titles unless it's either by an author that I admire or it's been highly recommended to me by someone whose opinion I deeply value - I believe in time-tested things. Second, I take notes of any recommendations I get, I often read the 'Favorite Books of the Year' lists of people I admire or trust, and then compile all this into my to-read list. There are currently 110 books on that list.

This year I've decided to share my 'Best Books of 2022' list for the first time. There is a chance it will inspire someone to read a great book. But more importantly, I want to ask you to share your favorite books of all time or of 2022 in the comments. Especially if, after reading my list, you think that there's a book I would love.

This year I've read 36 books, approximately 11000 pages in total. The longest at 650 pages was The Good Soldier Schweik by Czech writer Jaroslav Ha?ek (we've read this one simultaneously with my 10-year-old son Povilas, a nice bonding exercise), while the shortest at 96 pages was Captivating History of Argentina that got me ready for the trip to this wonderful country.

Out of those, the books that have impressed or inspired me the most in 2022 were:

Atomic Habits by James Clear

This book has inspired me to start and track some small yet powerful habits this year (one of those - reading for at least 20 minutes every day - has helped me read 36 books this year vs 19 last year). I can feel the huge impact they've had on me over a prolonged period of time. One of the main ideas of the book is: 'Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years.' Also: 'Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.' The books is full of practical advice, inspiration, and even philosophical bits.

Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius, The Philosopher King, was once the most powerful man on earth as the ruler of the Roman Empire. He was also a humble, self-reflective, and very self-aware person. This book is a collection of notes that Marcus Aurelius wrote to himself almost 2000 years ago, very likely hoping that they would remain private. We are lucky, however, that these have survived until today and we get to read the most intimate thoughts of a truly great man. Some are admonitions to himself, some are observations, others are inspirations. I find Marcus Aurelius one of the most inspiring historical figures and will for sure re-read this many more times over my lifetime.

Good Strategy / Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters by Richard Rummelt

As the business that I'm the CEO of has been acquired by a leading PE fund, we are in the process of reviewing and updating our strategy. This book is the best one I have read on what strategy is, what it is not, and how to build a good one for your company.

Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday

I enjoy Ryan Holiday as an author and admire the Stoic philosophy that he has introduced me to some time ago with my favorite book of his - 'Ego is the Enemy'. This book is a very nice compilation of the biographies of the most notable Stoics, both their teachings and the anecdotes from their lives. 'Learn. Apply. Learn. Apply. Learn. Apply. This is the Stoic way.'

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

I have first read this book some 5 years ago but have been wanting to re-read it since. We humans tend to think we are quite rational, that we make choices through some sort of analysis, that we can control our biases, and that we tend to opt for the best choices. FALSE. Daniel Kahneman has won the Nobel prize for his groundbreaking work in Behavioral Economics. In quite a simplified way, Kahneman says that we have two modes of thought: 'System 1' that is fast, instinctive, and emotional, and 'System 2' that is slower, more logical, and more deliberate. Unless we force ourself to use 'System 2', most of our simple everyday and even complex long-term decisions will be made by 'System 1'. And guess what - System 1 is lazy and often looks for the solution that demands the least effort. The book is an overview of various research projects and studies that keep surprising. I'm sure you've heard of such terms as 'priming', 'loss aversion', 'anchoring', 'availability bias' etc - it's all explained in detail in this book, all evidence-based. It both makes you more self-aware and is very applicable in many real-life situations. I will probably read it once again some time in the future.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon that has been diagnosed with lung cancer. He was also a talented writer that we will not get to read enough of. It's a very intimate autobiography full of philosophical thoughts of a young person that has all his life's dreams cut short. Life's fragile and we have to cherish every moment of it because you can never be sure how much of it you have left. What also struck me in this book, was Kalanithi's thoughts on how to spend the rest of his life: 'The way forward would seem obvious, if only I knew how many months or years I had left. Tell me three months, I’d spend time with family. Tell me one year, I’d write a book. Give me ten years, I’d get back to treating diseases. The truth that you live one day at a time didn’t help: What was I supposed to do with that day?' What would I do in such a situation?

The Future is Faster Than You Think by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler

I have been given this book as a gift and what a gift it was. Diamandis is the cofounder and the executive chairman of Singularity University. Together with writer Steven Kotler they discuss exponential technologies and how they will save or at least change the world. One of the key takeaways for me is that we don't really understand or at least tend to underestimate exponential growth. Think of data storage or computing power and how it has exploded over the years. Diamandis and Kotler overview the exponential technologies that are still in relatively early stages - AI, self-driving cars, solar electricity, etc - but that will change the world. I found this book both inspiring and providing hope that the world will not only continue to be a great place to live but will even get better. It struck the optimist note with me.

What were your best reads this year? Please share in the comments.