Non-fiction Christmas Gift Guide / My reading list 2023

My top books I've read or listened to in 2023.

With Christmas just around the corner, I wanted to share the books I’ve listened to or read this year. There’s eighteen books here, which means I’ve read one every two-and-a-half weeks.

This list is all non-fiction. They are about evenly split between ‘memoirs’ and broader ‘business’. I think it’s clear that there’s a certain type of book I like to read.

Each book in the list has been ranked either as recommend, okay, or avoid.

One note in general. Ever since I started as a copywriter years ago, I’ve developed an unstoppable bias towards readability. My anti-taste is verbose, academic books. I hate jargon, long sentences, and long paragraphs. This is the list of books I read enough of to give an opinion on. There are another half dozen I bought, started reading and after a few pages gave up because I found them unreadable.

I’ve also made a note where there’s broader crossover interest even if you don’t work in that industry.

What’s on your list?

Highly recommend

“Who is Michael Ovitz?” Michael Ovitz

Michael Ovitz is the founder of one of the biggest talent agencies in the world, who in later life went on to be there on day zero when Andreesen Horowitz was formed. Great memoir telling the story of someone unhappy with the status quo of industry and decided to change something about it. Great lessons in client service throughout. Recommend – and worthwhile to those (like myself) outside of film.

“Wonder Boy: Tony Hsieh, Zappos, and the Myth of Unhappiness” Angel Au-Yeung

Tony Hsieh’s story is one of startup legend. Put the customer first – while doubling down on employee happiness – and you will find success. The Zappos story certainly fulfilled that story, but behind all of that was a much darker story underpinning it all. During covid, founder Tony Hsieh died, all too young. Wonder Boy tells the story of what we didn’t see: the tragic tale of someone who surrounded himself with people who didn’t say no, and gave in to his whims. A brilliant but troubling read. Recommend.

“For the Culture: The Power Behind the World's Most Successful Brands, from Apple to Beyoncé” Marcus Collins

Budweiser’s Whassup? came out about almost a decade before I could legally start drinking. But it’s impact in our network was infectious. What I didn’t know though was that Whassup didn’t just create the culture, it was rooted firmly in existing culture already. Marcus Collins’ For The Culture, based on his career at Weiden + Kennedy, demonstrates the important of understanding a group’s culture, and their cultural artefacts if you’re going to communicate with them. This book shifted my view (and Ballpoint’s approach) to understanding customer problems. Culture is the contextual lens that often is why someone will buy your solution over another. Recommend.

“Mastering Uncertainty: How Great Founders, Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders Thrive in an Unpredictable World”. Matt Wilkinson & Csaba Konkoly

For as long as I can remember, I’ve bestowed the virtues of data and analytics and logic. Despite almost doing creative writing at university, I’ve spent my career leaning in to the left brain. But as my career in growth developed, and then went on to launch my own startup, I’ve begun to understand quite how little control we have over the world. Mastering Uncertainty is a book that solidifies a lot of things I’ve learnt through doing over the last few years. The world is unpredictable. Data is historic by nature. And the more we get to grips with the unknown, the more likely we are to succeed. Recommend – this has broad appeal.

“Facebook: The Inside Story”. Steven Levy

As the saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for, it might come true.’ Facebook’s story is really a coming of age story, where our protagonist dreamt of a world connected by technology. Facebook’s growth story really was the internet’s growth story, and the unfettered optimism that many held in 2009, has long since disappeared. While many will view Levy’s interpretation of Zuckerberg and Facebook as far too sympathetic, I loved reading this. It reminded me of a simpler, more idealistic time when joining the world together could only ever be a good thing. Despite the journey the world has progressed on, I remain optimistic today. Recommend – broad appeal.

“Adland: A Global History of Advertising” Mark Tungate

So much of my concept of advertising history is rooted in Americana. But what I realised in Tungate’s Adland is just how much of it happened in London. Anyone who is interested in advertising history should give this a read. It’s information-dense and very well researched, while still being immensely readable. A memoir on an industry, rather than an encyclopaedia. Recommend.

“Hegarty on Advertising”. Sir John Hegarty

On Advertising is Hegarty’s memoir and story of building what became one of the world’s most exciting, creative, and awarded agencies. If Adland gave a broad and shallow(ish) view of the ad world, this was the perfect deep dive into one man’s career. This is full of entertaining anecdotes, but more importantly – as someone who launched an agency this year – inspiring stories. Recommend.

“Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions” Dan Ariely

I spent a lot of 2023 going further into behavioural science. Having previously scratched the surface with the (brilliant) Rory Sutherland primers, I wanted some core texts to explore. For anyone who is into behavioural science, Predictably Irrational will be familiar through proxy. For those who haven’t read much it’s a great starting place. Bridging the lines between academic and pop, this is a great primer in understanding why human decision making is rarely rational. Recommend – broad appeal.

“Evolutionary Ideas: Unlocking Ancient Innovation to Solve Tomorrow’s Challenges”. Sam Tatam.

Another from my behavioural science kick in the middle of the year, Evolutionary Ideas leans into the concepts that it’s rarely revolution we need to solve problems. While many stories feel familiar, many of the anecdotes were in fact new to me. Tatam borrows from evolutionary biology to explain how Japanese bullet trains evolved, as well as broader stories that wouldn’t feel out of place in Alchemy by Rory Sutherland.

“Hey Whipple, Squeeze This” Luke Sullivan

A lesson in ‘not judging a book by its cover’ the title and cover of this book did everything it could to seem weird and unappealling. Opening the book though you realise this won’t require perseverence. Sullivan writes a highly readable text on how to come up with great copy ideas, how to brainstorm well, and a reflection on a career as a copywriter. Practical while also making you think. Recommend.

“A Waiter in Paris: Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City” Edward Chisholm

The only non-business book I’ve read this year. Chisholm, directionless having graduated after the 2009 financial crisis ends up in Paris wanting to be a writer. When finally down to his final euroes, he takes up a job as a waiter. Chisholm struggles, with rudimentary French, and having never worked in a restaurant before, many of his colleagues assume he won’t last the week. An initiation follows that won’t feel alien to anyone whose read Kitchen Confidential. But as he ploughs through, after months of initiation and humiliation, things change. He makes friends, and he learns the real Paris. As the book develops, he gets his first taste of fraternité, and in the briefest of moments at the end of the middle act, liberté, and égalité. Down and Out in Paris mixed with Bourdain written by a millennial. Recommend – broad appeal.

Good in part

“Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral”. Ben Smith

In my first job, we shared an office with one of the UK’s first social media agencies. The energy in that room was creative and kinetic from day one. Everything felt new, everything felt positive and possible. Like with the rise of Facebook, the internet was blossoming in every direction. Traffic is a story of the early blogosophere: the pre-social media days through to the rocketship virality that would culminate in the Buzzfeed story. An enjoyable and gossipy read, if a little drawn towards the end.

“A New Way to Think: Your Guide to Superior Management Effectiveness”. Roger L Martin

At its best, New Way to Think fundamentally shifted my perception of how to approach problems. The section on strategy here for example was a clarification I’d be missing most of my working career. However, the majority of book’s essays felt irrelevant for where I am today. OK – but at the same time, “it’s me, not you.”

“Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier” Marisa Meltzer

By the time I started working in DTC and consumer brands, Glossier had already become a global phenomena. At the centre of this meteoric rise was founder Emily Weiss. Meltzer at various points critiques Glossier for not knowing whether it wants to be a tech company or a luxury brand. There was lots enjoyable here, but it often felt like a book that could have been a New Yorker profile.

Books to avoid

“Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons in Creative Leadership from the CEO of Walt Disney.” Bob Iger.

Boomerang CEO Bob Iger tells the story from his longest stint at Disney. A fairly quick read or listen, which ultimately lacked a bit of depth and detail. The stories about the early years of ABC were highlights, but over too quick. Pass.

“Adventures in the Screen Trade”. William Goldman

Somewhere in the Ovitz book, this 1983 book from William Goldman was recommended as a key text in understanding Hollywood. While Ovitz’ memoir did a brilliant job in appealing to an audience outside of the trade, this did little to excite for an outsider. Didn’t finish.

“Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion” Robert B. Cialdini

Much hyped since its publishing in the eighties, and then subsequent republishing two years ago, I tried on three occasions to get into this this year. On all times, I failed to find much new having read a lot of psychology and marketing texts before. The bits I got through I felt were better covered by Chris Voss’ Never Split the Difference. Didn’t finish.

“The Fall: The End of the Murdoch Empire”. Michael Wolff

Rupert Murdoch always kind of hated Donald Trump, but the allure of the money Trump helped Fox generate was too much to ignore. This is a good lesson in setting north star metrics. Outside of this tidbit, the story follows the inner succession battle of the Murdoch children and the senior Fox employees. Initially fun, but quickly realised that the art that imitated life was much better: skip this and watch Succession.