2024: A Year of Change, Growth, and Unforgettable Reads

Books I read in 2024

Dec 17, 2024

This year has been nothing short of transformative for me. Becoming a new dad brought joy, responsibility, and a fresh perspective on life. Amidst the sleepless nights and joyful chaos, I’ve managed to stay connected to one of my greatest joys: reading.

Books have always been more of a hobby for me, but this year, they became a source of inspiration, helping me navigate internal battles with anxiety, redefining my relationship with productivity and time management, and offering spiritual grounding as I read the entire Bible for the first time. These moments with books (especially the Bible) have kept me grounded, inspired, and reflective through the highs and lows of the year.

Here’s a look at the books I’ve read this year with a brief summary:

#1: The New Testament in 30 Days

Summary: The New Testament is a historical narrative of Jesus Christ announcing the “now and not yet” Kingdom of God and proclaiming the good news of the Gospel; that through Christ’s death and resurrection, our relationship to God and others has been revived. It’s an invitation to believe in Jesus Christ and partner with God in bringing his full Kingdom to earth.

My Reflection: I never thought this kind of reading was possible until I encountered SGS Ministries, who bring together people from around the world to journey through the New Testament. Their guidance and community turned what seemed like an overwhelming task into an enriching experience of faith and connection. I will do this again in 2025.

#2: The Whole Bible in 90 Days

Summary: The Bible is a cyclic story of God giving men the perfect Eden; men choosing to disobey leading to sin and violence; then God appoints a chosen one to call men to repentance and ‘rescue them’ using the means of sacrifice and/or prayer. These all point to the ultimate chosen one; Jesus Christ, who becomes the ultimate sacrifice to unite God and man.

My Reflection: After completing the New Testament in just 30 days, I felt inspired to take on the challenge of reading through the entire Bible. I was fortunate to find a group at Emmanuel Baptist Church - Nairobi who shared this ambition, and together, we embarked on this journey. I have to admit—it was an intense and demanding reading challenge, but incredibly rewarding.

#3: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Summary: Ideas, products, messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do, you can think of them as epidemics. The tipping point is a dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once.

My Reflection: I got this book as a birthday gift in February 2024 from my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Malcolm Gladwell stands out as an excellent writer using stories to communicate key ideas. I wrote a summary of the book here.

#4: Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke

Summary: Quitting should be celebrated, and it is a skill you can develop to enrich your life, encouraging you to value optionality, execute better on the things you stick with, and continue exploring so you can flexibly change with (or in advance of) a changing world.

My Reflection: Popular advice often frames quitting in a negative light, so this book was a breath of fresh air. It offered non-conforming wisdom: quit early, quit fast, and quit often when things aren’t leading to success. It challenged conventional thinking and provided a liberating perspective on knowing when to let go. I wrote a summary of the book here.

#5: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

Summary: The author challenges the traditional approach to time management and encourages readers to embrace the limitations of their time.

My Reflection: This was another non-conforming book I stumbled upon while creating a course on time management for busy professionals. Initially, I approached time management as purely a practical problem, but this book completely shifted my perspective, revealing it as a deeper philosophical and psychological challenge. It’s my best book of 2024! I wrote a summary of the book here.

#6: Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

Summary: To embrace slow productivity, is to reorient your work to be a source of meaning instead of overwhelm, while still maintaining the ability to produce valuable output.

My Reflection: As a new dad, one of my biggest challenges was figuring out how to embrace my new responsibilities while staying productive at work. I realized I needed to shift away from the hustle culture mindset and adopt a slower, more intentional approach to productivity. That’s when my coach recommended this book to me—a practical gem that introduces a transformative philosophy of work, perfectly aligned with the balance I was seeking. I wrote a summary of the book here.

#7: Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective by Kenneth O. Stanley & Joel Lehman

Summary: Objectives are well and good when they are sufficiently modest, but things get more complicated when they’re more ambitious. In fact, objectives actually become obstacles towards more exciting achievements, like those involving discovery, creativity, invention or innovation.

