Reading List 2024: New, improved and expanded

The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read. ~Mark Twain.

We’ve got you covered if you’re looking for something to read. Our 2024 reading list is out with the Best of 2023, our early reading list for the new year, and a new and improved expanded All-Time Classics.

Leaders read and read a lot. Harry S. Truman says, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” CEOs will read 50-60 books every year. And, Teddy Roosevelt is said to have read a book a day — while he was president.

• Bill Gates reads 50 books a year.
• Warren Buffet reads 5-6 hours a day, plus combing through 500 pages of financial documents.
• Tony Robbins once read 700 books over seven years.
• Mark Cuban reads for three hours each day.

You may ask how they do that. Did they read before they became famous, or are they famous because they read? Well, if you believe Buffett, he reads 80% of his waking hours. He said, “Read 500 pages every week. That’s how knowledge builds up, like compound interest. Go to bed smarter than you woke up.”

By the way, 500 pages is the equivalent of two and a half books — a week.

Well, I’m not there either — yet. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve learned the value of reading books. I also read about current events to keep up. Elizabeth reads even more than I — she read more than 30 books in 2023, plus various devotionals and Bible studies — and has carved out her early mornings for devotions, various books, and journaling.

How, you ask? It’s a matter of priority and making time for it. You know you’ll never find the time, so you must make the time. Set aside the time. Place boundaries that limit distractions. Be very intentional. And read books that pertain to where you are in your life, not necessarily what everyone else is reading.

Here are my updated lists. My Classic All-Time list has grown into a Top 20 from last year’s Top 10 with new additions and placements. You can pick any of these and find valuable insight, details, and tools. Here are my lists.

• Own Your Past, Change Your Future. John Delony.
• Never Split the Difference. Chris Voss.
• Raving Fans. Ken Blanchard.
• You were Born for This. Bruce Wilkinson.
• Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. John Mark Comer.
• The ONE Thing. Gary Keller (Re-read).
• The Prayer of Jabez. Bruce Wilkinson. (Re-read).
• Find Your People. Jennie Allen.
• Do It for a Day. Mark Batterson.
• The Greatest Salesman in the World. Og Mandino (Re-read).

• Thou Shalt Prosper. Rabbi Daniel Lapin.
• The Power to Change. Craig Groeschel.
• Building a Non-Anxious Life. John Delony.
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Robert Kiyosaki.
• Dream Big. Bob Goff.
• Your Next Five Moves. Patrick Bet-David.
• Buy Back Your Time. Dan Martell.
• Addicted to Busy. Brady Boyd.
• 10X is easier than 2X. Dan Sullivan.

• The Dream Giver.
• You Were Born for This.
• The Prayer of Jabez.
• Born to Win.
• Crazy Love.
• The Screwtape Letters.
• The Go-Giver.
• Wild at Heart.
• The Tale of Three Kings.
• Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.

Best of 2023: Never Split the Difference. (Chris Voss).
Best of 2022: The Road Less Stupid (Keith Cunningham).
Best of 2021: Intentional Living (John Maxwell), hands down.
Best of 2020: The Coaching Habit (Michael Bungay Stanier).
Best of 2019: The One Thing (Gary Keller).
Best of 2018: Born to Win. Zig Ziglar.
Best of 2017: The Greatest Salesman in the World. Og Mandino.