My Reads in 2024

The year is coming to an end, and I have found that recalling past reads is phenomenal to retain knowledge acquired. It further helps as a self-examination process. Exercises such as this reveal how conscious and intentional one was when reading each book. I hope you can extract some titles for your reading list in 2025.

Although my reading process works in cycles, it’s generally the case that I daily carry two things in parallel:

1. I have books/letters that I intend to really absorb, hence I study them. First thing in the morning; slow read, taking notes. Each page of these might take 3-4 times what a normal read would take.

2. Normal reads. Lately it’s been 2-4 books in parallel, in turn.

-Studied-

Jeff Bezos letters

I’m of the view that you don’t fully understand a certain thing until you pay the required dues. Customer obsession is at the core of Bezos and Amazon’s philosophy. This principle is dazzlingly simple, and obvious, yet how seriously he takes it is otherworldly. And what’s beautiful is that it works marvelously. There’s incrementally increasing returns on each unit of effort dedicated to thinking about customer needs and acting in consequence.

The Outsiders, William Thorndike

Great book to understand “another” type of investment one can make. It greatly illustrates what happens when you pair up with outrageously good operators.

The Outsiders covers 8 CEOs, a feature that’s certainly useful when thinking about where to dive further into. Notwithstanding this, I felt it severely lacked depth and, for whatever reason, I feel there’s much more to it that remains uncovered. If you think about it, it’s natural to conclude this after realizing that barely 25 pages were dedicated to each of these Masters.

The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin

This is the first book I studied in the worldly wisdom line, and I cannot stress enough how much it improved my thinking. I realized most people are aware of what natural selection entails yet ignore the extent to which it impacts ecosystems. There’s a number of factors underlying the survival of the fittest, many of them skewing variations towards one side or the other. In a sense I cannot yet describe, The Origin of Species is probably the book that has changed my perspective the most.

The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith

I remain astonished by how could a human being put this together. The breadth of daunting topics covered is unbelievable. It also surprised me how Smith manages to not lack any depth whatsoever. In fact, I’d argue that 100-200 pages could be deleted and the book would be most profound of all non-fiction books in history. Furthermore, I’d speculate that a person who understands this work in its completeness learns 60-70% of what’s taught for a bachelor’s in economics.

The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud

Great book to see how high potential goes to waste due to miscognition. Freud had a couple of outstanding insights on human nature, how dreams play a part of our lives, and the analysis thereof. However, once his ideas got to a theory, he just fell victim to the man-with-a-hammer tendency.

I must observe that I have not yet gone through his work on Psychoanalysis, which composes the bulk of his legacy. Hopefully, this will be one of my studies in 2025.

Man and his Symbols, Carl Jung

My mistake in studying this book is that only 1/4th or so is written by Jung. The rest are other people, though Jung’s most ferocious followers, expanding on verticals Jung created and explored. I’ve been lately much more reluctant to reading others rather than the source. Notwithstanding this, the chapter that’s written by Jung is fascinating. There’s many of his ideas that provide huge thinking ground.

The Principia (I’m at 50-60%), Isaac Newton

This is my “current study.” It’s a physically massive, 900-pages book. It is and probably always hereafter be the most difficult book I will have gone through. Despite its complexity, The Principia is helping me get a curiously decent understanding of the field of physics. What’s so good about Newton’s work is how many impossible phenomena he got to explain through corollaries of a few laws.

-Read-

The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

I’m actually currently re-reading this book. It’s very uniquely written. Salinger does a sadly spectacular job in describing how true solitude and despair feel like. I couldn’t help but really empathize with Holden. The Catcher in the Rye shook something within me that only Dostoevsky had been able to reach.

Naturally, I must observe that I think Dostoevsky is the greatest thinker mankind has ever had. No one comes even close to him.

Poor Charlie’s Almanack, Charlie Munger

Poor Charlie’s Almanack is the book that, at a holistic level, has changed my life the most. Charlie found the best recipe for living life in a wholesome manner, complemented with massive contribution to humanity. A man that was remarkable in too many ways and after whom I based my life thereafter.

Franklin’s Autobiography and Other Writings

Franklin’s autobiography was a huge disappointment. Of course it’s well written, though the 1700s phrasing and vocabulary is distinct from nowadays’. I finished the book knowing barely something about the man himself.

