We here at M&A look to enlighten you every day with the freshest news, trends and perspective on the deals market. Today I thought I’d take a different slant on our daily overview. As my colleague Demitri wrote earlier this week, after a year of quarantine, people are ready for a road trip. With vacation on people’s minds, here’s some summer reading suggestions to get you ready for that beach chair or a lakeside hammock.
I’ll start with a round-up of some noteworthy, if slightly offbeat, lists for your consideration:
NY Times’ 2021 summer reading suggestions
What Princeton professors are reading this summer
For busy folks looking for a breezy vacation read, here is Vogue’s 12 Beach Reads to Get Lost in This Summer
Bill Gates’ 5 books to read this summer
And finally, if you’re looking for equal parts informational heft and narrative fun, NPR’s very aptly titled Beach Reads for Econ Nerds
As a big bookworm myself, here’s my own summer shortlist:
Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson – For sports fans, Jackson’s memoir of a life in basketball is an essential read. Featuring an inside look at his time with legends like MJ, Shaq and Kobe, it not only recounts Jackson’s time coaching the Bulls and Lakers but also reveals insights into his Zen leadership style and the core of building a great team.
Legends of the North Cascades by Jonathan Evison – Evison has long been one of my favorite authors. With the humor and empathy of a modern Dickens or Salinger, he manages to be exuberant and funny while examining everyday tragedy. His newest novel details the chronicle of veteran Dave Cartwright and his daughter Bella as they escape suburbia to start a new life in the wilds of Pacific Northwest.
The Hard Crowd by Rachel Kushner – Kushner is primarily known for her award-winning novel The Flamethrowers, but her latest book, a collection of essays, offers a closer examination of some of her formative influences. Covering everything from Denis Johnson’s fiction to her participation in a California motorcycle race, the collection weaves between literary essay and personal history, very often meeting somewhere in the middle.
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel – The final book in Mantel’s trilogy about the life of Thomas Cromwell, and his waning days at Henry VIII’s side as the fickle king’s favor begins to turn against him. The novel features court intrigue and a lengthy cast of characters but its foremost concern is taking stock of Cromwell’s troubled legacy, all written in Mantel’s trademark beautiful prose. While it’s the last of the three installments, it stands on its own as a great read and is possibly the best entry in the series.
Have a great book of your own to recommend? Shoot me the title and author and I’ll be back later this summer with an updated list from our readers. Email me at [email protected].
Have a great weekend!
– John Melendez