My Reflection: I hadn’t planned to read this book, but I gave it a chance after Michael Simmons recommended it. The book confirmed a long-standing suspicion I’ve had: that objectives often create tunnel vision, limiting our potential. Reflecting on the years I’ve pursued growth without rigid resolutions, I’ve found them to be the most interesting, as I simply followed my interests and discovered unexpected opportunities along the way. I wrote a summary of the book here.

#8: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Summary: 48 laws for attaining power in life, business, and more, and gives historical examples of each law in practice.

My Reflection: I had avoided this book for some time, dismissing it as immoral and overly manipulative. However, I came to understand Robert Greene not as an advocate for morality, but as an author who writes about the realities of power and human behavior. Each law he presents is supported by real-life examples, showing how these principles have been applied. I realized that not knowing these laws could be riskier than understanding them. While I don’t agree with everything Greene suggests, his insights have intrigued me enough to explore more of his work.

#9: Competitive Intelligence: How to gather, analyze and use information to move your business to the top by Larry Kahaner

Summary: Competitive is a practical guide to turning raw information into priceless knowledge and winning business strategy.

My Reflection: This book served as an excellent introduction to competitive intelligence in a business context and came highly recommended by my coach. Although it predates the rise of modern technology and feels slightly outdated, it masterfully covers the fundamentals of gathering business intelligence, analyzing it, and taking strategic actions to stay ahead of the competition.

#10: Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change by Paul David Tripp

Summary: God radically changes people, and he offers us the opportunity―and the ability, by his power―to be involved in that change. We can live not just as grateful objects of his love but as effective instruments of his love in the lives of the people around us.

My Reflection: We often believe we need to have everything figured out before we can help others. However, Paul Tripp challenges this notion, arguing that God works through us as we help others, and it is through this process that Christians grow in faith and character.

#11: $100M Offers: How to Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No by Alex Hormozi

Summary: $100M Offers shows entrepreneurs how to increase the value (actual and perceived value) of what they offer using a combination of pricing, value, guarantees, and naming strategies.

My Reflection: Alex Hormozi introduces an intriguing value equation that breaks down how value is perceived. It consists of four components:

Dream Outcome – The ultimate result or transformation a person desires.
Perceived Likelihood of Achievement – How confident the person feels about achieving that outcome.
Time Delay – The amount of time it takes to achieve the outcome.
Effort & Sacrifice – The perceived cost in terms of effort and sacrifices required.

As shown in the diagram, value increases when the dream outcome and perceived likelihood of achievement are high, while time delay and effort & sacrifice are minimized.

#12: Money, Possessions & Eternity by Randy Alcorn

Summary: A book challenging readers to rethink their attitudes and use their God-given resources in ways that will have an eternal impact. Alcorn deals straightforwardly with issues of materialism, stewardship, prosperity theology, debt, and more.

My Reflection: This book was a challenging read, as it completely reshaped my perspective on money and possessions. Randy Alcorn presents a compelling case for seeing ourselves as stewards of God’s money, embracing radical generosity, living a debt-free life, and trusting God for provision. Backed by thorough Biblical evidence, the book encourages using money with eternity in mind, making it both thought-provoking and transformative.

#13: Future Grace by John Piper

Summary: Future grace encourages believers to live with a forward-looking faith that is confident in the unfolding manifestations of God's promises. John Piper shows how the promises of future grace provide the power to fight sin and stay faithful to Christ.

My Reflection: I had previously struggled with John Piper's reflective and repetitive writing style, but I found it deeply engaging in this book. Pastor John builds a compelling case that while reflecting on God’s past grace fills us with gratitude, it’s His future grace—the promises He makes for what’s to come—that empowers Christians to persevere in life. One profound takeaway for me was that sin makes promises it cannot keep, and with every sin committed, we forfeit a greater promise from God.

