Summer Reading List 2017
NON-FICTION
The story of billionaire trader Steven A. Cohen and the Justice Department's investigation into SAC Capital, the largest insider trading investigation in history. Cohen was one of the industry’s greatest success stories. He mastered poker in high school, went off to Wharton, and in 1992 launched SAC Capital, which he built into a $15 billion empire. He cultivated an air of mystery, reclusiveness, and extreme excess, amassing one of the largest private art collections in the world.
Everybody Lies, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz (4.5 Stars)
A Harvard-trained economist and former Google data scientist. In his book, he explores the myriad of uses of Big Data and how the very definition of "data" is constantly expanding. Everybody Lies offers fascinating, surprising, and sometimes laugh-out-loud insights into everything from economics to ethics to sports to race to sex, gender and more, all drawn from the world of big data
The Captain Class, Sam Walker (4.5 Stars)
The founding editor of The Wall Street Journal’s sports section profiles the greatest teams in history and identifies the counterintuitive leadership qualities of the unconventional men and women who drove them to succeed.
The secret to winning is not what you think it is.
It’s not the coach. It’s not the star.
It’s not money. It’s not a strategy.
It’s something else entirely.
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, J.D. Vance (4.5 Stars)
A passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The decline of this group, a demographic of our country that has been slowly disintegrating over forty years, has been reported on with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck.
FICTION
The Magpie Murders, Anthony Horowitz (4 Stars)
Editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has worked with the bestselling crime writer for years, and is intimately familiar with his detective. An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alan’s traditional formula has proved hugely successful. However, his new book appears to have another story hidden within. Masterful, clever, and relentlessly suspenseful, Magpie Murders is a deviously dark take on vintage English crime fiction.
We Shall Not Sleep, Estep Nagy (4 Stars)
The Hillsingers and the Quicks have shared the small Maine island of Seven for generations. But though technically family, they do not mix. Now, on the anniversary of Hannah's death, Lila feels grief pulling her toward Billy. And Jim, a spy recently ousted from the CIA on suspicion of treason, decides to carry out the threat his wife has explicitly forbidden: to banish their youngest son to the neighboring island of Baffin for twenty-four hours in an attempt to make a man out of him.
Rich People Problems, Kevin Kwan (4.5 Stars)
Kevin Kwan, bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians (soon to be a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE) and China Rich Girlfriend, is back with an uproarious new novel of a family driven by fortune, an ex-wife driven psychotic with jealousy, a battle royal fought through couture gown sabotage, and the heir to one of Asia's greatest fortunes locked out of his inheritance.
MINDFULNESS & LIFESTYLE
Psyched Up, Daniel McGinn (4.5 Stars)
In Psyched Up, journalist Daniel McGinn dives into the latest psychological research and interviews athletes, soldiers, entertainers, and others who, despite years of practice and enviable track records, will ultimately be judged on their ability to deliver a solid performance when it’s their turn to shine.
The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative
Florence Williams (4.5 Stars)
Our modern digital world has pulled many of us away from nature’s beauty and soothing silence, while we also often report feeling disconnected or down. Intrigued by stories about the world's great thinkers and their communions with nature for inspiration and insight, neuroscientist Florence Williams shows why and how a walk in the woods is not only good for the heart, but also good for the mind and the soul.
How to Fall in Love with Anyone: A Memoir in Essays, Mandy Catron (4 Stars)
An insightful, charming, and absolutely fascinating memoir from the author of the popular New York Times essay, “To Fall in Love with Anyone, Do This,” (one of the top five most popular New York Times pieces of 2015) explores the romantic myths we create and explains how they limit our ability to achieve and sustain intimacy.
BIOGRAPHIES
Finding Gobi, Dion Leonard (5 Stars)
Finding Gobi is the miraculous tale of Dion Leonard, a seasoned ultramarathon runner who crosses paths with a stray dog while competing in a 155-mile race through the Gobi Desert in China. The lovable pup, who would later earn the name Gobi, proved that what she lacked in size, she more than made up for in heart, as she went step for step with Dion over the Tian Shan Mountains, across massive sand dunes, through yurt villages and the black sands of the Gobi Desert, keeping pace with him for 77 miles.
Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night, Jason Zinoman (4 Stars)
New York Times comedy critic Jason Zinoman delivers the definitive story of the life and artistic legacy of David Letterman, the greatest television talk show host of all time and the signature comedic voice of a generation. In a career spanning more than thirty years, David Letterman redefined the modern talk show with an ironic comic style that transcended traditional television. While he remains one of the most famous stars in America, he is a remote, even reclusive, figure whose career is widely misunderstood.