my top 14 books of the year 📚
i read 50 books in 2024 (a feat i was worried would be challenging with the birth of my daughter) and narrowed them down to my favorites. if you’re a fan of nonfiction, memoir, personal development, psych, and/or business, there’s something on it for you.
here they are in alphabetical order:
ambition monster - an in-depth portrait of the author who climbed the ranks at lucky magazine, yahoo, shondaland, and more, removing the gloss and detailing the price of ambition that’s not often discussed (loss of self, health, relationships, integrity, etc). she goes beyond platitudes about defining success for yourself and designing life on your terms to vividly show you the brinks to which she got to figure out that the versions of success we are often spoonfed are bullshit.
between two kingdoms - a well-written, honest memoir by suleika jaouad. while i’m really late to the game on reading this, i was moved by her presence and story in the documentary american symphony and wanted to know more. she shares so much including themes of self-discovery, grief, navigating illness, and possibility.
cue the sun - if you’re a fan of reality/unscripted tv, this book is fascinating! a detailed (i mean that, it’s 800 pages) history of the genre, the behind-the-scenes, and its proliferation. most of your favorite shows are well-chronicled.
difficult conversations: how to discuss what matters most - every one of us faces difficult conversations (with family, friends, neighbors, teammates, vendors, etc). how we handle them makes a difference in how we feel, the outcomes we experience, and the impact we leave on others. while this isn’t the most fun read, it’s really valuable and highly actionable (as well as credible: written by 3 harvard folks). i can imagine the benefit of having a team and/or family come together to read this and create shared norms and commitments.
good morning monster - a therapist shares five stories of past patients whom she considers to be heroes, but not in the way you might expect. their tales are often horrifying (for example: neglect and abuse to the worst degrees as children) and the detailed accounts of their years-long work in therapy towards their abilities to live full and balanced lives as adults. the author also shares a rare glimpse into her missteps as a therapist. it’s both moving and taught me things from a psychological perspective. i’ve never read anything quite like it and was captivated.
journey of souls - by far my most talked-about book of the year. that said: it’s definitely not for everyone. the premise: a skeptical atheist hypnotherapist found himself specializing in regressing clients to the moment their soul left their body in past lives, then on a journey of their soul (in great detail) in the spirit world, until they come back into physical form again. he combines transcripts from client sessions with his analysis across hundreds (maybe thousands) of regressions. as a hypnosis practitioner myself, i can see the arguments on both sides about the validity of this. either way - its ultimate message about death and soul life is uplifting. i encourage you to read it it it strikes your fancy.
mind magic - a great overview of the neuroscience of manifestation and why it works. it’s evidence-based, with helpful storytelling, as well as practical tools to implement the suggestions. bottom line: we are all manifesting. the question is: how much intention are you bringing to what you create?
more: a memoir of open marriage - if you combined a memoir, romance novel (on open marriages), and a journey of self-discovery all with a brooklyn backdrop, you get this book. a very honest behind-the-scenes look of the ups, downs, and logistics that come with an open marriage (for one couple, at least).
never saw me coming - a gripping true story about a young woman who becomes the biggest threat to the US banking system thanks to an elaborate wire fraud scam she concocted in the 1980s. she tells the detailed tale of the scheme, her life of riches and glamour, many bouts with the legal system, how she continued to outsmart it/them, and what she paid as a result of these crimes (a long prison sentence, distance from her children and family, etc). if this doesn’t get made into a movie, i’ll be shocked.
no bad parts - it’s an ongoing goal of mine to study and integrate at least one new tool each year that can be supportive to my clients. this book is another one (coupled with further study) and is a modality called ‘internal family systems’ (aka IFS) to help us get to know all of our inner world by meeting our parts, helping to understand them, allowing what needs to heal to do that, and ultimately, letting true self emerge more and more. it allows us to see that we have no bad parts. they’re acting as they do to try to protect us. this book helps us to understand and heal our parts of self so that they work in greater harmony. it’s fundamental to self-understanding and growth (and roots so much of who we are, how we think, and how we act).
smart brevity: the power of saying more with less - a helpful tool to make all of our communication more effective. social media, emails, presentations, meetings, you name it. why it matters: we all communicate and most can do so more effectively. this book will help.
the diary of a ceo: the 33 laws of business and life - when i start sending screenshots of excerpts of a book to clients and business partners, i know it’s good because it gets me thinking, challenging ideas i’ve held, and ideating new concepts in my business. this book did all of that. it took til the back half for me to find those gems, but that’s absolutely worth the time invested to read it.
the wisdom of sundays - a compilation of oprah's favorite lessons in clips from her super soul sunday podcast. they just so happen to feature some of my favorite thought leaders. it highlights so many fundamental life and spiritual lessons that are simple but complex. many are themes that come up in my coaching work, too. highly recommend the audiobook for this one! i’ll listen more than once.
yellowface - a rare fiction read for me: the story of an author in the shadows of her mega-successful writer friend turns into a fluke death, stealing her manuscript masterpiece, selling it as her own, and the journey to literary stardom. it also brings to light themes of racism, cultural appropriation, social media, take-down culture, living behind lies, isolation, fear, and the behind-the-scenes workings of the publishing world. a compelling read that mixes genres and keeps you on your toes.
which will you pick up?