Our Top Reads, Listens & Watches of 2024
By the team at Future Anything
In what is now becoming an annual tradition here at Future Anything HQ, we’re ushering in the summer break by bringing together a list of some of our team’s top reads, listens and watches that we’ve enjoyed over the last year.
So, if you’re looking for something that will stretch your brain or to kick back and relax with, you might just find it here!
Dan’s Great Reads, Listens & Watches 2024
Dan is Program Director (Professional Learning) at Future Anything
- 100 Things by Sebastian Terry – Sebastian Terry is the amazing Australian who has become known for pursuing an incredible list of ‘100 Things’ that he wants to achieve before he dies. What began as his own personal quest has grown into a global philanthropic movement that engages a growing tribe of hundreds of thousands to not just set meaningful goals, but make them happen, all while helping others do the same. I always enjoy following what Seb is up to and the amazing things he and others are ticking off their list.
- A Bit of Optimism by Simon Sinek (Podcast) + The Infinite Game (Book) – Simon Sinek’s ideas have transformed leadership practices in business, education, and beyond. His work resonates strongly with educators, school leaders, and innovators seeking to inspire purpose and collaboration in their teams and classrooms. I’ve been a Simon Sinek fan since seeing his popular keynote about starting with the why, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” years ago. His podcasts and more recent books are always inspiring for me.
- The Dry by Jane Harper – Severe drought has put a town under extreme pressure and the community is shocked but not surprised when the Hadler family is found dead in their farmhouse. Federal Police Office, Aaron Falk, is loath to confront the townspeople who rejected him twenty years earlier, but the circumstances around the deaths of the Hadlers compels him to dig deeper into the events leading up to the tragedy. An interesting book turned into a film series also.
- Ted Lasso (Apple TV) – Ted Lasso, an American college football coach, is unexpectedly recruited to coach a fictional English Premier League soccer team, AFC Richmond, despite having no experience coaching soccer. Ted’s charm, personality, and humour begin to win over the owner, Rebecca, the team, and those who had been sceptical about his appointment. If you enjoy a sports context and some feel good concepts, this is a very funny and light hearted series. I jumped on this late and binged it very, very quickly!
Jarred’s Great Reads, Listens & Watches 2024
Jarred is Program Manager at Future Anything
- The Philosophy of Modern Song by Bob Dylan: Whilst faithful old Bob was superseded by Joni Mitchell as my top artist on Spotify Wrapped this year, I’m still doing my due diligence as a fan. In this book, Bob Dylan reviews the songs that he adores. It opens up a whole world of 40s and 50s music, giving you insight into the artists that shaped Dylan’s songwriting. Each song receives its own review, which makes this book a useful reference text for short-form review writing. Enjoyably, the reviews blend analysis with a healthy dose of personal story and opinion.
- Dune by Frank Herbert: Dune follows Paul Atreides, a young nobleman, on his journey through fate to his destiny as a fevered leader on the desert planet Arrakis. With all the hype around Dune Part Two at the start of this year, and as a massive fan of the series, of course I read the original novel again. Dune is a juggernaut of the sci fi genre and a classic hero’s journey.
- Disobedience by Naomi Alderman: Upon the death of her father, a woman is thrust back into the Orthodox community she left behind in previous life. Her journey back home stirs old memories, relationships, and challenges. I loved this novel for how well the author inhabited the minds of both main characters. She made the characters real and understandable in all their strengths and shortcomings. And as a result, the events of the novel make sense in a highly satisfying way.
- The ‘Before’ Movie Series (Netflix) (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight): Set and filmed in nine year periods, this is a tale of modern love that tracks a couple over the course of their relationship. These three films are made entirely of dialogue between two characters. Sounds awful and dull? It’s not. This is my favourite series of films at the moment. Great for a meditative and emotional watch.
Jess’s Great Reads, Listens & Watches 2024
Jess is Director of Operations at Future Anything
- All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker – When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted in 1975 America, an unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy with one eye, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake. Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. While this is most definitely a very gripping and twisty, turny crime novel, it also spans love, friendship and trauma right through to the very end – a really cracking read.
