The 10 Best Books I Read in 2023

Every month I send out my top book recommendations with detailed reading notes so you can dig in and explore something new. But that list grows quickly and I know it can be tough to decide what to read next. Things also change over the course of a year and whether or not a book resonates with you depends on timing, where you are in your life, and what challenges you’re facing.

To provide a more useful starting place, I’ve reflected on the past year and narrowed down my top recommendations to just ten books. I read more than usual this year as I researched subjects and material for my own upcoming book so there were far more than 10 great books to choose from. If you want a more comprehensive list, you can always check out the Book Notes section of my website. Cheers!

---

10. Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard

A wonderful autobiography that details Chouinard’s early days as a climber and the origins of Patagonia. Most of the content in the book was originally intended to act as a philosophical manual for employees of Patagonia. But Chouinard makes this captivating for any reader through stories that explore his own life lessons, the trials of building an enduring company, and the trap of short-sighted decisions. The book contains powerful insights on simplicity, disrupting yourself, communicating with customers, seeking inspiration from unlikely sources, and the lifelong search for your guiding principle. See my reading notes or Amazon for details and reviews.

“In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away…” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

---

9. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia

Incredibly useful and detailed book on longevity. Attia emphasizes the importance of focusing not just on lifespan—how long you live—but healthspan—the quality of your years. He details how Medicine 2.0 has missed the boat and treats medical conditions on the wrong end of the timescale after they’ve already taken hold. In Medicine 3.0, the focus is on prevention, and this demands that you take responsibility for your own health. Attia frames up the tactics in Medicine 3.0—exercise, nutrition, sleep, emotional health, and exogenous molecules—and adds scientific rigor, as well as recommendations so you can begin applying them to your own life. See my reading notes or Amazon for details and reviews.

“In Medicine 2.0, you are a passenger on the ship, being carried along somewhat passively. Medicine 3.0 demands much more from you, the patient: You must be well informed, medically literate to a reasonable degree, clear-eyed about your goals, and cognizant of the true nature of risk.” Peter Attia

---

8. Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee by Shannon Lee

Be Water, My Friend captures a loyal Bruce Lee fan base, but Shannon Lee’s enthusiasm for her father’s philosophy and her personal commentary delivers a book that holds its own. The core tenet of the book is that fluidity leads to growth and evolution. Martial arts reflect personal growth in this way and there’s no better teacher than Bruce Lee. The emphasis on “life is motion, find a way to move with it” builds upon ideas in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do, but in an accessible way for an audience who might be more interested in philosophy than martial arts. Beautiful sections on awareness, enthusiasm, experimentation, purpose, and movement. See my reading notes or Amazon for details and reviews.

“All goals apart from the means are an illusion. There will never be means to ends, only means.” Bruce Lee

---

7. Personal History by Katharine Graham

Graham tells her own story with honesty and candor. She reflects on how she built her own strength and self-confidence navigating a business world dominated by men while leading the Washington Post through its crucible moments of the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, and the pressmen’s strike of 1975. The Post not only endured but thrived, elevating its position among the most respected newspapers in the country thanks to Graham’s dedication to serving the public good, her ability to make tough decisions, and her commitment to upholding high journalistic standards. See my reading notes or Amazon for details and reviews.

“What I essentially did was to put one foot in front of the other, shut my eyes, and step off the edge.” Katharine Graham

---

6. How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks

David Brooks has been my favorite author this year—his focus on the messiness of life and learning to invest more of yourself in what matters just hits differently as you get older. I absolutely loved The Road to Character (below on this list) and enjoyed this latest book just as much. As Brooks observes, “There is one skill that lies at the heart of any healthy person, family, school, community organization, or society: the ability to see someone else deeply and make them feel seen…” And to be clear, most of us suck at this. Myself included. But Brooks offers a practical guide and exploration of how we can try to develop one of the most important skills we can invest in—learning how to truly see and illuminate another person. See my reading notes or Amazon for details and reviews.

