Twelve Books To Read In 2023 — One For Each Month
It is slowly becoming a tradition — at the end of the year, I go over the books I read and share those I would like to read in the upcoming year.
I have two main goals with it:
- Inspire at least one person to start developing the habit of reading, and
- Support those looking for recommendations on the books to read in the twelve months to come.
I had planned to read 15 books this year. From the initial list shared, I only finished reading 2:
Isn’t it shocking? In a different article, I shared the main reason I have been facing challenges reading enough books and my plan to read more in 2023.
I was very intentional in my selection of books for 2022 — and those were books are want to read. Since I did not finish all of them, my 2023 list will be pretty similar.
Something I also tried this year and will continue doing is centering my reading around topics, and having the number of books I intend to read divided by quarters.
The topics for 2023 will be Personal Development, Personal Finance, and Entrepreneurship (Startup-focused).
However, instead of a topic per quarter like I envisioned, I plan to have at least one book representing each topic per month. My idea with is that by the end of every quarter I make advancements in each of those areas.
Before we dive into the list, I am honored to mention that this year’s recommendation is sponsored by Audible — I will talk a little more about it at the end.
First Quarter — January to March
Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Taleb
“Just as human bones get stronger when subjected to stress and tension, and rumors or riots intensify when someone tries to repress them, many things in life benefit from stress, disorder, volatility, and turmoil. What Taleb has identified and calls “antifragile” is that category of things that not only gain from chaos but need it to survive and flourish.
In Antifragile, Taleb stands uncertainty on its head, making it desirable, even necessary, and proposes that things be built in an antifragile manner. The antifragile is beyond the resilient or robust. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better and better.”
Hacking Growth by Morgan Brown and Sean Ellis
“An accessible and practical toolkit that teams and companies in all industries can use to increase their customer base and market share, this book walks readers through the process of creating and executing their own custom-made growth hacking strategy.
It is a must-read for any marketer, entrepreneur, innovator, or manager looking to replace wasteful big bets and “spaghetti-on-the-wall” approaches with more consistent, replicable, cost-effective, and data-driven results.”
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
“A motivational and inspiring guide to wholehearted living, rather than just the average self-help book, with this groundbreaking work Brené Brown, Ph.D., bolsters the self-esteem and personal development process through her characteristic heartfelt, honest storytelling.
With original research and plenty of encouragement, she explores the psychology of releasing our definitions of an “imperfect” life and embracing living authentically. Brown’s “ten guideposts” are benchmarks for authenticity that can help anyone establish a practice for a life of honest beauty — a perfectly imperfect life.”
Second Quarter — April to June
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
“In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach to solving personal and professional problems.
With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity — principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.”
Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim
“Written by the business world’s new gurus, Blue Ocean Strategy continues to challenge everything you thought you knew about competing in today’s crowded marketplace.
Based on a study of 150 strategic moves spanning more than a hundred years and thirty industries, authors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne argue that lasting success comes from creating ‘blue oceans’: untapped new market spaces ripe from growth.”
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
“By now, you’ve heard all the nutty get-rich-quick schemes, the fiscal diet fads that leave you with a lot of kooky ideas but not a penny in your pocket.
Hey, if you’re tired of the lies and sick of the false promises, take a look at this — it’s the simplest, most straightforward game plan for completely making over your money habits. And it’s based on results, not pie-in-the-sky fantasies.”
Third Quarter — July to September
Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried
The author defends that to start and run a successful company we actually need less than we have been told.
“You don’t need to be a workaholic. You don’t need to staff up. You don’t need to waste time on paperwork or meetings. You don’t even need an office. Those are all just excuses. What you really need to do is stop talking and start working. This book shows you the way. You’ll learn how to be more productive, how to get exposure without breaking the bank, and tons more counterintuitive ideas that will inspire and provoke you.”
Blitzscaling by Chris Yeh and Reid Hoffman
“What entrepreneur or founder doesn’t aspire to build the next Amazon, Facebook, or Airbnb? Yet those who actually manage to do so are exceedingly rare. So what separates the startups that get disrupted and disappear from the ones that grow to become global giants?
The secret is blitzscaling: a set of techniques for scaling up at a dizzying pace that blows competitors out of the water. The objective of Blitzscaling is not to go from zero to one, but from one to one billion –as quickly as possible.”
Do Mil ao Milhão. Sem Cortar o Cafezinho by Thiago Nigro (Portuguese Edition)
In his first book, Thiago Nigro, founder of “O Primo Rico,” a youtube channel on financial education, teaches readers the three pillars to achieve financial independence: spending well, investing better, and earning more.
Through data and his own experience as an investor and advisor, Thiago shows that achieving wealth is possible for anyone — as long as they are dedicated and willing to learn.
Fourth Quarter — October to December
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
“Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times.
Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, or earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.”
Winning by Jack Welch and Suzy Welch
“With Winning, Jack Welch delivers a wide-ranging, in-depth, no-holds-barred management guidebook about the tough strategic, organizational, and personal challenges that face people at every stage of their careers.
Loaded with candid personal anecdotes, hard-hitting advice, and invaluable dos and don’ts, Jack explains his theory of business, by laying out the four most important principles that form the foundation of his success.”
The Millionaire Fast Lane by MJ DeMarco
“Since you were old enough to hold a job, you’ve been hoodwinked to believe that wealth can be created by blindly trusting in the uncontrollable and unpredictable markets: the housing market, the stock market, and the job market. I call this soul-sucking, dream-stealing dogma “The Slowlane” — an impotent financial gamble that dubiously promises wealth in a wheelchair.
Demand more. Change lanes and find your explosive wealth accelerator. Hit the Fastlane, crack the code to wealth, and find out how to live rich for a lifetime.”
A gift for those who made it this far:
Ever heard about audible or tried an audiobook before? Audible is an Amazon subsidiary, known as the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling and the largest producer of audiobooks in the world.
As a thank you for making it this far, through this link you will be able to try Audible for 30 days and get 1 of the 12 books I just shared for FREE. Let me know how the experience goes!
