My 2024 Favorites: Books, Podcasts and more!

Second year in a row, I wanted to share books, podcasts and other media / art that added a lot of value to my life.

Books

After a rather unsatisfactory reading year of 2023, my reading picked up a lot more in 2024 and I’m very happy with it! I read a number of books this year that has been moving and eye-opening.

Say Nothing

My book of the year goes to Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. I picked this up on a porch, and didn’t quite know what to expect beyond Troubles in Ireland, which I only had a surface level knowledge of.

I was blown away by this book. The depth of research is astonishing, and Patrick has broken ground on how to write a gripping, entertaining and deeply thought provoking history book which must have meant so much to him given his Irish roots.

Now, I am really curious if there’s other books like “Say Nothing”s about other areas of history. If you have enjoyed this book and other books on history, leave a comment!

I gave myself permission this year to follow my joy, curiosity and whimsy to drive my reading instead of looking at reading just a vessel for self development. That led me to picking up reading Sci-Fi again, and the following was my favorite of the year.

Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a Sci-Fi set on a premise which reminded me of the Three Body Problem in a way, there’s something in the near future that the Earth must act on in unison, and in the case of Project Hail Mary, a gradual dimming of the sun that would lead to an ice age in 30 years.

From that point onwards, the ride is remarkable, Andy Weir is so good at Sci-Fi with few characters and seemingly impossible constraints, as he did with his most well known book, the Martian.

The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story For Work and Life

I have been familiar with Paul Millerd’s work for a little while, but I finally got to pick up his book, The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story For Work and Life. For a book titled as such, I was really moved by how poetic Paul’s writing is, and instead of providing manuals and 10 step routines, Paul blends his own lived experience, choices and struggles and draws connections with thinkers such as David Whyte, Rebecca Solnit and many others whose thinking I have admired.

Once you graduate college and start working, in the US, there’s the default paths of long employment or entrepreneurship. Paul’s writing is an invitation to at least consider that may not be the only options available and think deeply about what we want to do with the short time available to us.

On this theme, another take on this is perhaps my favorite tech talk of all time, Brett Victor’s Inventing on Principle, who offers another path. Regardless of of your interest in the topic, you won’t be disappointed.

There’s a great deal of honorable mentions, and I overcame my past stigma about audiobooks and lean into them more, as a faster way to go through books, sometimes as a companion to a book I’m reading.

• The Art of Communicating by Thích Nhất Hạnh
  • Note to self: Every year, read at least one Thích Nhất Hạnh book
• Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller
  • A short but dense read that took me months to finish as I had to stop and think so often
• The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
  • The magnum opus of urban planning, changed my perspectives on what it means to set up neighborhoods for success
• A Short History of South East Asia by Peter Church
  • A great primer if you are visiting any South East Asian countries!
• Good Work also by Paul Millerd
  • A solid followup to Pathless Path
• Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis
  • A piece of NYC finance history
• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
  • Joan Didion’s masterful meditations on grief
• How to Live by Derek Sivers
  • This was an audiobook I listened to, Derek’s perspective always challenges your thinking even if you don’t agree with all his content.
• Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool
  • An exposition on deliberate practice
• How to be the Greatest Improviser on Earth by Will Hines
  • Improv is a performing art, but this is maybe the most practical guide I read to improving your improv craft

Podcasts

Money for Couples

Second year in a year, Ramit Sethi’s podcast is in my top recommendations, except now it’s called Money for Couples. Money is perhaps an entrypoint into much broader themes of what people believe about themselves and their relationships and how their values inform them. It continues to be informative and also informative due to Ramit’s style.

The Ezra Klein Show

In the world of echo chambers that we live in right now, Ezra Klein’s show stands out as an introspective look into Politics, news and beyond. The national election cycle was an exhausting one, and this podcast is one of the few that I felt informed by and that kept me sane during that time.

The third podcast I’d plug is the Pathless Path with Paul Millerd, I have definitely binged many of this conversations, and admire Paul’s ability to bring a lot of these conversations to life.

Community

NYC communities seem to have evolved more introduction based and private first rather than open discovery based from pre pandemic times. These days, seems every community is being run on WhatsApp, Luma and Partiful in NYC.

Wake up NY

Wake up NY was the core of my NYC community this year, and really centered me through some trying times this year. I was also able to go to two meditation retreats this year to Blue Cliff monastery in Upstate New York as well. Doing a retreat in the spring and fall is a tradition I’d like to continue.

Magnet Storytelling

I took storytelling with Adam Wade at Magnet Theatre this fall, and it had a transformational impact. A group of strangers, just through the power of telling honest stories about their lives can learn so much about themselves. Storytelling has never been a natural strength of mine, and the class gave me a better understanding of what makes stories good: characters, dialogue, moments. Just being vulnerable in front of strangers through stories and being lifted up by the community was a special experience.

I would love to know about your picks in the comments section, or if any of my picks resonated with you. Wishing you a rewarding 2025!