Welcome to my reading list from 2024! I’ve been pleasantly surprised by my reader’s response to previous book recommendations. Finding great books is easy – finding ones that speak to your current journey and provide actionable guidance is harder. I’ve found the task unusually difficult this year, partly because of the ups and downs we’ve experienced and partly because what I’m working on seems to have few authentic voices. Nevertheless, here are some books that lit my path in 2024. I hope some of them engage and assist you.
Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage by Laura Huang
I read Edge later in the year, but I knew it should be first on my list because the subject is vital to many readers. Author Laura Huang is a distinguished management and organizational development professor and associate dean of executive education at Northeastern University. From her bio, “Her research examines the role of intuition and interpersonal signaling in entrepreneurship, workplace interactions, and decision-making.” [1] My first introduction to her work was as a coauthor on a research paper about the questions investors tend to ask male and female entrepreneurs. [2] She’s also published some fascinating studies on the roles of investors’ gut feelings on making investment decisions and entrepreneurs’ gender differences in communication. [3, 4] What’s exciting and important about this book is Professor Huang provides 13 principles for practical use in achieving what we want despite the default thinking modes and perceptions of others. I’ve participated in several conversations about the funding and resource gap for under-represented founders this year. Most have been low on practical strategies to overcome these genuine obstacles. I’m recommending her book highly to my mentees, and I hope to recruit her for a Bullpen conversation soon!
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
Part of what I do in my business is write; I had meant to read this book for some time. I think we’ve all heard the promo story about Ms. Lamott’s brother and his report on birds. It’s only one of many delightful verbal illustrations she makes about the what, when, how, and why of writing. Her metaphors, analogies, and references to other pieces were extremely pleasing to read, and I was howling with laughter over Radio Station KFKD. Though all my writing is non-fiction, her wise advice speaks to past days struggling to bring a piece together or finding a subject that seems interesting enough for my readers. I was surprised to find it in a 25th-anniversary edition, and that’s additional testimony to the longevity of its content.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
This book caught me by surprise. I’m reading several best-selling books this year to understand how prescriptive non-fiction publishing works (just let me say it’s quite a project). This is certainly a best-seller. It was #177 in all books on Amazon.com and had a sales rank of 1,782 on Barnes & Noble (smaller is better) at the start of March, 2024. I almost put it down in Chapter 1 due to the extensive swearing. The author describes himself as a “potty-mouthed ***hole from Boston in the Acknowledgements, so now you are forewarned. I persevered, however, and once the author decided the shock value had worn off (about Chapter 3), the value started to emerge. The book’s best message is we get to choose how we respond to the world. This is something that others have expressed equally well without the colorful language (I like Stephen R. Covey’s The 8th Habit). However, Mr. Manson’s blunt and (IMO) strongly male voice clearly speaks volumes to many. I’m reminded that uncomfortable reading can provide a useful alternate perspective on the world.
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
What is interesting for me is how little gender-disaggregated information is available for startup founders. This is not unusual, however; a fact which became abundantly clear as I worked through “Invisible Women.” This is a difficult book to read, very well-written, but overwhelming at times for a person unaware of the full scope of the data gaps and their impact. In this prizewinning book, Ms. Perez presents verifiable data and well-footnoted facts that illustrate how half of our global population has been functionally invisible due to failing to collect, disaggregate, or use data from women. I could only read a chapter or two at a time before I needed a break to decompress and digest the information. I ask you to at least read the Afterword chapter, which includes Ms. Perez’ call to action that we “start accounting for the three themes that define women’s relationship with [the] world.” These are the invisible female body, male sexual violence against women, and society’s expectation that women do most of our unpaid care work. Collecting and using better data is the starting point to move toward a more sustainable world, supporting people of all sexes and genders.
The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee
My audience knows that I love Dr. Mukherjee’s books and find them lyrical and compelling stories of science interwoven with his personal experiences as an oncologist. This book was less so, most likely because it includes some of our worst historical excesses and several cautionary tales about more recent medical product developments. It is also a more personal tale for the author because it includes his family’s experience with genetically linked conditions. In Part Six: Post-Genome, The Genetics of Fate and Future, he discusses genetic diagnostics, gene therapies, and their intersection in recent history. It’s a sobering tale and one that should be read by practitioners, innovators, and funders in this space.
Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man and the Gospel of Jesus’s Wife by Ariel Sabar
I don’t read much true crime, but I’m occasionally lured into a story by the author and the subject. This book is by award-winning journalist Ariel Sabar, whose work I’ve enjoyed in The Atlantic. History is fascinating, and scholarly research into biblical events is complicated by centuries of learned and lay writings and actions. This book reveals some of the complications inherent in academic religious studies and adds the bizarre twists and turns the author uncovered while investigating the story. The author was present at some of the major announcements about the manuscript fragment, and the questions raised were impossible for him to ignore. He raises some uncomfortable questions about academic integrity that remained unanswered at the book’s end. Skip this one if true crime stories make you squirm – it gets a bit graphic (and hard to believe) in the middle.
I have a business, so I am always learning new ways to optimize operations and improve how I serve my clients. I had a sound accounting system in place; however, I quickly saw how managing my books using an envelope system like Profit First could help me focus my time on higher-value activities. It’s a practical strategy to reduce the time and energy you spend on number crunching, freeing that time to increase revenue, ultimately leading to more profit. New IRS rules about reasonable compensation for the business owner make paying yourself a fair salary critical, and this book presents a practical set of tactics for reaching that desirable future state. It’s not magic; it will take work, and the author’s voice may be too blunt for some, but it is worth reading to see how your business can benefit.
Building a Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller
All of the innovators I have advised this year struggled with one critical issue – how to tell an exciting story about how their product/service/business will change the world. It’s one story, but it must resonate with multiple stakeholders. This book discusses using the universal story points that have enthralled humans for centuries to develop a simple brand message powerful enough to attract and retain customers, investors, strategic partners, and employees. If your current story isn’t attracting the interest you want, this book may help you find one more compelling.
I heard Dr. Levitin on an October episode of Star Talk Radio where he explained how music can be used as medicine. I started Successful Aging because his latest book was not yet available at the library, and the topic interests me and many of the people I work with. Dr. Levitin reviews what scientists and physicians know about aging and the brain and addresses myths and preconceived ideas about cognitive decline and neurological diagnoses. The book is shot through with practical suggestions on improving your health span and adapting to the biological changes we all must expect as we age. It’s especially worth reading by persons in earlier decades, who have more time to adopt preventive habits.
Professor Percival Everett is a distinguished professor of English at the University of Southern California, where he has received multiple awards and accolades for his fiction. Amongst these are several shortlisted for major literary prizes like the Booker and Pulitzer Prizes. When his latest novel, “James,” was shortlisted for the Booker Prize this year, I selected “Dr. No” to familiarize myself with his work. It was a great choice, as I love a book with intellectual wordplay, and Professor Everett does not disappoint. I’ve read enough about mathematics to recognize some references; his language is fantastic. The main character’s speculations on turns of phrase, like “arriving without mishap,” gave me multiple chuckles while reading. This is near-future speculative fiction at its best – don’t let the mention of mathematics scare you away from this delightful book.
Once more, I have shared ten books from my 2024 reading list with you. I’d love to hear your suggestions on what I should read in 2025. Reach out to me with your ideas!
Want more?
Here are some of my reading lists from past years:
Katrina’s Reading List – Making the Cut
Katrina’s Reading List from 2023
Katrina’s Summer 2021 Reading List
Katrina’s Leadership Reading List for 2021
References:
[1] https://damore-mckim.northeastern.edu/people/laura-huang/
[2] [2] Kanze, D., Huang, L., Conley, M. A., & Higgins, E. T. (2018). We ask men to win and women not to lose: Closing the gender gap in startup funding. Academy of Management Journal, 61(2), 586-614.
[3] Huang, L. (2018). The Role of Investor Gut Feel in Managing Complexity and Extreme Risk. The Academy of Management journal., 61(5), 1821-1847.
[4] Huang, L., Joshi, P., Wakslak, C., & Wu, A. (2021). Sizing Up Entrepreneurial Potential: Gender Differences in Communication and Investor Perceptions of Long-Term Growth and Scalability. The Academy of Management journal., 64(3), 716-740.