Since 2017 I have published the books I read over the previous 12 months, along with a few I intend to read over the next year. If you want to catch up on the previous book lists, I am working on a notion list (still a work in progress) and I posted an article consolidating all the previous lists into one.
For this year, I read a total of 10 books. This is below what I have done for the past few years but the weekly posting cadence on Substack has eaten into my reading time. Nonetheless I am pleased with quality of the writing I was exposed to this year, since I would recommend all of these books. Some are of niche topics, so if you are not into that genre, don’t force yourself on my suggestion.
Some of these books inspired their own Substack articles, therefore I shared the relevant links to those along with a quick summary and my review of each book below. I hope these can inspire you to read something new and interesting in 2025.
***Correction after releasing the article I realized I didn’t include The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, which I also read this year. I did the abridged version but I suggest doing the unabridged even if the length is substantial.
If this week’s article does not interest you, please check out some other recent ones:
Luigi Mangione chose to be Tyler Durden
The world needs another Ben Franklin
The Most Obvious Secret to Success
The 2024 Ben Book List
Books# 1-3: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Under Ground and Ripley’s Game all by Patricia Highsmith. ~1,000 pages all together or 300-350 pages per book.
Rating: 90/100 (I would gift/actively recommend)
Related Substack Article: Mimetic Theory as Explained by The Talented Mr. Ripley
Tom Ripley is one of the iconic characters of modern American fiction. His journey from obscurity to high status, is quick but alarming. Most have heard of The Talented Mr. Ripley from book lists, the 1998 film with Matt Damon & Jude Law or the recent Netflix Series but few realize that it’s only the first installment of a 5 book series. I read The Talented Mr. Ripley long ago but didn’t realize there were more in the series until Ripley Under Ground and Ripley’s Game appeared on my Amazon recommendations more recently.
We are first introduced to Tom Ripley as a young twenty something, living in New York pulling small scams and cons. A wealthy industrialist, under the impression that Ripley is good friends with his son Dickie, hires Tom to go to Italy and convince Dicky to return home. Tom takes him up on his offer but instead of getting Dickie home, befriends him and they hang out in Italy instead. I won’t go through any spoilers but the first book covers this initial period of Tom in Italy in his early twenties, while the sequel, Ripley Under Ground and trilogy Ripley’s Game take place a few years later.
All three books are really great and worth reading together, but the Talented Mr. Ripley is definitely the best. I didn’t continue with the 4th and 5th installments because they received universally bad reviews and the author herself admitted she wrote them for financial motivations.
Henry Kissinger by Walter Isaacson ~750 pages
Rating: 80/100 (Niche topic/I would recommend if asked)
Related Substack Article: Kissinger: War Criminal, A$$hole or Great Diplomat?
Within 5 minutes of picking up this book, I already had somebody screaming at me. They called Kissinger a War Criminal and an a$$hole. After quickly realizing that this person hated him, but didn’t know why, I decided that I had better learn more for myself.
I didn’t know much about him but he’s an important historical figure and I loved many of Isaacson’s previous biographies. Isaacson did a great job covering his early life, time as an Academic and role within the Nixon and Ford administrations. He did not gloss over Kissinger’s role in Vietnam, but he provided useful context for the many conflicts that were ongoing while he was in office. It came out in the nineties, so it couldn’t comment as much on his later life
Although the book is lengthy and the topic is not light, I am glad that I read it. It’s certainly not a topic or a subject that I would recommend to anyone, unless you are something of a history or international diplomacy buff.
The Qualified Sales Leader by John McMahon ~300 pages & $100M Leads by Alex Hormozi ~300 pages
Rating: 90/100 (I would gift/actively recommend)
Related Substack Article: How to not Suck at Sales
I spent a decent part of this year focused on evaluating the performance of my companies sales team. Earlier this year we hired a successful sales leader with experience managing large teams selling into some of the world's largest companies. During our sessions he shared numerous insights. One key recommendation he made was to read The Qualified Sales Leader.
McMahon has held executive sales roles at several successful technology companies, including PTC, BladeLogic, BMC Software, and others. His expertise lies in building scalable sales processes, developing sales talent, and driving significant revenue growth, so he knows how to sell.
Another book I came across was $100M Leads by Alex Hormozi. Hormozi was a gym bro that successfully scaled his and many of his clients businesses to six-nine figures in annual revenue. From his videos you would think he is another internet scammer but when you read $100M Leads, you quickly realize that he has a great understanding of sales and marketing, and knows how to explain it, in a simple and direct manner.
