The Best Books I Bought + Borrowed in 2023

Fresh flowers on the coffee table + mid-day naps after another Zoom meeting + getting lost in the pages of a good book = this is luxury personified in my world, and you can’t tell me otherwise.

While jet-setting to Europe for an extended weekend with my girls is always a good idea (in fact I’ll probably book a trip soon), but not every time travel.

Sometimes, close the laptop at sunset and dive into a good book.

Every year, I aim to read 10 books for leisure & luxury.

I keep a list of them on my digital bookshelf (thanks to Notion).

Some years, I manage to finish all 10, while in other instances, I've eased the pace, settling around 6 to 8 books. It's not so much about the numerical count; rather, I assign a number to maintain a steady momentum and keep the reading journey alive.

Out of the 7 books I read in 2023, here the top 3 page turners in no particular order:

TL;DR: Shoe Dog proved to be a cornerstone for entrepreneurial growth, Relational Intelligence became a manual for navigating friendships with intentionality, and Necessary Endings emerged as a guide for decision-making, providing a framework to make crucial choices to pave the way for personal growth.

👟 Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

[ paperback copy borrowed from my local library ]

After catching 'Air' in theaters and listening to an Acquired pod episode on Nike, it felt like a natural progression to explore the origins of a multibillion-dollar company that began with a borrowed $50. So I went straight to the source, Phil Knight, the founder of your favorite athletic footwear brand.

What resonated with me most was the power of self-belief — recognizing your capacity to pursue your heart's desires with excellence.

While the book didn't draw from biblical references, it served as a timely reminder that being created in the image of God is no small thing — in fact, it carries immense significance. It underscores our authority, capacity, and ability to carry out the dreams laid on our hearts. And personally, 2023 was a year I needed to remind myself of that constantly as I was learning the ropes of entrepreneurship.

👥 Relational Intelligence by Dharius Daniels

[ e-book borrowed from the Libby app ]

This book challenged me, like my Therapist typically does 🥵.

I found myself deepening connections with many of my longtime friends, spurred by the conviction from these pages.

Living 2000+ miles away from them highlighted the importance of intentionality, a lesson I've perhaps let slip in the 10+ years of residing far from most of my closest friends. The book prompted me to critically evaluate each friendship, categorize them, and decide where we truly stood.

One quote from the book that stuck with me :

"Friends offer more than company; they help us carry out our calling."

In light of this, I recognized the responsibility to ensure that my friends are also walking in their calling, prompting a commitment to support and uplift each other in our respective journeys.

🛑 Necessary Endings

[ hardcover bought from Amazon ]

One of the first books I ever finished was written by Henry Cloud, so I was excited to start another one in January 2023, thinking about the necessary endings I might face during the year.

Little did I anticipate that I would encounter three significant endings, two of which are worth sharing: parting ways with a company that propelled my growth and concluding a relationship with someone I admire. While one decision was mine to make, the other was not, but both proved to be essential to woman I’m becoming.

This book has left a lasting impression as one of the most impactful reads I've encountered recently, and a specific phrase has evolved into the framework for my decision-making process moving forward:

“So if you feel resistance about executing a certain ending, figure out what two or more desires are in conflict, admit to yourself that you can have only one, and then ask yourself this question: Which one am I willing to give up to have the other one?”

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And as far as my 2024 reading list, inspired by the #BookTok, where some people read 200-300 books in 1 year (can you imagine?), I decided to elevate my commitment from 10 to 12 books. Here are the first 8, a mix of net new reads and cherished repeat ones:

Net New Reads

• The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

• Poor Charlie's Almanack by Charles Munger

• Zero to One by Peter Thiel

• The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness by Morgan Housel

• The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz

Repeat Reads

• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

• Atomic Habits by James Clear

• Good to Great by James C. Collins

〰T.