The Best Books I Read in 2023
2023 has been maddening. I went through writer’s block. I went through reader’s block and I went through designer’s block. There has been so many things happening that I couldn’t keep a track of what’s happening.
I didn’t read much. And whatever I read has been a fair mix of fiction and non-fiction. Also, I guess I DNFed (did not finish) many books this year. So, lost some reading hours there. I don’t keep a track of those, though,
Check all my book recommendations here
This article lists the 10 books I found worth recommending this year. These books would be helpful to writers and marketers, and others in the business/corporate world.
Table of Contents
The Mom Test
The Mom Test is a quick, practical guide about talking to customers. It focuses on the practical approach instead of theories and best practices.
It's a walkthrough of the interviewing process, how to find and approach a customer, how to take notes, and how to implement the conversation into building a real product. Rob squeezed the entire customer interview process into this practical handbook of customer conversations.
Absolutely recommended for startup founders and product managers. It's short and easy to read.
Check: 38 Mom Test Quotes and Rules to Abide By
Four Thousand Weeks
Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers and psychologists, Four Thousand Weeks is an entertaining, but profound guide to time. Although it sounds like a book on productivity, is philosophical. It’s about realisation.
The book doesn't have so much scientific research or real-life stories. But the philosophical theories it suggests are dark realities of modern life.
The central idea is that time isn't a thing. It's not something you own. It's not something you'll ever have. It introduces you to embracing finitude and doing things differently. It isn’t language-heavy, but it's deep.
Check: 29 Lessons from Four Thousand Weeks Book
Buy Four Thousand Weeks on Amazon
Find Your Freedom
Find Your Freedom helps you find the way you feel about, think about and interact with money. In the book, Ron Carson and Jamie P. Hopkins give you the tools to explore your relationship with money. You also learn to understand your family legacy with money.
The book gives you a good introductory guidance about the different tools available to handle (and save) your money. It doesn't only talk about financial planning practices, it also motivates you to step up towards your financial freedom.
It's a must-read for anyone planning to find a way to a peaceful retirement (and death).
Check: 24 Motivational Personal Finance Quotes from Find Your Freedom Book
Buy Find Your Freedom from Amazon
Positioning
Positioning describes an approach to creating a “position” in a prospective customer's mind. A position that reflects the company’s own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of its competitors. It's essentially a book on advertising/marketing/branding, though.
The book is pragmatic. It explains the theory with examples but it also gives specific lessons about varied scenarios. Even though the examples are from the 1990s and earlier, Positioning is extremely insightful.
It's a must-read for startup founders, product managers and marketing/sales professionals.
Check: 37 Lessons to Learn from Positioning Book
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is a captivating biography of this maniac entrepreneur we know as Elon Musk. Ashlee captures the full spectacle and arc of the genius’s life and work. From his upbringing in South Africa to his dramatic entrepreneurial pursuits, you’ll read all about it.
The book isn’t filled with tech jargon and buzzwords at all. It has managed to provide a glimpse into Elon’s life without going into irrelevant details. The story flows, and really well.
It isn't only about Elon but also other people involved in making Elon who he is. But the focus is still on Elon and his ventures. It's fun and engaging. And it helps you understand why he is the way he is.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is a collection of Naval’s wisdom and experience from the last ten years. It’s shared as a curation of his most insightful interviews and reflections. You can say that the book is like a mishmash of his ideas, philosophy and business mindset.
The “Wealth” part consists of his thoughts on business and life balance. It also has a few bits on how to grow your business and wealth. The “Happiness” part is your regular self-help.
It’s an easy to read for the most part. I would recommend it to keep it in your library.
Check: 23 Best Quotes for Wealth and Happiness
Buy The Almanack of Naval Ravikant from Amazon
The Boron Letters
The Boron Letters is a compilation of 25 letters written by copywriting legend Gary C. Halbert explaining his secrets. It's not exactly about copywriting, but it has plenty of nuggets for copywriters. It's a trove of practical advice and personal experiences that cut through the fluff.
The letters are enlightening as well as engaging. Their conversational tone made the content resonating. Gary wasn't only imparting his experience; he was showing his copywriting skills right through those letters.
Although the examples are dated, you can replicate much of them for use in the digital world. The Boron Letters really shows how a copywriter thinks (even in prison).
Check: The Boron Letters Summary
Buy The Boron Letters from Amazon
Contagious
Contagious is like a case study of various viral products and campaigns, and how they did so. If you've wondered why certain stories get shared or videos go viral, Contagious explains why. It shows how to leverage the concepts to craft contagious content.
The book offers insights into different real-life examples. It combines groundbreaking research with powerful stories.
It can be a good book for those who are new to marketing psychology. Others can also own a copy of the book, to refer to examples when stuck on a campaign.
Check: 23 Contagious Book Quotes to Understand Why Things Catch On
Shoe Dog
Shoe Dog is a candid memoir of Phil Knight Nike’s founder. In the book, Phil shares the story of the company’s early days as a start-up and its evolution into an iconic brand.
The whole book is a beautiful story, instead of a mere account of important events. Phil details the risks and setbacks, along with his early triumphs. He talks about the formative relationships with his first partners and employees.
It’s not about Nike much, but it’s a good book to read. Not a business book, still a must-read.
Check: 20 Shoe Dog Inspirational Quotes for Startups
Broke Millennial
Broke Millennial is a refresher course on finances for millennials. Erin goes beyond the basics to tackle tricky money matters. It shows step-by-step how to go from flat-broke to handling your finances rather well.
It’s packed with simple advice and some hilarious true stories. A little about “understanding” money, some pages about budget and investment, and a lot about saving pennies here and there. That’s what Broke Millennial is.
You don’t have to read the book cover to cover. Its style makes it easy to flip through the chapters according to your current needs..
Buy Broke Millennial on Amazon
And with that the list ends
Check all my book recommendations here
Those were all my book recommendations from 2023.
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