A Book List as We Welcome 2024
As we welcome 2024, I've enjoyed reading many book lists and thought I would share thoughts on books that have resonated with me over the past year.
As someone who intentionally seeks out information from diverse voices, sources, and perspectives, including perspectives that differ from mine, I’ve often hesitated to share a books list. As a result, I'd like to provide some context on how I developed this list.
Please note:
This book list includes some of the books that offer some insights, perspectives, concepts, or advice that I’ve found thought-provoking, engaging, broadened my thinking, and/or resonated with me on some level (note: this does not mean I agree with any single book below in its entirety. For example, I have included Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace below despite strongly disagreeing with the depictions of underrepresented communities and animal abuse (among other elements of the book) because other themes regarding philosophy and media resonate with me).
This is not an exhaustive, comprehensive, or definitive list.
This list includes books I read before 2023 and then revisited, books I read or listened to in part (and am still making my way through), and books I’ve read or listened to in their entirety for the first time over the past year.
I believe we need to be able to separate art from the artist. Based on this belief, this list includes books by some authors who have written other books I have intentionally not included here and/or who have said or done things in life that I don't support.
I chose the book groupings based on my perspective and how I have reflected on the material.
This list does not suggest any rank order or level of importance, nor does it include all the subjects I find helpful for supporting the work of C+B® Compassionate and Beneficial Management™.
Since I have found books written for children often include lessons for teens and adults, I have chosen to include children’s books among adult books rather than in a separate grouping.
I’m sure I’ve missed some books I intended to include, and I will continue to add to this and future lists.
Please share this list to others who may find it helpful and add reactions, questions, and/or books that resonated with you in the comments.
Animals, Human Health & Well-being, Nature, Science, & the Planet
Outlive by Peter Attia
The Animals’ Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age by Mark Bekoff, Jessica Pierce
Heart To Heart: A Conversation on Love and Hope for Our Precious Planet by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Patrick McDonnell
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
Supporting Pet Owners Through Grief: A Veterinarian’s Guide to Loss by Ryane E. Englar, Jill B. Englar, Teresa Graham Brett
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin, Catherine Johnson
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Dan Heath, Chip Heath
Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith, Maggie Kneen
On Grief and Grieving by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, David Kessler
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lembke
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
The Behaviour Change Wheel: A Guide to Designing Interventions by Susan Mitchie, Lou Atkins, Robert West
The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Animalkind: Remarkable Discoveries about Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion by Ingrid Newkirk, Gene Stone
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Big Panda and Tiny Dragon by James Norbury
Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking by Rachel Love Nuwer
The Humane Economy: How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals by Wayne Pacelle
Pageboy by Elliot Page
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
A Plea for the Animals: The Moral, Philosophical, and Evolutionary Imperative to Treat All Beings with Compassion by Matthieu Ricard
Equine Behaviour in Mind: Applying Behavioural Science to the Way We Keep, Work and Care for Horses by Suzanne Rogers
Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel by Carl Safina
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed by Peter Singer, introduction by Yuval Noah Harari
Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel A. van der Kolk
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal
Consider The Lobster by David Foster Wallace
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben
Leadership, Social Psychology, Communication, Creativity, Innovation, & Writing
The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work by Teresa Amabile, Steven Kramer
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron
The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Build the Life You Want by Arthur C. Brooks, Oprah Winfrey
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
The Hero’s Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work by Joseph Campbell
Oath and Honor by Liz Cheney
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Still Foolin ‘Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? by Billy Crystal
Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy
Principles by Ray Dalio
Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory by Deb Dana, Stephen Porges
Finding Me by Viola Davis
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr, foreword by Larry Page
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
Thinking In Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts by Annie Duke
Spare by Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher, William Ury
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The 33 Laws of War by Robert Greene
Everyday Dharma: 8 Essential Practices for Finding Success and Joy in Everything You Do by Suneel Gupta
Everything Beautiful in Its Time by Jenna Bush Hager
No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering by Thich Nhat Hanh
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
Paris The Memoir by Paris Hilton
The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History by Nathalia Holt
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones
Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones, forward by Chris Rock
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself by David Lipsky
Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal
The Upside of Stress: Why Stress is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It by Kelly McGonigal
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
Becoming by Michelle Obama
The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama
Better, Simpler Strategy: A Value-Based Guide to Exceptional Performance by Felix Oberholzer-Gee
1984 by George Orwell
Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine by Gen. David Patraeus, Andrew Roberts.
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson
When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage by Mel Robbins
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg, Adam Grant
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
Worthy by Jada Pinkett Smith
Permanent Record by Edward Snowden
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
DisneyWar by James B. Stewart
Making It So: A Memoir by Sir Patrick Stewart
My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Thicker than Water by Kerry Washington
Motivation, Reflection, Personal & Spiritual Growth, Faith, Relationships, & Life Crafting
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper
The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl
Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Jonathan Haidt, Greg Lukianoff
The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
Mastery by Robert Greene
How To Love by Thich Nhat Hahn
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday
The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes, Arnold Rampersad
The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Guide to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify by Francine Jay
Me by Elton John
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
That’s Bold of You by Case Kenny
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How To Free Yourself and Your Family From a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Anxious Perfectionist by Clarissa W. Ong, Michael P. Twohig, forward by Randy O. Frost
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow
Upon Waking: 60 Daily Reflections to Discover Ourselves and the God We Were Made For by Jackie Hill Perry
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B Peterson
The Ravaged by Norman Reedus
Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill by Matthieu Ricard, Daniel Goleman
Shy by Mary Rodgers, Jesse Green
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz, Maggie Testa, Vicki Scott
Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzeneger
Letters from a Stoic by Lucius Seneca
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Julie Smith
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success by Brad Stulberg, Steve Magness
Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
Guardians of Being: Spiritual Teachings From Our Dogs and Cats by Eckhart Tolle, Patrick McDonnell
The Good Life: Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger, Marc Schulz
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Portfolio Life by Christina Wallace
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan Watts
De Profundis by Oscar Wilde, introduction by Merlin Holland
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, illustrated by William Nicholson
What Happened to You? By Oprah Winfrey, Bruce D. Perry