“Nothing in life is of any value except the attempt to be virtuous.” Iris Murdoch

---

5. Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad

A beautiful and inspiring memoir about Jaouad’s diagnosis with a rare form of leukemia in her early 20s and her struggle to survive. Four years later, she had survived. But she was then faced with the question of how she could possibly begin living again. So she borrowed a friend’s car, subleased her apartment, and set off on a 15,000-mile road trip over 100 days. Along the way, she visited strangers who had written to her while she was sick in order to uncover her way back to herself. The book is full of thought-provoking sections on mortality, meaning, recovery, and how to reconcile our past with our present in order to find a path forward. Jaouad’s a brilliant writer and her story will steal your heart. See my reading notes or Amazon for details and reviews.

“Recovering isn’t about salvaging the old at all. It’s about accepting that you must forsake a familiar self forever, in favor of one that is being newly born. It is an act of brute, terrifying discovery.” Suleika Jaouad

---

4. Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by Robert Coram

The story of one of the greatest fighter pilots and military strategists in history. John Boyd was such an entertaining character—he never backed down, he didn’t operate according to conventions, and he lived life on his own terms. He was the first man to codify maneuvers, tactics, and strategies of air-to-air combat, changing the way every air force in the world fights and flies. He was a founder of the military reform movement, challenging the careerists and bureaucracy in the Pentagon to reconsider their outdated mental constructs. After retirement, he immersed himself in the study of philosophy, theory of science, military history, and psychology, packaging everything he knew about all forms of conflict into a briefing called “Patterns of Conflict.” Entertaining cover to cover and a book that will help hone your own strategic thinking. See my reading notes or Amazon for details and reviews.

“To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often roll call. That’s when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do? Which way will you go?” John Boyd

---

3. Decoded by Jay-Z

Jay-Z details his own story and deconstructs the lyrics of the most important songs in his career. I couldn’t put this book down—Jay-Z’s rise to become a self-made billionaire is one of the most inspiring stories you will come across. It’s crazy smart and packs a punch. There are great lessons in fundamentals, depth, truth, flow, and motion that are worth reflecting on and instilling in your own life and work. See my reading notes or Amazon for details and reviews.

“Success could only mean self-sufficiency, being a boss, not a dependent.” Jay-Z

---

2. The Road to Character by David Brooks

Brooks examines the generational shift from humility to the “Big Me”—where everyone’s now encouraged to see themselves as the center of the universe. As part of the “Big Me,” we’ve become obsessed with resume virtues—wealth, fame, status—things that exist beyond our control and don’t necessarily correspond to living a meaningful life. When in fact, we should be focused on eulogy virtues—kindness, bravery, honesty. But to get here, we must get out of our own heads, stop asking ourselves what we want out of life, and instead ask ourselves what our lives and circumstances want out of us. Brooks cites examples of those throughout history who faced crucible moments and used the struggle against their limitations to develop more enduring virtues. See my reading notes or Amazon for details and reviews.

“We don’t create our lives; we are summoned by life.” David Brooks

---

1. Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough

The best biography that I’ve read on Theodore Roosevelt—though it only covers his early years from age 10 to 27. These were the years that Roosevelt grew from a fragile child and naive New York assemblyman into a hardened cowboy in the Badlands of North Dakota. McCullough was one of the best biographers and historians we’ll likely ever see. He breathes life into Roosevelt’s coming-of-age, grief, and transformation. See my reading notes or Amazon for details and reviews.

“Black care rarely sits behind a rider whose pace is fast enough.” Theodore Roosevelt

The 6 Most Important Books I Read in 2019

1. The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene

Robert Greene is a master strategist—perhaps the best of our generation. This book is the culmination of his lifetime of work on power, influence, and mastery. It’s an instructive guide to human nature based on historical accounts and evidence, rather than a particular viewpoint or moral judgment. 

As Greene, emphasizes throughout the book, a deep understanding of human nature is advantageous for countless reasons. It helps build you into a strategic observer, become a better judge of character, outthink malicious people, develop greater empathy, and realize your potential.

