Books I enjoyed in 2023
Thanks to an ever-growing number of fantastic podcasts and a treasure trove of learning material on AI on Youtube, my overall reading in 2023 was down ~20% YoY. That said, I did read/listen to some really good books that I wanted to share with everyone. Hope you enjoy them if you decide to give them a try.
“The Dog that reads”
Non-Fiction
I consume non-fiction content almost exclusively through audiobooks. Specifically I listen to these books on Audible, Libby (my local library audiobook service) and more recently through audiobooks on Spotify Premium.
1. Build by Tony Fadell - Tony, of the iPod and Nest fame writes a must-read for product builders. If you have been in the product space, tt doesnt tell you anything you dont know but it packages it all together in an easy to read, well organized book that draws heavily from Tony's experience at General Magic, Apple and Nest.
2. Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish - If you havent been reading Shane's excellent writing and interviews through Farnham Street, you are missing something. Shane has a clear grasp of the foundational tools professionals need to be successful (and many that we need in managing our personal lives too). "Clear Thinking" follows his multi-volume tome on Mental Models (one of the best on the topic) and I cant recommend it enough. I just finished it a few days ago and am still thinking about it.
3. Chip War by Chris Miller - This book was written before the explosion in AI tech. And it could not be more prescient. It dives deep into the history of semiconductors - of Shockley, Fairchild, Intel, Nvidia, TSMC and more. It is about geopolitics as much as it is about technology. As someone living in the Bay Area and having worked on consumer electronics products for two decades, this book is a must-read.
4. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin - This is my surprise non-fiction pick. It is a fun and deeply philosophical listen by uber-creative Rick Rubin. It challenges a lot of preconceived notions on what constitutes creative work and how we approach it. The printed book is lovely and I own a copy. The audiobook narrated by Rick Rubin himself is just as much fun and meditative.
Fiction
I consume fiction through books purchased on my Kindle and/or books borrowed from the local library via Libby. Sometimes (usually when I travel) I pick up a paperback during my travels and read it on flights and in hotels during bedtime. Most of the physical books I buy these days are rare to find and/or limited edition prints. I have two very different recommendations for fiction this year. Of the half a dozen fiction books I read in 2023, two of them have stayed in my mind and they couldnt be any more different from each other.
1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - This is the biggest fantasy book on 2023 and rightfully so. The plot is pretty straightforward from fantasy fiction standpoint but the story moves at a breakneck pace and you are deeply invested in it before you realize it. My 15yo and I enjoyed it equally and cant wait to read the recently released sequel, Iron Flame. Our only gripe is that the book pushes on the sexual chemistry between the protagonists a tad more than we would have liked because it is not very integral to the plot.
2. Chess Story by Stefan Zweig - I picked up a paper copy of this classic 1941 novella/short story during a summer trip and could not have imagined what I was in for. It is less than 100 pages but there is so much it packs in that it stays with you for a long time. It is about chess, it is about people, it is about the war and it is about so much more. Highly recommended.
3. Bonus Mention: Atlas Six and Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake - I stopped short of recommending these for one reason. While the plot is intriguing and quite fascinating, the book periodically devolves into many pages of quite boring philosophy that gets tiring. As a sci-fi story and plot construction, I love it. As an attempt at bigger things, I found it lacking. But a solid set of books nevertheless. I look forward to finishing the trilogy when the Atlas Complex comes out early next year.