As a kid, I was a huge reader.
I would take baths and read for hours.
(Mom, I’m still sorry about dropping Cat’s Cradle into the tub and absolutely destroying it.)
Then I went to law school.
People told me I’d love law school because I enjoyed arguing and proving I was right—which, to be fair, I did. What they didn’t tell me was that law school would completely kill my love of reading for about ten years.
It wasn’t until COVID—and our 13-month cross-country road trip—that I finally fell back in love with books. (The lack of new TV and movies probably helped.)
Now, while I’m 100% certain that reading 170-something books in a year isn’t the healthiest behavior…
…it beats a lot of other vices.
“170 Books a Year?! HOW?!”
This is the question I get asked most, so let’s start here:
- I don’t “read” all of them—many are audiobooks
- I get ~10,000 steps a day, usually with a 45–60 minute audiobook walk
- I listen at 3x speed
- I trained myself to read faster without pretending speed-reading is real
- Most books aren’t that long—many nonfiction books are ~4 hours for me
- The average American watches ~5 hours of TV a day
- Research shows TV delivers the lowest happiness return per hour
If you have:
- a 1-hour daily commute
- even half the average TV time (2.5 hours)
- 30–60 minutes for movement
You can easily fit 1–2 hours of audiobooks + 30–60 minutes of reading and still watch TV.
One more tip:
If I really like an audiobook and want to implement it, I buy the physical copy and marginalia the hell out of it. Ryan Holiday has great thoughts on this practice (highly recommend looking it up).
Most books give me an idea or a quote—and audio is perfect for that.
But for the books that change how I think?
I need the physical copy.
Life is how we spend our time—so if you want to spend more of it reading, here’s where I’d start.
Caveats Before the List
- First-time reads only
- Read this year (publication date irrelevant)
- I did not include my book (Love Your Law Firm)—I’m biased
- This is not really in order… until the end
- No fiction or parables
- It’s not actually a Top 10—it’s 10-ish
- The order doesn’t matter… until it does
Okay. Enough lists.
Actually—one more list.
My Best Books of 2024 (10-ish)
1. Talk Like TED – Carmine Gallo
Making Numbers Count – Chip Heath & Karla Starr
What They’re About
How to communicate ideas clearly—whether on stage, in data, or in stories. Think: turning numbers into meaning people actually remember.
The Problem They Solve
Making your presentations better—pitches, podcasts, content, courtrooms, conversations with humans.
Who Should Read Them
Anyone who communicates.
So… everyone.
2. The Courage to Be Disliked – Kishimi & Koga
Discipline Is Destiny – Ryan Holiday
The Things You Only See When You Slow Down – Haemin Sunim
How to Be Perfect – Michael Schur
What They’re About
A crash course in philosophy, stoicism, Buddhism, and humor—without being unbearable.
The Problem They Solve
Defining “success” and a good life on your terms.
Who Should Read Them
Anyone seeking intentional living.
And listen to How to Be Perfect—the Good Place cast makes appearances and it’s fantastic.
3. The Art of Thinking Clearly – Rolf Dobelli
The Organized Mind – Daniel J. Levitin
What They’re About
How we trick ourselves—and how to stop.
The Problem They Solve
Cognitive bias, decision fatigue, mental clutter.
Also: a junk-drawer explanation that genuinely changed how I see life.
Who Should Read Them
Anyone who wants to think better and screw up less.
4. Trillion Dollar Coach – Eric Schmidt et al.
What It’s About
The life and lessons of Bill Campbell—the coach behind Google, Apple, and Steve Jobs.
The Problem It Solves
What real leadership looks like—and how to build people, not just results.
Who Should Read It
Leaders, coaches, and anyone responsible for other humans.
5. The Singularity Is Nearer – Ray Kurzweil
What It’s About
AI, biotech, nanotech—and the future that’s already here.
The Problem It Solves
Feeling behind the pace of technology.
Who Should Read It
Anyone running a business in the next decade.
6. The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz
What It’s About
Business… without the sugarcoating.
The Problem It Solves
Every book that pretends leadership is easy.
Who Should Read It
Entrepreneurs who are in the hard part—and wondering why it feels hard.
7. The Culture Code – Daniel Coyle
What It’s About
Why some teams thrive—and others implode.
The Problem It Solves
Building trust, cohesion, and sustainable culture.
Who Should Read It
Leaders. Especially if you are the middle management.
My Top 3 (In Order)
8. The Creative Act – Rick Rubin
This book rewired how I think about creativity, business, and process.
It’s Andy Warhol’s Factory energy—without killing the soul.
Who Should Read It
Everyone. We are all creatives.
9. Die With Zero – Bill Perkins
A book about balancing money, time, and meaning—before it’s too late.
Who Should Read It
Anyone saving everything for “someday.”
10. Fluke – Brian Klaas
This book changed how I see existence—multiple times.
Chance matters.
What you do still matters more.
Who Should Read It
Everyone.
Seriously. Read this book.
I need more people to talk to about it.
Wrapping It Up
Books entertain, challenge, and quietly reshape us. These 10-ish did all three for me in 2024.
If a book changed how you think this year, I’d love to hear about it.
Until then—
Keep your bookshelf full and your mind open.