I read 45 books this year. This blew away my previous record of 26 from a couple of years ago, and I absolutely loved (almost) every minute of it.

Some people have asked me how I read so much (while still maintaining the rest of life). The primary reason is that I listen to most of these books, so “reading” is actually a bit of a misnomer. I use Audible for almost all of my reads and only actually read 3–4 books in the year.

The second question is, “where do you find the time to listen to these books?” The answer: anytime I can get away with it. Walking, exercising, showering, cooking, commuting, etc. Sometimes I go on walks specifically to listen to more books. I primarily use a pair of Bluetooth earbuds, but also have a Bluetooth speaker in my car and another in my shower.

Anyway, here’s the list. I am stack-ranking them in terms of “worth reading.” I’ve attempted to categorize them, but the categorizations are not perfect.

Fiction

1. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values by Robert Pirsig
2. The Final Empire: Mistborn Book 1 by Brandon Sanderson
3. The Well of Ascension: Mistborn, Book 2 by Brandon Sanderson
4. The Hero of Ages: Mistborn, Book 3 by Brandon Sanderson
5. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
6. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
7. Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki
8. The December Protocol by Devin Hanson
9. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
10. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
11. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
12. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (Russian classic)
13. Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

Non-Fiction

Autobiography

1. Surely, You’re Joking Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman

Health

1. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
2. Knee Ability Zero by Ben Patrick
3. ATG For Life by Ben Patrick

Investing

1. Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger by Peter Kaufman
2. The Warren Buffett Portfolio: Mastering the Power of the Focus Investment Strategy by Robert Hagstrom
3. Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts by Annie Duke
4. 100 to 1 in the Stock Market: A Distinguished Security Analyst Tells How to Make More of Your Investment Opportunities by Thomas Williams Phelps
5. The Warren Buffett Way by Robert Hagstrom
6. Chip War: The Quest to Dominate the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller
7. Trillion Dollar Triage: How Jay Powell and the Fed Battled a President and a Pandemic — and Prevented Economic Disaster by Nick Timiraos
8. Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark
9. How to Read a Financial Report: Wringing Vital Signs Out of the Numbers by Tage Tracy
10. The Interpretation of Financial Statements by Benjamin Graham
11. The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success by William Thorndike
12. Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by Abhijit V. Banerjee

Other

1. How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth by The Moth
2. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert by John Gottman
3. Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual by Jocko Willink
4. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
5. The Little Book of Tourists in Iceland: Tips, Tricks, and What the Icelanders Really Think of You by Alda Sigmundsdottir
6. A Little Book About the Runes by Bjorn Jonasson

Philosophy

1. You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment by Thich Nhat Hanh

Racism

1. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

Research

1. Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
2. The Strategy of Conflict by Thomas C. Schelling
3. Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking by Leonard Mlodinow

Startups

1. No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings
2. The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyers
3. The AI-First Company: How to Compete and Win with Artificial Intelligence by Ash Fontana
4. Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas