Can you believe summer is here? That means travel plans, balancing family commitments with work requirements, and still maintaining an edge at the office. And how about the books you read? Will it be fiction? A bit of history, or possibly a memoir? If the answer is ‘no’ to all, here are some ideas.
Bloomberg Top Book Lists
I was recently reviewing favorite books mentioned on a few lists over at Bloomberg –
2016 Best Business Books
2017 Best Business Books
2018 Best Business Books
My favorite takeaway is the absence of ‘pop’ business books which lack staying power or the test of time. Many of the books mentioned require deep reading but will ultimately inspire and potentially cause some paradigm shifts in our thinking.
Accordingly, some of my summer picks are lean in the business genre, just the way I want it.
Planned 2019 Summer Reading List
I’m going to break up my list by genre. I have not decided in what order I’ll read these selections.
Memoir
Remember what President Bartlet suffered from in The West Wing? I only know one person who has MS, and he’s handled the disease with grace, dignity, and with a great attitude. Still, I cannot relate to the disease at all.
That’s why I’m intrigued by Ann Romney’s In This Together: My Story. It will be one of the first books I read this summer.
History
I buy books on impulse, and The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary was one of those purchases. I’ve already started it. Fascinating.
Narrative Nonfiction
One of my kids and daughter-in-law graduated from Harding University in Arkansas. So The Spy Who Was Left Behind caught my eye. Freddie Woodruff was an alum of the school and the spy who took a bullet to the head in 1993.
Hagiography
Over the father’s day weekend, I’ll be traveling several hundred miles to see my father who is now 91 years of age. During that weekend trip, I’ve decided I’ll be listening to The Return by Hisham Matar, winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
Novel
I do not read much fiction. If I do, I want it to count. Several reviewers I follow have mentioned The Architect’s Apprentice. Gulp, I bought it, so now I have to read it. Wish me luck.
The Classics
Regarding fiction, I included The Catcher in the Rye on my 2019 reading list at the beginning of the year. It’s true, I let Bill Gates influence this selection. I keep putting it off, but I’m forcing myself to read it this summer. By the way, there is no digital version–get the paperback.
Historical Politics and Economics
This book is well above my pay and academic grade, but The Silk Roads: A New History of the World kept popping up on the Bloomberg lists referenced above.
Business – Innovation
It’s a kids book, and I’ve already ordered it–What Do You Do With and Idea. Call me crazy, but I may be the first financial professional to review a kids book on a business books website.
Business – Strategy
When Reed Hastings speaks, I like to listen. He wrote the forward to 7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy. This will not be a fast read. Take your time if you get it. Start with one chapter a day, and take notes–that’s what I’m doing now.
The Maybe List
I do have a couple of books on the fringes. Time permitting, I’ll read Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War (think Tom Clancy) and How Music Works (if you like the music industry).
Now It’s Your Turn
What will you be reading this summer? Whatever it is, keep reading widely and deeply and enjoy the ride along the way.
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