- Somebody Somewhere (Binge) – Sam struggles to fit her hometown’s mould; grappling with loss, singing leads her on a journey to find a community of wonderful outsiders. While it sounds a bit naff, it’s totally not. Bridget Everett is just brilliant in this beautiful, gentle, joyful but also sometimes melancholic comedy (and if you like a bit of trombone [of course you do, everybody loves a bit of trombone], you’ll love the opening music).
- Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin – An oldie but such a goodie! I was planning a Californian road trip (now postponed until more favourable geopolitical conditions) so had to pick this up again. Brilliant atmospheric storytelling and compelling characters
- Fisk (ABC) – If you’re one of the three people in Australia that hasn’t already watched it, just watch it. The writing and the delivery are spot on. Hilarious.
- Dead River by Liz Bonnin – Dead River is the story of Brazil’s worst environmental disaster, the Mariana dam collapse, that claimed 19 lives. Hosted by biologist and wildlife broadcaster, Liz Bonnin, this six-part series explores the profound connection people share with the land along the River Doce, and how it was shattered by tragedy. It’s a truly horrific story that is hauntingly told, both by Liz Bonnin and talented voice artists. The trial (believed to be the largest ever group action in the English courts and, probably the largest anywhere in the world) is currently underway.
Josh’s Great Reads, Listens & Watches 2024
Josh is a Workshop Facilitator at Future Anything
- Raising a Mentally Fit Generation by Kari Sutton – The book highlights the importance of building mental fitness in children as a proactive approach to resilience and emotional wellbeing. The book provides science-based, practical strategies for teaching optimism, embracing failure, and nurturing children’s talents. It emphasises cultivating empathy and kindness, helping children form strong social connections. Addressing modern mental health challenges, it offers tools to prevent issues like anxiety and depression through preventative care rather than crisis management.
- Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey – Greenlights teaches readers to view challenges as opportunities for growth, framing setbacks as essential parts of personal development. The book emphasizes staying true to one’s values and passions, even if it means taking risks or stepping away from conventional success. McConaughey highlights the importance of meaningful relationships, built on trust and mutual respect, as a foundation for personal and professional happiness. Finally, he encourages embracing life’s unpredictability and reinventing oneself, showing how adaptability can lead to unexpected success and self-discovery.
- Inside our Autistic Minds (BBC) – This TV series explores life through the perspectives of autistic individuals. Hosted by Chris Packham, it helps participants share their personal stories through films that reveal their unique thoughts and feelings. People like Murray, who is non-verbal, and Ethan, a student navigating sensory challenges, show the wide range of experiences within autism. The show dives into the struggles autistic people face, like sensory overload and miscommunication, but also highlights their strengths, creativity, and resilience. By involving autistic individuals in the creative process, it keeps the stories authentic and empowers them to have their voices heard.
Julz’s Great Reads, Listens & Watches 2024
Julia is a Workshop Facilitator at Future Anything
- The Brain that Changes Itself: stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science by Norman Doidge – An astonishing new scientific discovery called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the adult human brain is fixed and unchanging. It is, instead, able to change its own structure and function, even into old age. Psychiatrist and researcher Norman Doidge, M.D., travelled around the United States to meet the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity, and the people whose lives they’ve transformed – people whose mental limitations or brain damage were previously seen as unalterable, and whose conditions had long been dismissed as hopeless.
- Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman – Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough; Mark a handsome investment banker with a bright future. They seem to have it all. But do they?On a dream honeymoon to the tropical island of Bora Bora, Mark takes Erin scuba diving. Everything is perfect. Until they find something in the water. Something that will change their lives forever.
- Shrinking (Apple TV) – A grieving therapist starts to break the rules by telling his clients exactly what he thinks. Jimmy has lost his wife and wants to try a new approach to his loss, but it is unclear how this will help others.
- But Are You Happy – By Clare Stevens – This podcast asks high-profile Australians the questions you’re really not supposed to. Questions about jealousy. And failure. About doubt and regret. And whether the moments the world told them would make them happy actually did. Hosted by executive editor, Clare Stephens, ‘But Are You Happy?’, is the latest addition to Mamamia’s leading podcast line-up. Each episode, Clare talks openly with high-profile Australians who appear to have it all – whether that’s fame, money, a successful business, or a dream job – about what’s behind their public successes and whether it’s truly made them happy.
