The best books I have read in 2023

Wrapping up 2023 with a curated list of my top reads among the 60 gems I devoured this year. Dive into my full reviews on Goodreads for the lowdown.

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

This year, as usual, I crisscrossed the globe many times, collecting books in Jordan, Turkey, Greenland, Brazil, the USA, the Caucasus and many more places— picking local authors and reading reality through the eyes of the locals. A shift towards more women authors added depth to my exploration. Along the way, I’ve come to realize that it’s not at all just politics but the intertwined forces of the economy, technology, societal shifts, the future of work, and the pressing issues of our planet’s destruction that shape our present and future.

My Top Picks for 2023, reflecting the diverse forces shaping our world:

a. Politics

1. Leadership — Henry Kissinger
2. The Russo-Ukrainian War — Serhii Plokhi
3. Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin’s Russia — Timothy Frye

b. Human nature:

1. How Emotions Are Made — Lisa Feldman
2. What is Freedom? — Anna Arendt
3. Ecce Homo — Friedrich Nietzsche
4. Frankenstein — Marry Wollstonecraft Shelley

c. Economy & Technology

1. The New Economics — Edwards Deming
2. Trade Wars Are Class Wars: How Rising Inequality Distorts the Global Economy and Threatens International Peace — Matthew C. Klein
3. Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism — Yanis Varoufakis
4. The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies — Erik Brynjolfsson, Andrew McAfee

Here’s to a year of literary exploration, diverse perspectives, and the understanding that economic interests, technology, societal shifts, and the urgent need to address our planet’s health are steering our global narrative.

We must be informed and be prepared to react as a society, FAST!

Do you have any precious book suggestions for my 2024?