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I Read 30 Books in 3 Months—Here's How

I Read 30 Books in 3 Months—Here's How

Plus, which are worth your time, and which aren't.

Marina Wyss
March 27, 2025

Welcome to Gratitude Driven, a weekly newsletter where I share practical ideas and insights across personal growth, professional development, and the world of AI and data science.

I Read 30 Books in 3 Months

According to my Goodreads, I’ve read 30 books since the start of 2025.

This includes five technical books, three memoirs, five books on business, four books on philosophy, 10 non fiction, one sci-fi… and two romance novels. Lol.

That’s a lot of books! Especially since I’ve also been putting out one YouTube video per week and doing all my usual work and hobby stuff.

So, how did I do it?

First, my phone is not a big part of my life.

I use the “landline method” to keep my phone out of reach. Basically, my phone has a specific spot that it lives in my house. I check it maybe five-six times per day.

There's nothing fun on my phone (i.e., no social media — I check Instagram every other day or so on desktop). When I check my phone, it's just to see emails or texts, and I usually batch respond to those at a pre-set time rather than going through everything throughout the day.

This means I read a lot when I’m bored! If I have downtime at work, before bed, etc. I am reading.

I schedule time to read technical things.

Every day there’s an hour and a half in the morning set aside for “study time.” In practice, this usually means reading a technical book. I also read technical books throughout the day when I’m waiting for models to train or queries to run.

I read many books at once.

Right now I am reading five books: One technical, one sci-fi, one political philosophy, one career-oriented non-fiction book, and one book about death (I read about death a lot — one day I'll share why).

This means I’m able to pick up the right book for how I’m feeling at any given moment. Sometimes I am feeling focused and excited to read technical things, sometimes I want something light, and sometimes I want something more entertaining.

I skim.

I am a master skimmer. When I say I “read” a book, I might have only read ~30% of the words.

This depends on the book, of course. Sometimes I love the book and I read it cover-to-cover. But sometimes I feel like I got the gist and don’t need to spend more time on it than skimming the main points.

Relatedly:

I quit books I don’t like.

If I have skimmed a bunch and not found additional value for me, I quit reading.

There are currently 163 books on my “Want to read” list. I am sure there are 100x that I just don’t know about. I do not have time to get emotionally connected to the process of finishing a book.

Morgan Housel (the Author of The Psychology of Money) describes his reading strategy as having “…a wide funnel and tight filter. Be willing to read anything that looks even a little interesting, but abandon it quickly and without mercy if it’s not working for you.” This is an approach I’ve adopted with a lot of success.

I read because it’s fun.

I’m not reading because I feel some need to read everything in the world (well, maybe a little bit). I’m mostly doing it because I’m reading things I genuinely enjoy, whether it’s to learn or relax. When you find books that really resonate with you, it’s easy to want to spend time with them.

Which Books Were Worth It?

Now that I've shared my reading approach, you might be wondering which of these 30 books were actually worth the time. Here are some recommendations:

Technical

AI Engineering
This was a great overview of building AI applications and the systems to support them. I will have a 75 minute long summary video of this coming out next week on my YouTube channel!
Designing ML Systems
This was a re-read because it's just that good. Excellent intuitive overview of ML systems that bridges the gap from working in notebooks to production ML.
Machine Learning System Design Interview
A series of case studies and a structured approach to ML system design interview questions.

Non-fiction

Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully
I loved this book. It’s written by a hospice nurse and talks about the end of life, the process of dying, and really beautiful and stories of love and relationships.
Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You
An extended version of a commencement speech by Dolly Parton. You have to check out the audiobook of this — such a treat.
How to Survive History: How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History's Deadliest Catastrophes
A super cute, easy read that will teach you a little bit of history and a lot of fun facts.
Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging
An engaging look at social psychology through the lens of veterans returning home, and what we’re missing in our modern world.
Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life
This book genuinely changed how I view money and living a full life.
The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life
A more accessible intro to Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death.
The Art and Business of Online Writing
Exactly what it sounds like. I learned a lot of practical things I have already implemented in my writing.
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It
Even if you don’t have a small business, you can learn a lot about how businesses work and making a career that supports your life from this book.

That’s just from 2025! I have lots more technical, fiction, and non-fiction recommendations here.

And real quickly, there’s a new book on ML System Design (not the ones I recommended) that I cannot recommend, unfortunately. Skip this one.

Also, pro tip: Save time for reading good stuff by getting your news in the least flashy way possible:

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