#14: The New Dad's Survival Guide: Man-to-Man Advice for First-Time by Scott Mactavish

Summary: Covering everything from how to bond with your baby and support their development to practical issues, such as how to manage your working arrangements and finances, this book gives new dads the confidence, skills, and knowledge to enjoy fatherhood—and do a great job of it.

My Reflection: This was an incredibly practical book on navigating the journey of becoming a new father. It helped me appreciate my role in supporting both my wife and child, emphasizing the importance of thoughtful planning during pregnancy and the need for radical involvement of fathers in family life. It was a valuable guide during this transformative season.

#15: The Mystery of the Holy Spirit by A.W. Tozer

Summary: A collection of sermons delivered by A.W. Tozer about the Holy Spirit: who He is, what He is like, how to know Him, how to be filled with Him and other truths.

My Reflection: I was drawn to this book because it had been some time since I deeply reflected on the role of the Holy Spirit in my Christian walk. A.W. Tozer provides a refreshing and well-balanced Biblical perspective on the Christian life, rekindling my awareness of the Holy Spirit's work in my daily life.

#16: Sacred Pathways: Nine Ways to Connect with God by Gary Thomas

Summary: Sacred Pathways reveals nine distinct spiritual temperaments--and their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies--to help you improve your spiritual life and deepen your personal walk with God.

My Reflection: Gary makes a compelling case that we each connect with God in unique ways—nine ways, to be specific. This book helped me understand why various Christian denominations emphasize different aspects of worship and how individual Christians experience God differently. While it doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t worship God in other ways, it highlights the natural preferences we have in how we relate to Him.

#17: The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Jerry Bridges

Summary: This book looks at the work of the Holy Spirit in our transformation through the Gospel and how we are to relate to him in our dependent responsibility.

My Reflection: We’ve often heard that the Gospel changes believers, but how does that transformation actually happen? Jerry Bridges argues that the same faith that justifies us also sanctifies us. He explains that God invites us to rely on His power to obey His commands, allowing Him to work in us and transform us from the inside out.

#18: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss

Summary: A negotiation guide that teaches readers how to use effective communication skills to reach mutually beneficial agreements. The book's main idea is that effective negotiation happens at the emotional level of the brain, rather than the rational one.

My Reflection: This is a book I had been postponing for some time, but I finally got around to reading it with a group of men from The Men’s Book Breakfast. My key takeaway was that life itself is a constant negotiation, and staying calm is crucial in every situation. Through a series of professional successes and failures, Chris shares a practical toolkit of negotiation tactics and emphasizes the importance of maintaining curiosity throughout every negotiation.

#19: Fathers of Nations by Paul B. Vitta

Summary: A satirical novel about African states, their leadership and development agenda, and factors that hinder their political systems and governance, as well as a way of restructuring their development growth.

My Reflection: I received this book from my sister-in-law, who is studying it as part of her school curriculum. It’s a satirical narrative that highlights critical issues facing African countries, including corruption, gender-based violence, and political hypocrisy. The story culminates with the Heads of African States absurdly deciding on a random approach to ruling their nations, underscoring the chaos and dysfunction in leadership.

#20: The Expulsive Power of a New Affection by Thomas Chalmers

Summary: The way to cure ourselves of bad tendencies, is to cultivate the good. It was on these words that Dr. Chalmers preached his famous sermon, "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection." The way to become cured of evil lusts and desires—is to get the Spirit of God into one's heart.

My Reflection: I used to think that the way to fight sin was simply to avoid it. While that’s partly true, it’s only half the battle. Merely resisting sin leaves a void that needs to be filled. This book taught me that the key to overcoming sin is cultivating a greater affection—an overwhelming love for God that replaces the allure of sin. God saves us from sin by giving us a new affection for Him, one so powerful that it makes us hate sin.

What did you read this year?

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