[Personal] Top 7 books I read this year

How pollen can catch killers, the shared oppressions of socialism and capitalism, and Buddhism’s surprising environmental contradictions.

I’m coming off a whirlwind of a week. I passed a big milestone in my PhD this week and this has given me some extra time to follow up on all the loose threads that have been kicking around in my head. I am building my 2025 reading list at the moment and naturally, this means that I will share my top picks of 2024.

TL:DR: Here is my Goodreads

Top 7 Books

1. Running with the Kenyans (link)

   1. Inspired me to get seriously into running. Enough said. Has good commentary about economic access and lack thereof to sports and what “success” means in different countries.

2. The Gendered Brain (link)

   1. Made me question my assumptions about gender. I had a lengthy discussion about this book with two of my friends over a hot chocolate.

   2. Provides evidence for how gender biases develop due to socialisation and critically examines if any of them are due to biology or not. It is a bit technical and can feel slow. I would recommend giving this a read for specific examples of cultural conditioning and neurosexism.

3. 1984 (link)

   1. Made me think. It’s a classic for a reason.

   2. Similar thrill factor to Inferno by Dan Brown and Numbers by Pelevin. I read all three of these without being able to put them down. Also similar to Empire V (also by Pelevin) in commentary on Capitalism vs Socialism. This divide was a consistent theme for me in 2024. Understanding social systems was a key goal for the year for me and will continue throughout 2025. These books helped me process the different viewpoints and provided an emotional experience level on top of the theoretical.

   3. I liked the parallels between Newspeak and Trump’s vocabulary. If someone has better visualisations of Trump’s speaking level please send them to me or comment with a link.

4. Traces (link)

   1. Excellent overview of how pollen can be used to identify crime victims. I learned about the body farm and generally enjoyed reading about gruelling wet lab research while not having to partake in it.

5. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (link)

   1. I use the insights from this book in my relationship, my work and most other aspects of my life.

   2. This is one of those where the summary doesn’t cut it, reading it helps. Thank you to Bianca for convincing me to read the full thing (leading by example) and for challenging my assumptions.

6. Factfullness (link)

   1. Another classic. Helped me to re-sharpen my motivation for working on global health and pandemic-related topics. A fabulous read.

   2. I love Gapminder and Dollar Street.

7. The Buddha Footprint (link)

   1. I was given this book by my friend William. They knew exactly what I needed to read.

   2. One of my favourite parts of the book is the concept: we don’t judge Christianity solely by the actions of monks, so why do we view Buddhism only through the actions of its monks? The book goes on to explain how the resource acquisition and exploitation of nature by the laity was able to ensure the survival of the Buddhist monks.

   3. It also provides a concise overview of the different schools of Buddhism and links its history to the environmental movement, showing how some of the traits are fundamentally opposed to “eco-consciousness”.

Fun facts:

• Honourable mention: The Highly Sensitive Person: 99% of the book wasn’t that useful, but the 1 page that explained how to do a listening-only practice (slightly different spin on active listening) has saved me from heated arguments and has increased my relationship quality since I read it.

  • FYI new research in this area is better: ACE, work by Eyman McRory, Essi Viding and Nurturing Natures and The Anxious Generation.

• Worst books: Never Lie which was a trashy novel but fun to read, and Atlas Spread His Shoulders which was super hard to read.

What should I read in 2025?

I started reading challenges in 2021, faltered in 2022 (ahem mental health and geopolitics), and have completed them both in 2023 and 2024. Reading has a profoundly positive effect on my life and helps me process both internal and external turmoil. Please comment with your suggestions for me for 2025!

What should be on my list next year?

P.S. If anyone has seen the Good Reads Wrapped website where you can upload a CSV file of your good reads, please tell me. Someone made it about a month ago and I lost the link.