Dear World,

As the year draws to a close, I’ve taken a moment to list the books and audiobooks I’ve read and listened to. My goals are to briefly revisit the knowledge I’ve acquired and inspire a few people to have some great reads. After all, knowledge should be shared!

Disclaimer: I’m not a great fan of fiction when it comes to books. If that’s what you’re after, you might find this list a bit disappointing. These are primarily personal development books, but they’re definitely worth the read!

1. “Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions” - Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths
   • Very fun and accessible to read.
2. “How to Not Die Alone” - Logan Ury
   • Despite the clickbait title, it offers valuable tips for those who are dating. I might just give it another read in 2024 for a refresher, haha.
3. “How to Talk to Anyone” - Leil Lowdnes
4. “Personal MBA” - Josh Kaufman
5. “A Philosophy of Software Design” - John Ousterhout
   • Shout out to my software development friends in EDA: This is from the creator of the TCL language, and his approach to teaching software design is really insightful.
6. “4000 Weeks” - Oliver Burkeman
   • A more humanized approach to time management. Highly recommend it.
7. “Crucial Conversations” - Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan
   • My highlight of the year goes to this book. It’s a brilliant guide on navigating tough conversations with respect and empathy. It’s a must-read for everyone, in my opinion.
8. “Deep Work” - Cal Newport
9. “Digital Minimalism” - Cal Newport
   • It’s almost ironic to see a CS professor preaching digital minimalism, but it only goes to show how we should pay attention to leveraging the best of technology without losing our souls in the process.
10. “Getting Things Done” - David Allen
    • This is a rather strict approach to time management, but I believe there’s great value to be taken from this book. I highly recommend it.
11. “Making It All Work” - David Allen
12. “As Coisas Que Você Só Vê Quando Desacelera” - Haemin Sunim

While I have my favorites, each book on this list offers valuable lessons. I want to recognize the great work that all these authors have achieved with these books. I’m sure they have helped tons of people like me. A huge thanks to all these authors for their incredible work!

Now, if I were to recommend three books from the above, I’d rank them as follows:

My Top 3

#3 “Getting Things Done” - David Allen

#2 “Digital Minimalism” - Cal Newport

#1 “Crucial Conversations” - Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan

And there you have it! I hope this inspires some of you to dive into these reads. Have you read any of these books? Do you have any books to recommend? Feel free to share your thoughts or your own recommendations in the comments.

Happy New Year and peace to all!

Thanks for making it this far! Did you like this blog post? Consider buying me a cup of coffee. :D