What really saved it, in my case, is the inclusion of his other writings. There is one piece, called The Way to Wealth, that’s the finest thing I’ve read in my whole life. Another was The Whistle. Collectively, these 10 pages teach you more about wealth and life than any long list of books I can come up with.

Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman

Another disappointment, although this one was more my fault than the author’s. Kahneman provides an incredibly sound framework for understanding how the mind works. In addition, there’s a great selection of the biases to which we are subject and how to counteract them. My problem was knowing most of his work in advance, knowing he got a Nobel Prize in economics for it, and reading Munger’s speech in the mid 90s. Too high expectations.

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

Good book for people starting in the world of business ideas. There’s high utility in most of the verticals Naval explores. The single most important idea in his book might be leverage. Understanding that is life-changing.

Nonetheless, I feel I also was disappointed by Naval altogether. He’s praised as an outstanding thinker/philosopher, which might have led to me expecting some more depth to what he preaches. I didn’t find that, honestly, although I have enjoyed listening to him in the past.

Scarlet Study, Conan Doyle

Interesting way to, in my opinion, ruin a book by adding unnecessary background. Half of it revolves around the reader getting familiarized with the character of Sherlock Holmes and himself getting acquainted with the case, plus resolving it. That is absolutely delightful. In fact, I ordered a full collection of Conan Doyle’s books on Sherlock. But the remaining half I’d catalog as useless.

The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith

Well, I may have understood only 2 or 3 things about this book. Two of these are how Nature embedded man with a sense of morality, and that no one other than oneself knows what’s best for them.

I read it before The Wealth of Nations, hoping this would help me understand the roots of Adam Smith’s thinking of economics. It does have a bit of that, but it’s mostly pure philosophy; speaking literally about moral sentiments, how man behaves, why he does so, and what’s Virtue. I don’t mind those types of reads once in a while, but they are not my favorite. They’re typically written in a way that make me think the author wants nobody to understand them.

The General in his Labyrinth, Gabriel García Márquez

García Marquez never disappoints in the execution. His books are so delightfully written it’s a pleasure to go through them, irrespective of the plot. This one aims to describe the story of Simon Bolivar after the glory days. It has a good underlying idea. Exile, mistreating, and society’s treachery, are things I’ve seen repeatedly in history, yet there’s not much on how these heroes fared those days. For whatever reason, nonetheless, I found the book normal, nothing crazy.

The Book of Sand, Jorge Luis Borges

I had read other of Borges’ books before and I have yet to meet his genius. He was an extremely intelligent person and too good of a writer. I hope to, in a few years, be able to get a better grasp of his work.

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, Richard Feynman

What a beautiful book which, incidentally, has the best title I’ve seen. It’s amazing what reading and listening to Feynman did for me. I had theretofore never seen someone transmit so much joy from learning. Thinking itself, to a very large extent, is unbelievably fun. I’ve never realized that’s what theoretical physicists do. Feynman’s speeches and writings included in this book extend beyond physics, however, and I really liked that. His takes on how knowledge contributes to beauty, the need to beware of pseudosciences, encounters with other brilliant people, and so on, are fascinating.

Supernatural, Graham Hancock

I fully admit that one of the people who have captivated me the most this year is Graham Hancock. Author of Fingerprints of the Gods, over the past 40 years, he’s been exploring the idea of an advanced lost civilization. His fight with mainstream archaeology perfectly illustrates the problem with modern “science,” “thinkers,” and academia. I feel his contribution is incredibly net positive and that it extends well beyond his field. Thinking for himself and looking where no one has looked are some of the elements I admire of Graham’s philosophy.

Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond

I read Jared’s book after Munger’s recommendation. Wow. Jared’s intention was to answer a ridiculously obscure question, and I think he did an outstanding work at it. He seeks to shed some light on why Eurasians conquered Native Americans and indigenous populations. Most history books are simple summaries of what happened in the past, but aiming for the ‘Why’ is extraordinary. Truly wonderful read, and greatly written.

Life in a Putty-knife Factory, Howard Hawkins

I was doing some equity research in July, came across Hawkins and found it interesting enough so as to read 10-20 of their annual reports. I then came across the company’s founder from the 30s, Howard Hawkins, and saw he had written 100-page documenting Hawkins’ journey. I only remember he was led by a very sound principle: providing a good service. That single idea helped Hawkins triumph in a commodity market.