True to form, Greene pulls stories from both sides throughout history—those who have succeeded and those who have failed in spectacular fashion. It’s an incredible resource if you want to hone your strategic mind and will pay immediate dividends in your own life, no matter your position. 

“And in life as in warfare, strategists will always prevail over tacticians.”

— Robert Greene

2. Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

A modern case study of how to harness creativity and build a culture where the creative process can thrive. Catmull discusses the evolution of Pixar Animation, including the philosophies and strategies that helped establish them as a creative force in animation and storytelling. 

Catmull emphasizes how the teams embrace years of ambiguity that are inherent to the creative process as stories evolve into their own. Instead of becoming attached to a single storyline or character, they seek out a deep truth at the core of the film—a guiding principle—and craft the story around that. Catmull also stresses the role of leadership in cultivating creativity. It starts with loosening your grip, accepting risk, trusting your people, and giving them space to do what they do best. 

“Craft is what we are expected to know; art is the unexpected use of our craft.”

— Ed Catmull

3. Range by David Epstein

In a complicated, competitive world, there’s a push to focus early and narrowly. Navigating life seems to demand specialization. And the stories told the loudest (Tiger Woods) push that narrative. 

In reality, far more eventual top performers devote less time to deliberate practice early on and instead undergo a sampling period. This offers them an opportunity to learn about and discover their own abilities and inclinations. Only later do they focus on one specific area and ramp up technical practice (Roger Federer). 

This book is a tremendous resource for generalists and those pursuing a multidisciplinary approach in life. It’s something that needed to be written and Epstein does a great job emphasizing breadth over depth, the dangers of specialization, and the importance of match quality along the way.

“We learn who we are only by living, and not before.”

— David Epstein

4. Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin

One of the best books on leadership that I’ve ever come across. And this is one of those books that I happened to read at the perfect time when I needed these lessons the most. Willink and Babin, two Navy SEALs officers, recall their time leading the most highly decorated special operation unit of the Iraq War. Each chapter highlights one of their leadership principles in action before relating it back to the business world. 

I found the most relevant section to be on the laws of combat: cover and move, simple, prioritize and execute, and decentralized command. If you want to win, teams must not only know what to do, but they must also know why. As a leader, your job is to ask questions until you understand why. 

There are also great lessons in empowering yourself by accepting total responsibility—no matter your position—and the importance of being aggressive (not overbearing).

“There are no bad teams, only bad leaders.”

— Leif Babin

5. Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb

One of the best things about Taleb is his eagerness to challenge standard conventions and long-held beliefs about a range of topics. Nothing is off limits. As a result, you’re guaranteed to walk away with a new perspective after reading any of his books. In Skin in the Game he picks apart the way we think about uncertainty, symmetry, risk-sharing, and rationality in complex systems.

Taleb emphasizes the importance of thinking in high dimensions and evolving beyond the shallow. He also digs into how acting by removing is more powerful and less error-prone than acting by addition. This has implications in terms of unnecessary complexity in both our lives and how we think about strategy.

But the core of the book focuses on ethics and morality. Skin in the Game is about putting yourself out there and taking risks of your own. It’s immoral to keep the upside and transfer the downside to others. Besides, it’s impossible to understand the world and develop your own abilities without putting yourself out there and taking risks of your own. 

“The curse of modernity is that we are increasingly populated by a class of people who are better at explaining than understanding, or better at explaining than doing.”

— Nassim Taleb

6. Endurance by Alfred Lansing

A brilliant tale of survival that documents Sir Ernest Shackleton’s failed voyage to cross the Antarctic. Shackleton was a compelling, larger-than-life figure who offered lessons in leadership and strategy at each turn.

The book also contains one of my favorite passages. And it speaks directly to strategy and thoughtful action: “Whatever his mood – whether it was gay and breezy, or dark with rage – he had one pervading characteristic: he was purposeful.” If you want to sharpen your strategic mind, that’s what you’re after. Every action should have intention.

