Say Aye if you read less this year than the last.

“Aye!” Less than half the books of last year for me.

The short attention span syndrome hit me hard. It’s evident in the fact that two of the books I recommend here are a collection of bite-sized aphorisms.

We all have our different reasons for why that happened. And I hope we agree that it symbolises a more serious disorder. But that's a discussion for another time.

For now, the best books I read this year:

1. The Prophet (Audiobook) - Khalil Gibran

A collection of timeless wisdom. Simple, yet thought-provoking.

2. Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain

Every year, I read one such kind of book - streams of consciousness written down on paper without any filter. And I love it. This raw writing style is as much fun writing as it is reading.

3. The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Another collection of tiny pearls of wisdom. One thing that I still remember from this book - Taleb hates economists.

Notable Mentions:

• Elon Musk - Walter Isaacson

• Can’t Hurt Me - David Goggins

• River of Stories (Graphic Novel) - Orijit Sen

I hope you do get around to reading some of these. I really do. And if you have some recommendations, please do leave a comment. I want to get my attention span and focus back in 2024.

Lists from previous years: Best of 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016