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

What a dreadful vision of what the world can turn into. Huxley’s book was well ahead of his time. Complete avoidance of pain, consumption-based society, the banning of books, the re-writing of history, the loss of Love and disinterest in things. One thing that struck me is that a leader, if I don’t misremember, used to keep a great deal of classics to read in his spare time. Shakespeare and Homer, I think. I loved the implications of that detail.

Nietoschka Nezvanova, Fyodor Dostoevsky

The only book I’ve read from Dostoevsky I didn’t fully like. Although misery and sadness are superbly captured, as is usually the case with him, I didn’t connect with the narrative. I felt it lacked something, or I’m not sure if it was meant to be anything. I barely even remember how events unfolded, up from covering the story of a girl whose father had passed (or something like that) and was adopted by a rich family.

White Nights, Fyodor Dostoevsky

I read this in August and already had to re-read it in November (it’s less than 100 pages). Wow. I couldn’t get over the sorrow and grief the main character experiences. He’s a fully well-intentioned person, full of love, yet seemed to have given up on life and is tortured by solitude. He meets a woman and has an intense 4-nights sequence with her. That’s the happiest he’s ever been. But it ends. She picks another man and wonders why things had to be that way. The main character is devastated, but got to be temporarily happy. He’s grateful, but does not get the grasp of the tragedy’s depth.

“My God, a moment of bliss. Why, isn't that enough for a whole lifetime?”

Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky

Another of Dostoevsky’s widely known masterpieces. Probably the best known of his work, and I immediately saw why. Out of all of his books, this might be the one that cuts the deepest. In contrast to The Brothers Karamazov, C&P is much more lightly written, with a straightforward plot, and without too much fanciness in the insights I believe Fyodor wanted to transmit.

In spite of myself making it sound superficial, it is beyond extraordinary. I seriously cannot describe how it makes you feel while going through it. And I am sure I missed most of Dostoevsky’s ideas. There are numerous characters with whom one relates completely and just don’t understand why it has to be that way. But it is.

Moreover, as happens with Dostoevsky, you cannot take any page for granted. In all dialogues, or internal monologues, he hits you with unbelievable lines and observations.

1984, George Orwell

God. I knew this was an absolute classic and that a lot of people regarded it as a masterpiece. Expectations were incredibly high, but this book just did something to me I cannot describe. Winston is the only sane person in Orwell’s dystopian society (alongside Julia), yet it’s brutal how he is broken. Massive ignorance controlled by a totalitarian state is such a despicable recipe. 1984 is about how one individual is lucid amongst madness who seeks what was lost, Love, and to remain mentally free.

Since I read this in August, I’ve been holding myself to not re-read it so soon. It is a ridiculously serious read. Ideas, special terms, trends, topics, dialogues, the narrative, the characters, the unfolding of events; I cannot think about anything that’s not perfect.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig

Pirsig wrote one of those books that makes you wonder if you are of the same species as them. The book follows a narrative consisting of a father taking his son on a mountain trip. At first they are joined by a couple, but then continue alone. I’d say the write-up is divided into 2 or 3 deeply ingrained ideas. One is about people’s philosophy of life, comparing two broad ones, whereas another is about the main character recalling his experience as a philosophy professor and his quest to understand what Quality is.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance might be the heaviest book I’ve ever read. Every sentence forces you to stop.

My First Million, Poissant – Godefroy

Despite it being a very marketing-like book, written for popularity, and immensely lacking depth, it was an interesting read. It briefly tells the story of how Rockefeller, Disney, Hilton, and some more people built their empire. The book is very useful if one is unaware of these businessmen’s lives, which is my case.

The Quark and the Jaguar, Murray Gell-Mann

Gell-Mann won a Nobel prize in physics for his theoretical work on elementary particles and coining the term “quark,” alongside a colleague. The Quark and The Jaguar is a phenomenal analysis of complex systems, how they come about, and provides tools for better understanding the concept. Additionally, it’s a great illustration of what can happen when a brilliant person masters multiple disciplines. I must observe that, nonetheless, it is quite a technical book.

The Autobiography of Charles Darwin

I wouldn’t say this is a good book, but it has a few insights on how Darwin’s mind worked, best practices he followed, and puts the man in context.

Financial Intelligence, Joe Knight and Karen Berman

I wrote about this book last week. Best book I’ve thus far found on accounting.

