2024 Reading Roundup

My personal standouts from a year of reading

At the beginning of this year, I decided to track the books I was reading. One of the reasons for doing this was as an accountability measure – in previous years, I had set goals to read more frequently, but found that these often fell off quite quickly. By tracking the books I read, my hope was to build up a more consistent reading habit. As of writing, I have finished 33 books to date. In addition to this, I’ve read a variety of essays and magazines (NOEMA, The New Atlantis and The Point primarily) though I haven’t been logging these to the same degree.

Looking back at what I read, a few things quickly become apparent. There’s a few topics that I had a particular interest in this year. These include economics, government and institutions. I also had an interest in technology, philosophy and cultural studies to a lesser extent, as well as design. Notably absent from my list was much fiction. One of my goals as far as reading goes is to read a lot more fiction in 2025. Additionally, I also want to stretch myself as far as this goes. When I’ve read fiction previously, I’ve typically stuck to primarily the classics, as well as the typically canonical novels of science fiction, fantasy and similar genres. I want to read some more modern fiction as well as branch out in terms of the authors I read and have a broader experience when it comes to what I read.

In no particular order, here are some books I read which stuck out to me this year:

Notable Reads:

The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman

A classic book on the design of everyday products we take for granted. The book expertly breaks what makes some products work so well and why others simply frustrate users. Useful for anybody working in design or any customer-centric field.

The Echidna Strategy by Sam Roggeveen

This book questions conventional wisdom about Australia’s defense strategy and how Australia should position itself geopolitically. I learned a great deal about the state of Australia’s defensive capabilities from this book, and rethought many of my assumptions around this topic.

The Story of China by Michael Wood

A comprehensive overview of China’s history, spanning several thousand years. Wood’s style of writing is easy to follow and this book is an enjoyable read. An ideal starting point if you wish to learn more about Chinese history.

The Unaccountability Machine by Dan Davies

The Unaccountability Machine tells the story of how the systems that comprise modern society became so complex and impenetrable, even to the people in charge of it. Davies makes a provocative case for reviving the concept of management cybernetics for the 21^st century in order to make systems more legible and accountable to society at large.

After Geoengineering by Holly Jean Buck

This book makes the case for geoengineering from a Leftist perspective. Eschewing the idea that climate change can be solved just through economic, political or technological means, Buck outlines a number of potential paths for intervention and how it might work from a technological, political and ethical perspective.

Trade Wars are Class Wars by Michael Pettis and Matthew Klein

In this book, Michael Pettis and Matthew Klein outline the origins of ongoing trade wars, particularly in the United States, Europe and China. Pettis and Klein argue that these trade wars have outsized impacts on the working classes of their respective nations

The World for Sale by Javier Blas

The World for Sale covers the story of oil, metal and food traders. Despite being a multibillion-dollar industry with global impacts, until recently this industry had been significantly under-reported and scrutinised. This book is a fascinating account of the major players of the industry and how they grew to prominence.

Running the Light by Sam Tallent

The only fiction in my list, this novel by comedian Sam Tallent is an excellent debut follows a week in the life of aging comedian Billy Ray Schafer. Simultaneously dark and humorous, Running the Light is an engaging read and has left me eagerly awaiting Tallent’s next novel, due to be released in 2025.

Sinews of War and Trade by Laleh Khalili

Sinews of War and Trade is an account of the development of the shipping industry in the Arabian peninsula and how it has shaped global trade and capitalism. It is at once an account of global capitalism, labour history, military history and maritime history, weaved into an accessible yet rigorous narrative.