Weekend Briefing No. 567
My Top 11 Books of 2024
Welcome to the weekend.
I'm excited to share a few holiday treats with you today!
First up: my favorite reads of 2024! This briefing is a curated list of 11 books that absolutely captivated me this year. I can't wait for you to discover these gems — there might be your next favorite book in there!
Speaking of favorites, you might already know about my slight obsession with Christmas music! I've poured my heart into creating The Ultimate Christmas Playlist — over five hours of the absolute best versions of beloved holiday classics. It's already bringing joy to over 800 Spotify listeners, and I'd love to reach 1,000 likes this season. If you're in the mood for some festive tunes, give it a listen and maybe hit that like button.
Saving the best for last: I want to share a powerful year-end ritual with you. Over the years, I've developed a framework that's been transformative for my own year-end reflection, and I'd love to share it with you. Click here to check it out. There’s a one minute video that walks you through the process. If you give it a try, drop me a note about your experience — I'll feature the most inspiring responses in next week's briefing.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Prime Numbers
111 —This year, I’ve read 111 books (thus far). You can check out my full reading list as well as my ratings for each book here.
13 — My (not so) guilty pleasure right now is spy novels. I read 13 spy novels this year. Perhaps my favorite is the Terminal List series by Jack Carr.
1 — The one book I didn’t finish this year is The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon. It’s 3,589 pages. My goal is to make it all the way through by the end of 2025.
11. Men and Rubber — Harvey Firestone
What appears to be a simple tire factory was actually a powerful lesson in building an empire through human relationships. The journey begins with a bold vision to transform transportation by making rubber tires accessible to everyday Americans, requiring immense innovation in both manufacturing processes and labor relations. Rather than viewing workers as mere cogs in a machine, the development of company towns, fair wages, and education programs proved that treating employees with dignity could create unprecedented loyalty and productivity. The establishment of rubber plantations in Liberia not only secured a critical raw material supply but demonstrated how vertical integration and direct control of resources could protect a business from market volatility and foreign dependencies. Buy Now
10. Poor Charlie's Almanack — - Charles T. Munger
Most people believe intelligence alone drives success, but what if the real secret lies in a carefully curated mental toolkit of timeless principles? Through the lens of multidisciplinary learning, this collection reveals how combining insights from psychology, physics, mathematics, and other fields leads to superior decision-making in both business and life. The concept of inversion — thinking backwards from what you want to avoid rather than what you want to achieve — emerges as a surprisingly powerful strategy for solving complex problems and avoiding catastrophic mistakes. Building these mental models requires relentless self-study, intellectual humility and the remarkable discipline to resist the comfortable path of specialization in favor of being "consistently not stupid" across many domains. Buy Now
9. Table For Two — Amor Towles
In this masterful collection of short fiction, seemingly ordinary dining encounters transform into windows revealing the extraordinary complexity of human connection. Spanning multiple decades and two iconic cities, these seven stories pivot around fateful meals — six set in New York's intimate restaurant scene at the turn of the millennium, while the centerpiece novella follows the indomitable Evelyn Ross through the shadows and spotlights of 1938 Hollywood. Each carefully crafted story demonstrates how brief encounters over dinner can become life-altering events, exploring everything from modern marriage negotiations to reinvented identities, while showing how the ritual of dining together reveals our deepest truths and desires. The collection proves that sometimes the most profound stories can unfold in the time it takes to decide between the fish or the steak, the wine or the water, the truth or the lie. Buy Now
8. Solaris — Stanisław Lem
In a fascinating turn of events, this book was recommended to me by Claude, an AI I was having a deep conversation with about consciousness and connection. On a research station orbiting the mysterious ocean-covered planet Solaris, scientists face manifestations of their most intimate memories and painful regrets, as an alien intelligence materializes physical copies of people from their past. These manifestations raise profound questions about whether understanding between radically different forms of consciousness is even possible, or if we can only interact through imperfect translations of each other's realities. Through the protagonist's encounter with a copy of his dead wife, the story transcends typical first-contact narratives by exploring how truly alien intelligence might be utterly beyond human comprehension, while simultaneously probing the depths of human consciousness, guilt and love. Buy Now
7. The Message — Ta-Nehisi Coates
In a journey spanning three continents, we confront a startling revelation: the stories we tell ourselves as nations and individuals often serve as beautiful lies that mask uncomfortable truths. Through interweaving narratives that take us from the mythic allure of Africa in his mind versus the modern reality of Dakar, to Confederate monuments in South Carolina and finally to the complexities of Palestine, Coates shows how our cherished narratives can become dangerous instruments of self-deception. The exploration reveals how deeply embedded myths — whether about race, nationalism or history — shape our understanding of reality while obscuring the truths that could set us free. Most powerfully, the journey demonstrates that true liberation requires the courage to confront and dismantle the comforting stories we tell ourselves, even when doing so leaves us in the uncomfortable space of uncertainty. Buy Now
