I created a similar list at the end of last year, which many people found beneficial.
Without further ado, here is a list of books I consumed in the first half of 2024. The books are categorized by genres that make sense to me, based on their content and the way I used them to update or challenge my mental models.
My top recommendations are bolded, with a link to purchase if desired; one for each category. Choosing just one was difficult, especially in the first section. However, many of the others are still very much worth your time.
Science, Technology, Futurism, Natural World
Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet (Hannah Ritchie)
Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness (Peter Godfrey-Smith)
The Treeline: The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth (Ben Rawlence)
Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet (Ben Goldfarb)
Otherlands: Journeys in Earth's Extinct Ecosystems (Thomas Halliday)
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World (Steve Brusatte)
Food, Health, Sociology, Philosophy, Spirituality
When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America (Kevin F. Adler)
The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness (Ichiro Kishimi)
Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life (Bill Perkins)
Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love (John M. Gottman)
The Creative Act: A Way of Being (Rick Rubin)
Decision Making, Economics, Business
The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions (Michael Norton)
Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results (Shane Parrish)
Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters (Brian Klaas)
Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection (Charles Duhigg)
Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It (Ethan Kross)
The Geek Way: The Radical Mindset that Drives Extraordinary Results (Andrew McAfee)
History
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey (Candice Millard)
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder (David Grann)
The Johnstown Flood (David McCullough)
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Other Fiction
Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2) (Martha Wells)
The Ministry of Time (Kaliane Bradley)
All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) (Martha Wells)
In Ascension (Martin MacInnes)
A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan, #1) (Arkady Martine)
Some Desperate Glory (Emily Tesh)
The Water Outlaws (S.L. Huang)
A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan, #2) (Arkady Martine)
Bonus Recommendations
Cookbook: Heston Blumenthal at Home (Heston Blumenthal)
Album: Cornbread (Lee Morgan)
Software/Tool: Remarkable 2
Podcast: The Daily Stoic