Food, Philosophy & Storytelling - My 2024 End of Year Reading List
My year end reflection on some of the thoughts and ideas that shaped my thinking in 2024.
For the past few years I’ve published a list of the books I read.
I do not have a rhyme or reason as to what I choose to read other than I do enjoy learning new things as well as backfilling and reinforcing certain knowledge gaps I’m aware I possess.
I generally am bored of business books not for any specific reason other than most of them could be condensed into 1 or 2 chapters or a long-form blog post versus 300+ pages. Many also feel like snapshots of what worked for the author in a particular moment, which doesn’t always translate universally. As for fiction, I don’t typically read much of it, though I did explore the genre a bit this past year.
Reflecting on my 2024 reading list, it’s clear that food, philosophy, and storytelling were recurring themes. Given my current personal and professional pursuits, it’s no surprise these topics guided my choices.
Anyway, here’s a (mostly complete) list of what I read this year, along with some thoughts on what I took away from each book.
Bird By Bird - Anne Lamott
Bird By Bird is a fantastic guide to the writing and creative process, offering a slightly more accessible approach than McPhee’s Draft No. 4 (mentioned below). Lamott’s easygoing, self-deprecating, and entertaining style turns storytelling into a practical and enjoyable way to learn something meaningful.
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown - Paul Theroux
This might be my favorite book of the year, alongside Bird By Bird. Travel writer Paul Theroux chronicles his journey across Africa, traveling from Cairo to Cape Town in the early 2000s after nearly 40 years away. His reflections on the changes he observed resonated deeply with me, as I’ve often grappled with the transformations I’ve seen in places I’ve revisited over time.
Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process - John McPhee
As a New Jersey resident, I’ve revisited The Pine Barrens a few times over the years, but I hadn’t explored much of McPhee’s other work until now. This short collection of essays offers his reflections on the writing process and what makes a story compelling. As someone who enjoys writing, I found it particularly rewarding to read about the craft this year as part of my effort to improve my own skills.
Fallen Leaves - Will Durant
Will Durant’s Fallen Leaves is one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in some time—a reflection on life’s fleeting phases with a rare mix of optimism and blunt honesty. While it touches on ideas familiar to Eastern thought, the way Durant humanizes and presents them is what stayed with me. It’s a book I’ve already found myself revisiting, and I’ll keep coming back to.
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
I often enjoy revisiting books I was forced to read in school, especially ones I lacked the perspective to fully grasp at the time. Heart of Darkness has taken on a cultural life of its own and had been on my shortlist to revisit. Despite being dense and difficult—especially for a 100-page book—it felt rewarding to complete, even if I was incapable of deriving any deeper personal meaning.
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia - Mohsin Hamid
Told in the second person, this novel follows the journey of a boy growing up in an unnamed slum in an unnamed country in Asia. Spotting an opportunity, he builds a business providing clean drinking water to his community, which eventually grows into a massive empire. Along the way, he navigates love, loss, and the complexities of amassing wealth.
How to Raise A Venture Capital Fund - Winter Mead
I’ve spent most of my adult life in tech and on the fringes of the startup world. More recently, I’ve ventured into real estate investing, tackling projects that require far more capital than my current socioeconomic status can support alone. While I have some experience with capital raising, I realized there were significant gaps in my knowledge. This book was my attempt to bridge those gaps.
Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived - Peter Barton & Laurence Shames
Peter Barton, founder and CEO of Liberty Media, built his fortune in the 1990s by consolidating and managing independent cable TV channels. After retiring young to spend more time with his family, he was diagnosed with cancer and given a short time to live. This book is a poignant collection of his stories, life lessons, and reflections—not just on facing death but on what it truly means to live a fulfilling life.
Poor Charlie’s Almanack - Charlie Munger
In my early 20s, some of my first investments were in Berkshire Hathaway (B Shares). Running my first business with no formal experience felt like a crash course MBA, and naturally, Warren Buffett became a key figure in my self-education. I went down that rabbit hole for a year or two, but with the passing of Buffett’s #2, Charlie Munger, last year, I realized how little I knew about him—his thoughts, personality, and unique wit.
Slow Drinks - Danny Childs
New Jersey native Danny Childs, former bar manager at The Farm and Fisherman Tavern, became known for his innovative approach to foraging and using local, seasonal ingredients in his drink creations. After branching out to start his own consultancy, he published Slow Drinks, a detailed manual for anyone interested in learning his techniques. As someone who enjoys experimenting with fermentation, I found his creative methods for flavoring ginger bugs and other “live” drinks particularly inspiring.
Supercommunicators - Charles Duhigg
This book was praised as a “must-read” business book and a game-changer. To me, it felt like a textbook example of one or two good points about how to speak to people in a way that engages them, stretched out over 300 pages of filler.
The Book of Life - J. Krishnamurti
This collection of 365 meditations is both easy to read and deeply thought-provoking. It’s the kind of book you can leave by your bedside and pick up for a quick reflection in the morning or evening.
I absolutely love Jacqueline Novogratz’s story, humility, and mission in life. I read Manifesto for a Moral Revolution a few years ago, and it really stuck with me, so I was excited to finally dive into her backstory. This book explores how she started Acumen and her approach to building an NGO designed to create real impact on the ground.
The French Laundry Cookbook - Thomas Keller
More than just a cookbook, this is an intimate look into the mind of one of the world’s most renowned chefs. It combines recipes with insights into Keller’s philosophy, techniques, and approach to culinary excellence. In line with some of my other reads this year, I picked it up to fill in some gaps in my knowledge of more refined culinary practices.
The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt
This novel follows Theo Decker, a boy who survives a terrorist attack at the Met and ends up in possession of a highly valuable stolen artwork. At nearly 800 pages, it was a bit of a challenge, but I found it equally hard to put down.
The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food - Dan Barber
Dan Barber, chef and owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, explores modern food systems and highlights time-tested alternatives that focus on sustainability and recovering lost flavors. One of the most fascinating aspects is his work with heirloom seeds, using modern gene mapping to crossbreed them (in the traditional way) for both higher yields and better flavor.