6. Troubled — Rob Henderson
From sleeping in 13 different foster homes to landing at Yale University, an extraordinary tale reveals how our earliest wounds can unlock profound insights into social class and human behavior. Growing up in poverty before entering elite institutions exposed the stark disconnect between upper-class virtue signaling and the practical wisdom of working-class Americans. Through vivid psychological insights, we learn how childhood instability created powerful abilities — like reading people's true intentions and adapting to new environments — while also developing a unique lens to critique how elite institutions often promote luxury beliefs that harm the very communities they claim to champion. The raw journey demonstrates how someone can transcend a chaotic upbringing not by simply climbing the social ladder but by using their dual perspective to challenge conventional wisdom about class, education and social mobility. Buy Now
5. Slow Productivity — Cal Newport
In a world obsessed with rapid task completion, the most counterintuitive path to success might be deliberately slowing down. The modern workplace has trapped us in a cycle of constant responsiveness and shallow work, while the truly important accomplishments in history have always required long periods of sustained, patient effort. By adopting the slow productivity philosophy, which emphasizes fewer but deeper commitments, longer time horizons and sustainable work rhythms, we can escape the exhausting hamster wheel of busyness while actually accomplishing more meaningful work. Through practical strategies like concentrated "deep work" sessions, ruthless quarterly planning, and structured time for research and innovation, professionals can transform their relationship with work from frantic to focused, ultimately achieving what truly matters. Buy Now
4. Wisdom of the Bullfrog — Admiral William H. McRaven
True leadership emerges not from the comfort of the boardroom but in those brutal moments when everything is on the line and others look to you for direction. Drawing from the intense experiences of Navy SEAL training and military command, we learn how seemingly impossible challenges can be conquered through rigorous preparation, unwavering determination and the courage to absorb life's hardest lessons. The path to remarkable achievement isn't about being perfect but about being resilient — getting up every time you fall, supporting your team even when you're exhausted and maintaining your honor especially when it costs you something. Through stories of life-and-death decisions, the fundamental truth emerges that leadership isn't about personal glory but about serving others and building teams that can accomplish what no individual could do alone. Buy Now
3. The Wealth Money Can't Buy — Robin Sharma
Beyond the chase for money lies a more profound kind of abundance that comes from mastering your inner world and maximizing your daily habits. Through the lens of ancient wisdom and modern neuroscience, we discover how early morning routines, deep work practices and regular periods of recovery can unlock unprecedented levels of creativity, energy and impact. The path to extraordinary results requires investing in four key assets: mental focus, physical vitality, emotional mastery, and spiritual strength - currencies that appreciate over time unlike mere financial wealth. By following specific protocols for mind training, heart opening and character building, anyone can access a form of wealth that creates both material success and deep personal fulfillment. Buy Now
2. The Servant — James C. Hunter
The most powerful leadership insight emerges from an unexpected retreat at a monastery, where a burned-out executive discovers that true authority flows from service rather than power. Through the guidance of a wise monk, we learn that genuine leadership isn't about control or coercion, but about identifying and meeting the legitimate needs of those we lead while holding them accountable for growth. The fundamental principle emerges that love — defined as the skill of meeting others' needs through patience, kindness, humility, respectfulness, selflessness, forgiveness, honesty and commitment —- is the ultimate foundation of effective leadership. This radical approach demonstrates how servant leadership transforms not only organizations but also the leaders themselves, creating a ripple effect of positive change through authentic influence rather than positional power. Buy Now
1. Consolations - David Whyte
In a world fixated on quick fixes and surface-level solutions, true consolation comes from diving deeper into the very experiences we try to avoid. Through masterful exploration of seemingly ordinary words like "loneliness," "heartbreak," and "silence," we discover how our most difficult experiences are actually doorways to greater authenticity and connection. The book reveals that consolation isn't about escaping pain but about finding the courage to stay with our vulnerability until it reveals its hidden gifts. These meditations demonstrate how language itself can become a bridge between our current struggles and the profound truths that give meaning to human existence. Buy Now
Should We Work Together?
Hi! I’m Kyle. This newsletter is my passion project. When I’m not writing, I run a law firm that helps startups move fast without breaking things. Most founders want a trusted legal partner, but they hate surprise legal bills. At Westaway, we take care of your startup’s legal needs for a flat, monthly fee so you can control your costs and focus on scaling your business. If you’re interested, let’s jump on a call to see if you’re a good fit for the firm. Click here to schedule a one-on-one call with me.
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Weekend Wisdom
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one. - George R.R. Martin