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Last year we celebrated summer by providing our nerd approved book list which many told us they enjoyed. Here is this year’s list of suggested reading.
Checklist Manifesto by Atu Gawande- for all our focus on erudite strategy, it’s easy to overlook blocking and tackling…Checklist Manifesto is a simple and effective as it gets. It is easy to see why Frazer enjoys this one given his organization skills.
Mira Wilczek’s dad Frank wrote a book for the masses: A Beautiful Question – very fun read that makes you feel good about fundamental science again.
Sean Hanlon of Hanlon Investment Management highly recommended the somewhat hard to find classic the E-myth by Michael E. Gerber which gets off to a slow start but has a great second half. It makes a point that is suddenly timely again which is that great companies often have only one innovation followed by decades of “franchising” and scaling the idea. If you read it or skim it and think about Booking.com (now worth $100B) while you do it, you will be rewarded for your diligence.
From Here to Security by Robert L. Reynolds who runs Putnam Investments put out this book to provide a blueprint on achieving retirement security in America. This one caught Ian’s eye given his focus on workplace savings. Maybe not a beach book but still thought provoking.
For another take on the financial system Mike suggests Red Notice by Bill Browder. It tells the story of Russia’s markets and its brutal realities. Mike visited Russia for the World Cup so found this page turner a good way to better understand the culture.
“If you want a new idea, read an old book” is precisely what Frazer Anderson has done this summer. He is thoroughly enjoying Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita Libri (History of Rome). The great Roman historian’s commentary on the social and military strife faced by the early Roman Republic is perhaps more relevant in today’s political climate.
Mark enjoyed Niall Ferguson’s The Square and the Tower which discusses the struggle of networks vs hierarchies. He found the comparison’s of today’s technology revolution to the period just after the printing press was invented quite enlightening but a bit frightening.
Dave’s friend Peter Diamandis of xprize fame wrote Abundance along with Steven Kotler. It provides a roadmap that is still relevant several years later on finding solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.
Enjoy! |
