A list of books I’ve really enjoyed over the past couple of years. I only included those that made a significant impact on me or changed my perspective.
History / Science
• The Better Angels of our Nature by Steven Pinker. A tour de force – an in-depth, well-researched study of the decline of violence over time. Will change the way you understand the world.
• A Short History of Everything by Bill Bryson. What a story-teller. What a story.
• The Patient’s Playbook: How to Save Your Life and the Lives of Those You Love by Leslie Michelson. A must read on navigating modern medicine.
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Beautifully written by a doctor who is diagnosed with cancer. Read it twice.
Biography
• Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. My all-time favorite biography. The play is great. The book is even better.
• The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder. An American original.
Integral Theory
• A Theory of Everything by Ken Wilber. Really, really good. Surprisingly accessible.
Leadership
• The Hard Things About the Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. Not your typical leadership book. Packed with wisdom.
• Staring Down the Wolf by Mark Divine. Rooted in Ken Wilber’s integral theory.
Innovation
• The Innovators Solution by Clay Christensen and Michael Raynor. Working to implement these ideas.
Faith and Spirituality
• The One Year Bible. Changed my life.
• Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. Sublime.
• A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. Appreciated her perspective and her journey.
Workplace Culture
• An Everyone Culture by Robert Kegan, Lisa Lahey, Matthew Miller, Andy Fleming, Deborah Helsing. The cutting edge of building culture.
• Primed to Perform by Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor. Written by two former McKinsey consultants. Research-based and actionable.
• The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. Terrific summary of the principles of positive psychology.
A couple of other books I really enjoyed in the last couple of years
• Tell to Win by Peter Guber. The power of story-telling from a master story-teller.
• How Will You Measure Your Life? By Clayton Christensen, James Allworth and Karen Dillon . So good!!
• Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. A real page-turner.
• Upside: Profiting from the Profound Demographic Shifts Ahead by Kenneth Gronbach. Another book that changed my perspective.
• The 8th Habit by Stephen R. Covey. Covey is #1 on my list of favorite writers and thinkers. A great summation of his work.