Shackleton’s most profound lessons are revealed in his ability to transcend the fundamentals and shift strategies as the situation required. There are few men who faced more dire circumstances than Shackleton and his crew, and who survived without any casualties. While you can’t separate luck, there was a strong level of strategy and leadership required to come out alive on the other side. 

“Whatever his mood – whether it was gay and breezy, or dark with rage – he had one pervading characteristic: he was purposeful.”

— Alfred Lansing

The 5 Best Books to Help You Create More

Perennial Seller – Ryan Holiday

A useful starting place to understand the entire creative journey–from sitting down to create, through positioning, marketing, and building a platform. Holiday pulls dozens of examples from creative minds throughout history to uncover tactics and best practices. But the underlying strategy consistent throughout the book can be summed up as playing the long game. If you want to create something of lasting value, there are no shortcuts or paths to immediate gratification. Dedicate yourself to your creative process and put in the work.

“To create something is a daring, beautiful act. The architect, the author, the artist–are all building something where nothing was before.”

— Ryan Holiday

Grit – Angela Duckworth

In any creative endeavor, you’ll need both direction and determination–what Duckworth defines as “grit”– if you want to make meaningful progress. The book emphasizes the importance of deliberate practice, purpose, and stamina over intensity. The best thing about Duckworth’s writing is that she makes it real. It’s not about a magical experience that leads you to your passion, purpose, or life’s work. Instead, this comes through a discovery period–often messy, serendipitous, and inefficient–followed by years of refinement, and a lifetime of deepening.

“Passion for your work is a little bit discovery, followed by a lot of development, and then a lifetime of deepening.”

— Angela Duckworth

Atomic Habits – James Clear

Once you have a sense of direction, you need to build the creative habits to put things into action. The concept behind Atomic Habits is that by stacking tiny habits over time you can achieve compounding, remarkable results. Your creative results, as Clear suggests, are the lagging measure of your habits. He offers great insight into nonlinear growth (breakthrough moments), identity, discipline, and environmental design. The importance of building better systems is hard to overvalue. There’s room for everyone to improve in this capacity, and if nothing else it’s a refreshing reminder: “Does this behavior help me become the type of person I wish to be? Does this habit cast a vote for or against my desired identity?"

“It is only by making the fundamentals in life easier that you can create the mental space needed for free thinking and creativity.”

— James Clear

Creativity, Inc. – Ed Catmull

One of the best modern examples of the impact that comes from harnessing creativity and building a culture where the creative process can thrive. Catmull discusses the evolution of Pixar Animation, including the philosophies and strategies that have established them as creative force. Most notably, the team at Pixar embraces the years of ambiguity inherent to the creative process as a story evolves into its own. Instead of becoming attached to a single storyline or character, they seek out a deep truth at the core of the film–the guiding principle–and craft the story around that. Catmull also emphasizes the role of leadership in cultivating creativity. It starts with loosening your grip, accepting risk, trusting your people, and giving them space to do what they do best.

“There is a sweet spot between the known and the unknown where originality happens; the key is to be able to linger there without panicking.””

— Ed Catmull

Leonardo da Vinci – Walter Isaacson

Throughout history there have been more profound, practical thinkers than Leonardo. But there’s never been anyone as creative as he was across so many different fields–art, science, engineering, technology, the humanities. If you’re hoping to improve your own creativity, you can do worse than studying the life and work of the person who became history’s archetype of the Renaissance Man. The depth of his curiosity and imagination are something to behold. What makes Leonardo such a powerful influence is that he was relatable and not some distant, untouchable figure. His creative genius was self-made, built from personal experience, experiments, and dedication to his craft.

“Be open to mystery. Not everything needs sharp lines.”

— Walter Isaacson

---

And One More…

If five books isn’t enough, check out Mastery by Robert Greene. It’s a comprehensive guide to living a creative life, and one of my favorites. Greene starts with the essentials–discovering your art and immersing yourself in the mindset of an apprentice–and tracks the journey through building creative strategies and, ultimately, mastery.