Newton’s Philosophy of Nature, Newton

It’s unfathomable how Newton’s mind operated, which translated into his writing. Through his letters and some other inquiries, you can vividly perceive how he connects one logical statement after another. It’s really dazzling. Incidentally, now that I’m writing this, it reminds me of when I listened to Richard Zeckhauser and Buffett for the first time. Newton took this feature to an inhuman extreme.

Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman! Richard Feyman

This is a compilation of anecdotes that this character left us. It’s an incredibly fun read. However, I would’ve liked for it to have some of Feynman’s views on topics, like the other book. Richard was much more than a funny guy. His perspectives were very enriching.

He, Robert Johnson

Johnson walks you through the journey of a young man in pursuit of Virtue, I’d argue. It’s some sort of interpretation of many of Jung’s archetypes and how they impact a man’s psychology. Although I tend to dislike these types of things, there’s great merit in that he wrote it in the 70s.

Deep Simplicity, John Gribbin

I read this after Munger’s recommendation, and I could see why he recommended it all throughout. The thesis of this book, I think, is around how complex systems are rooted in deep simplicity. With a handful of fundamental elements and a bit of time, marvelous things happen. This is a really profound idea I’ll expand on in the future. Deep Simplicity also counts with many of Mungers’ most loved ideas.

Meditations, Marcus Aurelius

Peak of wisdom. How to live.

From Third World to First, Lee Kuan Yew

From Third World to First is a continuous “How the hell did he manage to do that?!” The track record of Lee Kuan Yew as prime minister of Singapore is outrageous. He was systematically able to pick the right systems for each societal issue and being proven right. It’s beyond extraordinary. Additionally, what’s really good about the book is that there’s a lot of how his mind worked, and what his thoughts are and were.

Cicero: Selected Works

I was expecting a lawyer and great orator, but not a philosopher. Cicero was incredibly clear-minded, although apparently sometimes moved by vanity. He had a quite instructive approach to topics and ideology in general. Cicero was a man who, all along Rome’s most troubled decades, remained independent minded and comfortably in between extremes. I’ve yesterday read two treatises that are outstanding. The first, called “On Duties,” which reminded me on Franklin, is on how to live good life. The second, “On Old Age,” shows deep wisdom and answers why aging is not such a dreadful event.

The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins (Current Read)

I wanted to return to learning biology and, given I could not find any earlier foundational books, I proceeded with this one. I think it’s one of Munger’s recommendations and, thus far, it’s exciting.

Howard Marks’ Memos 1990-2003

I left Marks’ memos after reading only a couple dozen pages. It’s a read I intend to resume, for his writing is very clear and all of his memos are instructive. They not only discuss important topics but are very concise and full of great data.

Buffett’s Letters 1984-95

In 1994, if I’m not mistaken, is where the transcripts of the annual meetings begin. I read one of those and stopped this read altogether. I need to resume this asap.

Final Remarks

There is no mechanism by which “intellectual progression” can be measured. I suspect intelligence is highly related to one’s capacity to command mental tools. And, what I found, is that reading builds one’s arsenal.

I feel these past 2 years have strongly boosted my understanding about things. The aim of 2023 was to take a leap in the investment field and, of 2024, the world in general. My sense is both objectives were reached, although I always think I could do more.

The game of reading is a long one. Rewards follow an exponential path. The difference between this and compounding capital is that the mind seems to take off earlier. This past year I’ve just felt much more capable and, in consequence, useful to society, than ever. I’ll aim for this to systematically occur year after year.

I do not have any learning plan for 2025, but the goals are clear.

• Study the hard, foundational, books for at least 4 months.

• Maintain cadence with non-fiction. Ideally 1-2 daily hours all year.

• Read more fiction. Replace non-fiction when close to burning out.

I need to be more cautious of the tricks my mind plays. These habits are getting more and more ingrained within me. The trick is that, even if I miss a day, or god forbid, a couple of days, I still have the sense I’m reaching the objective, which is false. I stopped studying Newton’s The Principia in early November and haven’t resumed, yet my mind lies by saying I still am.

Moreover, I’m not sure what’s happening to my memory. It’s both improving phenomenally but becoming increasingly selective. I have the sense that some titles are missing from the list, but I cannot remember which, nor when I read them. At the same time, although I have decent recall of the structures I learned from different books and disciplines, many details are going away.

Everything is peculiar and things are starting to get interesting in mental territory. I’ll try to follow up with updates on the journey and hope you find it useful.