I would expect most people seeing this do not work in sales, but much of life revolves around your ability to sell yourself. Knowing the basics of why people buy, or would be interested in what you are trying to sell, will give you a great in advance in any endeavor that you attempt.
Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut 300-350 pages
Rating: 80/100 (I would recommend if asked)
Related Substack Article: A 1952 Satire Book Predicted Chat GPT
Kurt Vonnegut Jr., one of the great satire writers of his time, quickly established his prowess in his debut novel Player Piano (1952). Written shortly after WWII, Vonnegut created a world almost completely automated by machines, leading to societal changes once considered unthinkable.
In 1952, Player Piano was clearly a satire. In 2024, you might confuse some of its lines with quotes from technology or media companies. Vonnegut was eerily prescient with many of his predictions of the future; not only have we achieved many of the innovations that seemed like science fiction at the time, we continue to approach a society mirroring the one shown in Player Piano.
Good book and as everything from Vonnegut, quite funny at times.
Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson ~600 pages
Rating: 85/100 (Niche topic, I would recommend if asked)
Related Substack Article: The world needs another Ben Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was successful as a newspaper editor, tradesmen, entrepreneur, politician, diplomat, scientist, inventor and author. Oh and he also played a major role in the American revolution and drafting the Declaration of Independence and US constitution. Not only did he accomplish all of this, he managed to have more fun than anybody else.
Walter Isaacson as usual, does an incredible job bringing readers back to the early establishment of the United States, why Benjamin Franklin, all of the Founding Fathers best embodies the spirit of America, and how his personality was entrenched in the constitution and the spirit of America.
Franklin was a very successful polymath that managed to impress people across America, Europe and many domains. If you are interested in learning about the early history of the United States or just want to know more about a legend, this is a great book to check out.
The Trial by Franz Kafka ~300 pages
Rating: 85/100 (I would recommend if asked)
Related Substack Article: Millei+DOGE: Austerity is cool again?
The Trial, regarded as Kafka’s most famous works, masterfully portrays the dangers of oppressive and absurd bureaucracy. Kafka is an excellent writer, that can make great points while being very funny. Although it was written over 100 years ago, the novel’s surreal and nightmarish exploration of justice and power, should still concern us today since individual liberties versus the role of government remain an ever pressing matter.
Seemingly citizens of each country has accepted that some level of bloated government bureaucracy is a necessity of life. This angers some more than others. The recent mandates of Javier Millei in Argentina, and Elon & Vivek with DOGE, appear to be trying to reverse this trend although they face substantial opposition.
How to Make Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie ~350 pages
Rating: 80/100 (I would recommend if asked)
Related Substack Article: How to not suck in 2025
The timeless guide to building strong relationships, winning people over, and influencing others effectively while staying genuine. Through practical advice and real-life examples, Carnegie teaches skills like remembering names, being a good listener, and making others feel valued. He outlines strategies for persuading people by appealing to their interests rather than through argument or manipulation.
The book also highlights the importance of encouragement, recognition, and constructive feedback in leadership and collaboration. Structured into clear sections with actionable takeaways, it remains a relevant resource for navigating personal and professional relationships with confidence and grace, offering readers tools to foster authentic connections and inspire cooperation.
It’s still worth reading in 2024 or 2025.
See also:
Zero to One by Peter Thiel
Rating: 90/100 (I would actively recommend/gift)
Related Substack Article: Revisiting Peter Thiel's Zero to One: 10 Years Later Part I
Neither a new book or something I read for the first time, but it has now been 10 years since Thiel released Zero to One. In 2014, Thiel was largely unknown outside of technology circles. Few would have guessed in the years after its release, Thiel would silently become one of the more influential members of the Republican party. Many former employees or colleagues such as JD Vance, Elon Musk & David Sacks now hold heavily influential roles in the Trump White House.
Even with this political influence, he remains focused on business and technology. Palantir, which he co-founded, is one of the most highly valued technology stocks and his many funds continue to back the most iconic startups. One of my early Substack article was to look back at some of the predictions he claimed in 2014 to evaluate if we would agree with him in 2024.
Despite his politics, he is one of the most interesting people alive today. His insights on businesses and the future should not be ignored, as he has exhibited many times his ability to see where the puck is going, before anyone else has even shown up to the arena.
Have a great holiday season to all my readers!
Thanks for the varied and thought-provoking suggestions Ben! I look forward to picking up one of the recommended books and letting you know when I've finished it. As always, I appreciated your issue for the varied suggestions!