10 Books That Made Me Happier and Smarter in 2023
A quick review of the best books that I read over the past year.
In 2023, I read over 50 books, and the majority were awesome! But, the books in this list stood out.
These books made me more knowledgeable, curious, happy and optimistic.
How did they manage to pull off this miracle you ask?
That answer varies from book to book, but typically a book makes me happy because I feel like I learned useful information, was entertained, or the best case scenario, the book sparked new ideas in my head.
If you’re looking for book recommendations, you are sure to find a book on this list that will either excite you, educate you or make you happy!
1. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - Fiction
After hearing about this book multiple times on numerous podcasts, I decided it was time to give it a read.
I was hesitant because I hadn’t read fiction in so long.
Fiction books for a long time felt to me as if they were a waste of time. If it’s not helping me, then why should I read it? I would be more entertained just watching a movie anyway.
Well, that mindset is wrong.
Fiction books spark your imagination and give you great ideas. Some even contain interesting philosophies
In this book, Neal Stephenson coined the term “metaverse”. That was the main reason I decided to read it… I was intrigued.
It was difficult to put this book down. It was captivating.
The story revolves around Hiro, who is a pizza delivery guy (relatable) and hacker. He goes back in forth between the real world and the metaverse and starts investigating a major virus.
If you’re looking for a fiction book, and especially if you’re into sci-fi… Read this.
Rating: 9.5/10.
Click here to read Snow Crash
2. Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday - Self-Help
This book came to me at the time. While I read 4 other Ryan Holiday books this year, this one was the best.
It is exactly as it sounds, about discipline.
The book goes through numerous stories which show the importance of discipline.
“To master anything, we must first master ourselves.” - Ryan Holiday
By the end of it, you’ll learn how it is important to have the discipline to act now and to keep going when things get tough. Don’t wait for things to happen, and don’t give up. Take control and make things happen.
Rating: 9.5/10.
Click here to read Discipline Is Destiny
3. Be Here Now by Baba Ram Dass - Spirituality
I first read Be Here Now in 2022 and it changed my life. It is by far the most beautiful book I’ve ever read and that is why I read it again.
This is a book which I will read annually. It reminds me to lead with love, to be present, and just how beautiful life is.
Ram Dass was a professor at Harvard who started experiencing with LSD. He ended up going to India to find a guru and to try and figure out how he could feel the love he felt on LSD all the time.
He ended up solving this puzzle and this is the book where he teaches what he has learned.
Rating: 10/10
Click here to read Be Here Now
4. How to Live by Derek Sivers - Self-Help
A short and beautiful book that talks about all the different ways to live life. You end up realizing that there are more ways to live than you previously realized. It’s all about finding which way works best for you.
It’s refreshing when you come to the realization that more than one person can be right about how to take on life.
I was happy the entire time I read this.
Rating: 10/10
Click here to read How to Live
5. The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch - Popular Science
This book may be a hard read if you don’t have an interest in physics. philosophy and epistemology. So, fair warning, you may not like it, but reading it made me incredibly happy and I’ll tell you why.
It is the best book that I’ve ever read.
David explains the importance of creativity and criticism. The book helps you build an optimistic mindset.
He goes over what makes humans unique, and talks about our potential for infinite knowledge and AI.
If I’m being honest, I have not yet grasped all of what I read in this book and will likely have to read it every year for years to come.
Rating: 10/10
Click here to read The Beginning of Infinity
6. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant - Practical Wisdom
I’m a giant fan of Naval Ravikant. To me, he is the perfect combination of success, family values, philosophy and spirituality. That’s why this book was great.
I’ve consumed nearly every piece of Naval content 5x over, but I still found value in reading this book.
You’ll learn about how you can create wealth, and improve your health.
Both those things make me happy.
If you’re looking for self-improvement - this is for you.
Rating: 9.5/10
Click here to read The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
7. Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson - Biography
Fair warning, I am an Elon Musk fanboy because I love those who lead massive innovation, take chances and aren’t afraid of being themselves.
Walter Isaacson of course is one of the best biographers ever and this book was another great one to add to his list.
It dives into all sorts of details.
Walter specifically did a good job of humanizing Elon instead of glorifying him and displaying his mistakes as well as how his childhood affects who he is today.
This book made me happy because it was incredibly inspiring.
Rating: 10/10
Click here to read Elon Musk
8. How Innovation Works by Matt Ridley - Non-Fiction
Innovation makes me happy. I mean, how could it not?
Innovation is all about doing more with less. The more innovation we create, the more everyone has, and the better our lives become.
This book is a deep dive into how innovation works, where it thrives, what it can lead to, what prevents it and why it is so important.
Once again, I found this book to be inspirational. That’s why it made me happy.
Rating: 9.5/10
Click here to read How Innovation Works
9. The Tao of Philosophy by Alan Watts - Spirituality
I spent close to a year looking for a copy of this book and I finally got my hands on one. It was absolutely beautiful.
Alan Watts answers the questions that everyone asks from different philosophical perspectives.
Mainly he takes a Taoist and Hindu point of view, but he does often compare to how Christianity would answer these questions.
You can find a lot of what is in this book in YouTube videos, but reading it makes it digest differently.
“The point of dancing is to dance.” - Alan Watts
Rating: 10/10
Click here to read The Tao of Philosophy
10. The Fabric of Reality by David Deutsch - Popular Science
Another book that took me some time to get a copy of and another incredible book.
If you don’t like physics and have trouble reading about it, you may not enjoy this book, but I recommend you give it a shot anyway.
This book talks about the 4 strands of reality: quantum physics of the multiverse, Popperian epistemology, Darwin/Dawkins evolution, and universal computation.
I’d be lying if I said this book was easy to take in, but the truth is, I didn’t understand the whole thing.
Just like the last David Deutsch book, I will have to re-read this one a few times.
Regardless, still incredible.
I found it particularly exciting when David dives into the idea of time travel and how he breaks down every concept.
His mind is incredibly powerful.
Rating: 10/10
Click here to read The Fabric of Reality
Conclusion
It’s important when reading books to get a healthy variety of genres.
I have found that mixing books on spirituality, self-help, physics, marketing and fiction allows me to get everything I need and remain well-rounded.
The mix you choose should be based on what your goals are. You want a healthy mix that not only makes you smart, but happier too!
What were your favourite books that you read in 2023?
Thanks for reading