Oh December! Month of closings, of retrospective, of being grateful, of looking back. Month of holidays, of family gatherings, of celebration, and of traditions.

Speaking of December traditions, here are my book recommendations for 2024:

1. “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham

non-fiction finance

Ben Graham (the author) was mentor to Warren Buffet, arguably the best investor alive (RIP Charlie Munger). Buffet said this was the best book on investing ever written, so I had to check it out.

What a classic! You’ll learn about what investing is (vs speculating), the extremely useful concept of “margin of safety” and “Mr Market”, and how to think about valuing businesses. The origins of the school of thought now known as “value investing”. Fantastic framework to think about how to preserve wealth for the long term.

2. “The Gene: An Intimate History” by Siddhartha Mukherjee

non-fiction biology

What a journey!

Mukherjee is a fantastic writer. He takes us through the full story of how humanity discovered the secrets of life: evolution, heredity, genes, and DNA. Goes deep into the history of each step in growing our collective knowledge—and you’ll probably remember it as if you lived the events as an insider. I already knew most of the science from high school (we had a fantastic biology teacher), but it’s a completely different thing to know the story behind the knowledge.

A fascinating mix of hardcore science, personal stories and mystery. I was on the verge of tears at various points—from awe at the amazingness of life and human ingenuity in discovering its secrets.

Absolute must-read for any protein-based life-form!

Note: the story is not finished… study Michael Levin!

3. “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser

non-fiction writing

Absolutely fantastic book. Everyone should read it. I imagine, however, that truly absorbing the knowledge will take years of practice. I’m anticipating the journey. In Zinsser’s own words: “quality is its own reward”.

4. “Axiomatic” by Greg Egan

fiction sci-fi

I read half the book thinking it was written in 2024. The prose is contemporary, fresh, and the stories discuss current concerns as we approach the singularity. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was all written in the 90s! Egan is a beast.

5. “Politics and the English Language” by George Orwell

non-fiction writing

Fantastic essay on what makes good and bad writing.

6. “Circe” by Madeline Miller

fiction mythology

Something about how this book is written reminded me of my childhood.

7. “Debt: The First 5,000 Years” by David Graeber

non-fiction economics history

Let me propose the following controversial statements:

  • Credit existed before the invention of coinage.
  • Barter-based communities never actually existed.
  • Capitalism is built on top of communism.
  • All modern debt is supported by violence.

Graeber argues very convincingly for all of those, with tons (believe me, TONS) of anthropological data.

This book upended most of my common-sense assumptions about money. The most important take-away (obvious in retrospective) is that “the market” is a useful but totally fictional idea. A myth—not an emergent fact from nature, as economists purport it to be. A subtler idea: markets vs state is a false dichotomy.

Reader beware, this book is a mess. You won’t find a single clearly laid out theory, and the arguments are often hard to follow. However, the thousand stories told are fascinating. In the author’s own words: “I wanted to write a big, sprawling, scholarly book—the kind that people don’t write anymore.”

I’m glad he did.

8. “Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to the Jhanas” by Leigh Brasington

non-fiction meditation

There is a game built into your consciousness. It was discovered by strange people ~5,000 years ago. This book will guide you in exploring it.

9. “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” by Oliver Sacks

non-fiction psychology

Oliver Sacks sets out to write a book that’s both a medical journal and shows the human side of patients—and he brilliantly succeeds! A classic for a reason. It’s very well written, and the stories captivate the reader. He brings each case to life with both scientific precision and empathy. Mostly fringe cases of human consciousness—so super interesting!

Behold! Will make you seriously ask yourself what you are if you haven’t already.

10. “Siete noches” by Jorge Luis Borges

non-fiction literature

Seven lectures by the master himself. Borges explores the topics of (check this guy out!): The Divine Comedy, the nightmare, Buddhism, poetry, Kabbalah, and blindness. He gave these lectures while being blind, but what he says is so eloquent that he seems to be reading. A look inside the mind of the greatest Argentine writer.

Original Spanish audio version by Borges himself (a gem!):

11. “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson

non-fiction biography

Brilliant biography of a one-of-a-kind guy. Very inspiring. I’ve always found myself more in the openness camp, and this book made me understand the “walled-garden” side much better. It also made me admire Jobs a lot. I think every entrepreneur will see themselves a little in his visionary stubbornness.

12. “Kissa by Kissa: How to Walk Japan” by Craig Mod

non-fiction travel

Beautiful photo book of a man’s walks through a disappearing Japan.

13. “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse

fiction philosophy

Re-read this classic. Phew! Totally worth it. A story of spiritual enlightenment. One of my all-time favorite books. I think I might re-read more classics next year.

14. “How to Live” by Derek Sivers

non-fiction philosophy

In the fantasy novel “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss, magic is performed by holding two or more contradictory beliefs in one’s head. I think he was on to something.

15. “Saga” series by Brian K. Vaughan (Writer) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

fiction graphic novel

I only ever read 3 comic book series: (1) The Sandman, (2) Logicomix, and (3) Saga. All three are FANTASTIC. I should read more comics! And you should too!!!1(!)) :3

If you’re shy about it, think of them as “graphic novels”. Then you can save face. You’ll thank me when you drop a tear with this beautiful epic of a war & family story.

Final Words

You can also check out all 50 books I read in 2024. To follow my reading journey during 2025, add me on Goodreads.

Additionally, check out my book recommendations from 2023, 2022, and 2021.

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