Top books of 2024. We’re at the end of another year and that means it’s time for reflection. Today I’ll be highlighting 5 of my favorite books from 2024. I tried to select from different genres and the list below is not in any particular order.
Business/leadership
How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In.
Jim Collins is a top drawer researcher and author. His book, “Good to great” is a classic. So, this book was a slam dunk for me. I knew I’d like it.
Collins identifies five steps in institutional demise. These steps always occur in order. The five steps are:
- Stage 1: Hubris born of success
- Stage 2: Undisciplined pursuit of more
- Stage 3: Denial of risk and peril
- Stage 4: Grasping for salvation
- Stage 5: Capitulation to irrelevance or death
This short book is loaded with real life examples and is well researched. Although it is written as a business book, I find that it has broad application to pretty much everything in life.
My big takeaway was: Beware of Hubris! The Bible puts it succinctly:
18Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.Proverbs 16:18 ESV
I blogged more about this book here.
Life/Politics
Domestic Extremist: A Practical Guide to Winning the Culture War
This pick is a controversial and grabs the attention. I was delighted to see a straightforward presentation of ideas that are currently counter-cultural.
The book is written directly to young women, so I sometimes felt as if I was listening in on someone else’s conversation. But, I couldn’t stop myself from consuming Keenan’s content.
Here’s the gist of the book. If you are a woman that is interested in falling in love, getting married and having babies, YOU are a Domestic Extremist.
This book could have come across mean spirited and edgy. But, it is fun and kind of quirky.
Autobiography
The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge: Authorized, Expanded, and Annotated Edition
I didn’t know anything about Calvin Coolidge, but I like biographies and I believe it’s valuable to learn about our former Presidents of the United States. This book was outstanding and illuminating.
Coolidge was a conservative. He actually balanced the budget more than once! He wrote his own speeches. And, he refused to run for re-election when his victory was nearly certain.
I could go on and on. You should read about this man. The end of the book contains a few of his famous speeches.
I loved this book!
Biography
I grew up hearing about Henry Kissinger, but I didn’t know anything about him. This is a VERY thorough treatment of Kissinger’s life. Walter Isaacson is a top-notch author. He worked diligently with Kissinger. And, Kissinger wasn’t overly happy with the book. So, it isn’t an authorized biography. To me, that means Isaacson was being more honest than Kissinger would have liked.
I particularly liked the sections detailing the Nixon years. It looks like Nixon wasn’t the only one doing wire taps on people.
Kissinger was an extremely intelligent man. That was also his biggest problem. I refer you to step #1 from Collins’ book listed above.
Christian non-fiction
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: Third Edition with Bonus Content, New Reflections
Nabeel Qureshi was an American born Muslim who was raised to be very devout. When he went to college he developed a friendship with a Christian friend, David Wood.
Qureshi set out to prove to David that Islam was true and that Christianity was false. The story follows their years long conversations as they cover areas that include:
- Did Jesus claim to be God?
- Is Islam a religion of peace?
- Is the Bible/Koran a reliable document, historically?
- Was Jesus crucified? If so, did he come back to life?
- How does Muhammed compare to Jesus? What did they condone, what did they advocate?
If you are a Christian, you have to read this book. And, when you finish this book, read, “No God but One: Allah or Jesus?: A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity“. I would have added this book to my top books list, but it is very similar to Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.
Qureshi and his friend, David Wood, maintained a strong friendship right up to Qureshi’s early death at the age of 34.
One last thought
I don’t have any fiction books on the list, but I do read fiction. My favorite is a series of books by Clive Cussler called the “Oregon Files“.
The main character, Juan Cabrillo, is the captain of a high-tech boat called the Oregon. The boat is disguised to look like a junky old freighter. His crew is a group of hand picked mercenaries who only do work that benefits the United States. They call themselves, “The Corporation” and Cabrillo is the Chairman.
Juan is an ex CIA NOC who lost his leg in an incident with China. He gets most of his jobs from an old CIA friend, Langston Overholt the IV.
The characters and action are well written. And, you can be guaranteed that the Corporation will always win.
This series is still on-going even with the death of Clive Cussler in 2020. I’ve tried reading the next book in the series, but I feel that the heart of the book has changed and lost its charm.
Wrap up
That does it for my top books of 2024. I hope you found something that you’d like to try. If you’d like more info on the books that I have read, you can find me on goodreads.
Happy reading!