Favorite learning exchange is my favorite form of social currency. I read some special books this year and I thought it was the right time to compile a list of the ones that stayed in my mind long after I read the last page. My approach to what makes a read worth sharing goes beyond just liking a book. Many of these authors make me feel uncomfortable and shrinking, and that’s the way I like them—but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy an escapist book.
Today I’m sharing a short and incomplete list of books I can’t stop talking about this year.
Here are the seven best books I read in 2024.
1. The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler
Have you heard of “Messy Perfectionist” before? Katherine Morgan Schafler The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control resonated with me deeply because it delves into the origins and complexity of perfectionism, offering a 360-degree view of the many ways it manifests itself. I found Schafler’s insight and personal anecdotes refreshing. He suggests we ditch the “recovering perfectionist” label (which I subscribe to) and instead view perfectionism as a powerful force that should be used for good instead of holding us back.
I have read this book twice this year and plan to pick it up again over the break.
2. Bittersweet by Susan Cain
In Bittersweet, Susan Cain explores the concept of bittersweet and how embracing both good and bad emotions can lead to a rich and fulfilling life. Through good personal stories and research, Cain argues that bitterness is an important part of the human experience and that it can help us appreciate the beauty and fragility of life.
This book touched on parts of me that I had hidden away as weird, sensitive, and something I shouldn’t show in public. Yet they are so important to who I am. Susan Cain continues to be a champion of sensitive, quiet, and deep thinkers.
3. It’s slow going by Rachel Schwartzmann
Walking slowly it’s a guide to living a slow, purposeful life. It offers effective techniques for reducing stress, expanding your mind, and finding more happiness in the moment. The book is structured in a slow learning process, which I found incredibly helpful. We can’t run before we can walk, and slowing down as we get older is definitely a learned skill.
4. Time Service by Kaliane Bradley
A time travel love story meets workplace comedy with the twists and turns of a spy thriller. This book defies genres and delighted me with its witty prose and deeply human characters.
5. All Four By Miranda July
Everyone has an opinion about this book. I love it as I make a flawed but well-intentioned friend. I love the creative choices July makes throughout his career. Her willingness to leave behind things that are messy and serve herself alone made her the perfect artist who stepped into society, shouting out the shame of being a woman of a certain age. After spawning it should be replaced in the middle and visible. There’s something about that sense of madness that accurately captures the awakening I’m just starting to feel, and I know I’m not alone.
It’s interesting to hear what people under forty think about this book. They are often open, frightened, and turned off by their barbarism and dirty nature. To them, I say, you will find it when you are ready.
6. The Law of Creation by Rick Rubin
This book is essential for anyone brave enough to take their artistic expressions seriously. Turn to any page and find a reason to keep following that compelling desire to do something meaningful with the mystery of knowledge.
7. You Can Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
Like many of you, the poem that made Maggie Smith famous came when I needed it most. This is the story of what happened to her marriage and her career later.
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Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. He is currently learning to play tennis and is a permanent resident testing the limits of his creative muscles. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.