I read 51 books in 2023. It was a good year of reading once again, and I say that with more gratitude than pride. I’ve been doing end-of-the-year book lists for 4 years now. You can read my previous lists here: 2022 , 2021 , 2020 , 2019 .

A lot of reading this year was fiction, and many of the philosophy and technical books were re-reads. Both of these genres have a lot of original books that are seminal and a lot of books that rehash and detail the same concepts. Hence, I feel the need to go back to the originals again and again. The Upanishads is something I might even revisit every year. Martin Kleppmann’s “Designing data intensive applications ” is one other.

This made it difficult to rank the books I read this year. Should I list the same books as previous years? Or should I exclude them and rate the others?

Eventually I decided to exclude my previous recommendations and make new recommendations this year. Thus, I only have 4 books to recommend this year.

Philosophy

If we split hair, the below books will most likely fall under self-help. But since they are rooted in philosophy, I will mention them here.

Buddha’s Office: The Ancient Art of Waking Up While Working Well By Dan Zigmond

Have you ever wondered how The Buddha would have fared in the modern office? Many a time, I have felt that philosophy books it is not very practical and accessible. Not everyone can be an ascetic and live in a forest renouncing everything. This is where this book comes in. It shows you how you can practically apply any spiritual or philosophical concept to the modern-day world. To be frank, Buddhism was taught by The Buddha to the common person, and he made it very accessible. In fact, he was the original listicle writer and gave us many lists such as the four noble truths, the eight-fold path, five daily remembrances, and many more.

I recommend this book only for this specific reason. You can subscribe to any school of philosophy you want, you can always find a way to make it practical and apply the learnings to your own life.

Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall In Love With the Process of Becoming Great Joshua Medcalf

Continuing the theme from the previous book, This specific one helps in applying ancient philosophy to the modern world. Set in a fictional context in modern-day Japan, it showcases a Zen master and his disciple who is trying to learn archery.

Almost always, good philosophy books are many generations old. The onus is on you, the reader to make them relevant to the times you live in. I believe that this is often why old books are discarded, and this books helps in knowing how we can make some old teachings relevant again.

Old books can be made relevant. It is very easy to see that the concept of “the four noble truths” from The Buddha is eternal. Marcus Aurelius, who wrote Meditations, lived through a plague, very much like we did during the Coronavirus pandemic of the 2020s. A Samurai archer would prepare for his competition in the same way as a modern-day Olympian/athlete would do.

Fiction

This year, I switched to listening to fiction audiobooks in my car on my commute to and from work. I always had issues with reading non-fiction on audible, since it was very difficult to take notes. Since I don’t usually take notes when reading fiction, it worked out perfectly. Going forward, I plan to switch to audiobooks for fiction and other formats for non-fiction, allowing me to take notes.

The Accomplice by Steve Cavanagh

I like legal thrillers and this is one of my favorite series in addition to the Lincoln Lawyer series. If you enjoy a whodunit, with thrilling courtroom battles, then this series is for you. The protagonist, Eddie Flynn, the lawyer, needs to come up with winning strategies against all odds while being under severe stress. The author adeptly brings together a murder mystery, courtroom drama, and gruesome serial killings together in this one.

The Fix by David Baldacci

This is yet another series I think I will finish. Amos Decker, the protagonist, who has a photographic memory, witnesses a woman being shot dead in broad daylight and then the killer shoots himself. I liked how Amos Decker can make observations and deductions in this story which was truly a page-turner for me.

Although consistency is something I value, I tend to go overboard. Many a time I burnt myself out by trying to cram too much in. By the end of 2023, I wanted to sustainably pace myself, valuing longevity as much as consistency, so I can do the thing I like longer.

I’m indeed lucky that I get to read such great books. If anyone has any great books to recommend, please send them my way.