Rebooting Your Reading List: Five Must-Read Books for 2024
April 8, 2024 | Juliet Kerr
No, Elon Musk’s biography isn’t on here.
We’re well into the 2024, so once-high ambitions to read more this year have given way to old habits. To help you get back on track, here are five books for 2024 — some inspiration, some words of caution, some thoughts on the importance of doing nothing. Enjoy.
Photo by Nolan Monaghan, Unsplash
Going Infinite — Michael Lewis
If you thought you’d heard the story of overzealous support and unfettered access to capital for the eccentric young founder before, you’d be right. The tale of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is a captivating one, told in classic Michael Lewis-fashion, with perhaps a little too much fondness for SBF.
Going Infinite by Michael Lewis
Elastic — Leonard Mlodinow
Why do we get our best thoughts in the shower? Mlodinow’s ‘Elastic’ examines how creativity is stimulated and extraordinary ideas come about, advocating for an an approach that stops us trying to force ideas, instead leaving space to quietly ponder. It’s often in seemingly random moments, be it on a walk or in the shower, that we allow our minds to wander, and come up with the best ideas.
Elastic by Leonard Mlodinow
Influence Empire — Lulu Yilun Chen
Many of the well-read and frequently referenced startup ecosystem books centre around the US or Europe — ‘Influence Empire’ instead offers a glimpse into China and the tech giant behind WeChat.
Influence Empire by Lulu Yilun Chen
Super Founders — Ali Tamaseb
Tamaseb’s data-led approach challenges our notions of what makes a successful founder, cautioning against biases perpetuated through some of the most well-known entrepreneurial tales (another young, prodigious university-drop out?). A compelling read for investors and founders alike.
Super Founders by Ali Tamaseb
The Language of Cities — Deyan Sudjic
A city is more than the sum of its buildings, and in ‘The Language of Cities’, former director of London’s Design Museum, Deyan Sudjic, reflects on the idea of a city, walking us from ancient cities to mass urbanisation in Asia; from Canary Wharf to Silicon Valley. It reminds us that beyond architecture and properties, there is much more to the cities around us.
The Language of Cities by Deyan Sudjic
Honourable Mentions
Another handful of fascinating reads:
Shoe dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike — Phil Knight
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup — John Carreyrou
Outliers — Malcom Gladwell
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room — Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind
Billion Dollar Loser — Reeves Wiedeman