Kate’s Great Reads, Listens & Watches 2024
Kate is Head of Curriculum at Future Anything
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – In the 1950s, Elizabeth Zott’s dream of being a scientist is challenged by a society that says women belong in the domestic sphere; she accepts a job on a TV cooking show and sets out to teach a nation of housewives way more than recipes. A bit late to the party with this one – it’s already been made into a TV series! I loved the feminist messages, and seeing how single motherhood played out in a totally different setting. Moving and quirky and just plain interesting.
- Funny Story by Emily Henry – Set over one sizzling summer, FUNNY STORY is a shimmering, joyful new novel about the happily-ever-after that wasn’t and the exes determined to make the best of it. No secret that I love a rom com moment, and this is a great example of the genre. Loveable characters, interesting setting, predictable yet satisfying plot – what’s not to like?
- Love Match by Clare Fletcher – Sarah would happily keep to herself on their property, Dunromin, for the rest of her days. But now her parents are refusing to put her in charge until she spends a year getting more involved in the local community and, yes, dating. Well. She’ll show them community spirit. She’ll be Miss bloody South Star if that’s what it takes. How hard can it be? This is actually a follow up to Fletcher’s Five Bush Weddings, but I accidentally read them out of order. Delightfully Australian, I loved the country Queensland setting and the local footy club storylines. Enjoyable and slightly unexpected romantic arc with fun characters and a unique setting.
- Nobody Wants This (Netflix) – An agnostic sex podcaster and a newly single rabbi fall in love; discovering if their relationship survive their wildly different lives and meddling families. I’m cheating a little here, since I haven’t technically finished this yet, but the first half of the season is joyfully sweet and funny and just plain entertaining. I didn’t have a return of Seth Cohen (iykyk) as a sweet and sexy rabbi on my 2024 bingo card, but here we are. Definitely a fun watch (with some spicier themes!)
Nic’s Great Reads, Listens & Watches 2024
Nic is CEO & Founder of Future Anything
- Hiroshima by John Hersey – As an Obama Leader, I had the great privilege of hearing Koko Kondo speak this year. A peace activist and survivor of the atomic bomb, Kondo was only eight months old when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Originally published in The New Yorker, Hersey’s 1946 piece explores the atomic bomb through the eyes of six survivors. It’s harrowing, heartwrenching and a must-read.
- You don’t have to have a Dream: Advice for the Incrementally Ambitious by Tim Minchin – Drawn from three of Tim Minchin’s university commencement addresses (which have amassed over 100 million views online), You Don’t Have to Have a Dream is a quick, fun and surprisingly reflective read. Sometimes you read a book that ends up making it on the ‘Gift List’; the list of books you will gift to others to help shape their view on the world. This book has made this list.
- The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende, Francis Riddle (Translator) – Samuel Adler was six years old when his mother secured a spot for him on the last Kindertransport train out of Nazi-occupied Austria to the United Kingdom, which he boarded alone, carrying nothing but a change of clothes and his violin. Eight decades later, Anita Diaz, a blind seven-year-old girl, and her mother board another train, fleeing looming danger in El Salvador and seeking refuge in the United States. This book beautifully stitched together stories across generations; tying together the plight of the refugee across countries and context.
- Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran – Cinnamon Gardens Nursing Home is nestled in the quiet suburb of Westgrove, Sydney – populated with residents with colourful histories, each with their own secrets, triumphs and failings. This is their safe place, an oasis of familiar delights – a beautiful garden, a busy kitchen and a bountiful recreation schedule. This book really packed a punch in the guts; confronting the generational effects of Australia’s White Australia Policy.
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. This was the first book I read this year, and I couldn’t put it down. Where some authors will give you breathing room within a narrative arc to recover from the heartache or challenge experienced by the protagonist before delivering another sucker punch; this was an unrelenting read that I couldn’t put down.
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