Every Book I Read in 2023
List of all the books I read in 2023. Inspired by Elisa Gabbert whose been doing this since 2016.
1. Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon. I read this book early in 2023. It’s short and easy to read and you can finish it quickly. But that would defeat the purpose of reading. I took my time with the book. I remember folding a blank sheet of people to use as a bookmark. I’d copy quotes and things that resonated with me and jot down my thoughts on that paper. Since I’d borrowed the book, I couldn’t underline or write on the pages. I made a mental note to purchase Austin’s books next time. Inspired by his blackout poems and illustrations in the book, I wrote my first blackout poem. I’d never written a poem before, mostly because I never thought I could! Steal Like An Artist is a must-read for creatives and creators.
2. Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon. As the name suggests, the book is full of tips and tricks to discover your creativity, get over creative blocks, see art in the mundane, and create things. I loved the idea of making gifts and how it can help rekindle joy in your creative work. The most liberating concepts in the book are- you are allowed to change your mind, and not all hobbies need to be monetized.
- Look for like-hearted people rather than like-minded people.
- Surround yourself with the mess of what you love
- Fresh air is important because demons hate fresh air
- The concept of a bliss station, which can be a time or a place
3. The $100 Start Up by Chris Guillebeau is a book about how anyone can start a business for about $100, especially in this digital age. I came across this book while walking through the local markets.
The book’s motto is- ‘Fire your boss, do what you love and work better to live more.’
It’s a collection of ideas and stories from people whose startup cost was between $100-$1000, who earned at least $50,000 a year in net income, required skills that can be acquired through a short period of training or independent study, and had fewer than five employees.
Some inspiring ideas from the book-
- If you make your business about helping people, you will always have plenty of work.
- In a battle between planning and action, action wins. (The action bias)
- Little by little, a little becomes a lot. (500 words is not a lot but writing 500 words every day leads to 3500 words a week, 15000 words a month, and 1,82,500 words a year!)
- The Hub and Spoke Model
4. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma- One evening while arranging my bookshelf I was flipping through some books and this one caught my eye. I started reading and couldn’t put it down until 2 a.m. It’s a very enlightening book. Robin Sharma uses great storytelling to captivate the readers and make them feel everything he experienced. The book is about a lawyer who left his practice, sold his belongings and moved to India, Sivana in the Himalayas, to be precise, in search of the meaning of life. He came back feeling more youthful and with greater zeal, vigour and vibrancy. The book talks about simple principles each of us can adopt in our lives to feel lighter and happier. One practice I adored is the Heart of the Rose. You focus on the heart or centre of the rose for a while. It teaches one to observe things, focus, slow down, become aware, and breathe.
5. How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie- This book helped me connect with more people. It talks about the importance of listening, asking the right questions and how to handle complex situations in your personal and professional life. It talks about how little things like smiling and remembering what a person said or even their name make a huge difference. He’s filled the book with case studies and examples of his pupils using these techniques and witnessing remarkable results.
6. 101 Essays to Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest- I spent more than 2 months with this book. A lot of my summer nights were spent reading this and reflecting upon the things Wiest talks about. Whenever I didn’t know what to journal about, this book gave me a great prompt. I wouldn’t recommend reading it in one go. You should read it slowly and take your time with it.
7. Life’s Amazing Secrets by Gaur Gopal Das- I read this book in late January/ early February of 2023. I wouldn’t have picked this book but the guy from the place I borrow books (not a library) told me I’d like it. Nevertheless, it was a great read and prompted me to start journaling. An image from the book I really loved-
8. Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer- My best read of 2023. I came across this book at a cafe. I read the first few pages and immediately ordered it on Amazon. Despite the tragic ending, I loved Chris McCandless’s story. He was a free spirit, questioned the norms of society, and lived life on his own terms. It’s a journey of self-discovery, living life to the fullest, freedom, listening to and trusting yourself and chasing your dreams. The way he connected with people without even trying to, survived in the wilderness, read and wrote and his unforgettable Alaskan adventure made this book one of my favourites.
make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality, nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
9. Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter- I found this book while cleaning some drawers. It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s a children’s book with simple language, a simple story, illustrations and a profound lesson- how to find something to be grateful for in every situation. The book illustrates the power of gratitude, and how it can help us lead happier lives and win people over. Despite knowing how powerful practising gratitude is, very few of us actually do it. How do you practise gratitude and how did you make it a part of your routine? I’d love to know.
10. Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Ngyugen- It’s a short, 128-page read. It revolves around the power of thought. How every problem we face or anticipate seems bigger in our minds. We cook up the worst-case scenarios and believe them to be real when it’s actually our thought. The thoughts in our minds are not facts. An interesting thing I discovered from this book is the difference between goals created out of inspiration and desperation. Goals created out of inspiration energise us while those created out of desperation deplete our energy. We need to reflect upon our goals and think about their source. It talks about how important it is to think less and slow down. But this does not mean we don’t think or plan at all. Overthinking is a disease that has seized us all. Sitting in silence and consuming less content (particularly social media) helps in reducing our thoughts.
“The less thinking we have, the more space we create for positive emotions to naturally surface.”
“if your mind is completely full of old thinking, it is impossible to have any new thoughts come into your mind to create the change you seek.”
“Thought is not reality; yet it is through thought that our realities are created.”
11. Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon- This was my final read of 2023. As the name suggests, it’s all about showing your work. Kleon talks about how easy it is to show our work online and get noticed. And that we must build an online presence. He talks about building things, showing the process, sharing what you’re learning and sharing something small every day. But ‘don’t let sharing your work take precedence over actually doing your work.’ Building an audience is a long-term game so stick around, and teach what you know but don’t turn into a human spam.
Start a blog, document things, do good work, and when you find things you enjoy don’t let anyone else make you feel bad. ‘Don’t try to be hip or cool.’ Be open and honest because that’s the best way to connect with those you like those things too. Become a better storyteller. ‘You need to know what a good story is and how to tell one.’ Keep the amateur spirit and be a lifelong learner.
Honestly, I could go on and on about the book but I’d rather you give it a read. You will not be disappointed.
12. Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. I reread this book every year since I first read it in 2019. It’s a short, wholesome read full of valuable lessons. Morrie is the kind of professor everyone wants in their lives. He was Mitch’s sociology professor in college and had a profound impact on his life. Years after college, Mitch visits his ailing professor and they begin their final thesis every Tuesday. They talk about forgiveness, money, love, career, family, relationships, and death. Morrie was young at heart, full of life and enthusiasm even at the age of 77, something a lot of us have lost much early on. This is my most recommended book.
Apart from these, I read some PDFs online, like Gary Halbert’s Boron Letters.
I’m looking to read more books around
- Creativity (like Austin Kleon’s books)
- Travel (like Into The Wild)
- Or books that have an interesting storyline rather than just a collection of advice (both fiction and non-fiction)
If you have any recommendations, please share them in the comments! Any book apart from these that you’d highly recommend is welcome too. Thank you!
I’m currently reading Hippie by Paulo Coelho. What have you been reading?
Books are the best investment and I know a lot of you might want to check out some of these books. So I’ve included a link to Amazon. Some of these links are affiliate links. I just joined the Amazon Affiliate Programme and I’m not sure how it works, especially since my readers are spread across the globe. But learning by doing is the best. Anyway, I’d really appreciate it if you buy any book using my affiliate link (these will be at no additional cost to you.)
Thank you for reading.
