Reading is a gift. We read for the joy and benefit of thinking another person’s thoughts. Here are five books that I thoroughly enjoyed reading last year.
Life After Power – Jared Cohen
Having once been the most powerful person in the world, what does a former U.S. President do after leaving office? Is it possible to make a significant impact on history as a past-president? Jared Cohen tells the post-presidency stories of seven former presidents: Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Grover Cleveland, William Taft, Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush.
This engaging history book gives insight into what the next chapter of our lives can look like. It encourages us to have the attitude, “Live till you die.”
An Inspector Calls – J.B. Priestley
An Inspector Calls is a modern morality play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley. First performed in the Soviet Union in 1945 and at the New Theatre in London the following year, the play is a three-act drama which takes place on a single night on April 5, 1912.
It is considered required reading in England and should be in American schools. It is a lesson on the effects of an individual’s actions over a passage of time.
The plot: A prosperous manufacturer is hosting a family dinner party to celebrate his daughter’s engagement. Into this joyous scene comes a brusque police inspector investigating the suicide of a young working-class woman. Under interrogation, every member of the family turns out to have a shameful secret that links them to her death.
Decisive – Chip and Dan Heath
The Heath brothers (both academic scholars) have co-authored four books: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (2007), Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard (2010), Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work (2013), and The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact (2017).
Their thoughts are clear and concise and they use lots of good examples and illustrations. I love it when brilliant people write in such a way that the rest of us can understand. The lessons are applicable both in corporate settings and in our individual lives. They suggest four obstacles to making good decisions:
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- narrow framing (not thinking about enough options)
- confirmation bias in gathering information
- overweighting short-term emotions (such as discomfort or fear)
- overconfidence
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And offer three solutions:
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- emphasize gathering diverse opinions
- consider alternate options
- test assumptions to reach more informed conclusions
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Table for Two – Amor Towles
My favorite novel of the decade is Amor Towles A Gentleman in Moscow. His most recent book is a collection of six short stories that take place in New York City and Los Angeles. Three of these stories: The Line, Hasta Luego, and I Will Survive took my breath away and lingered in my mind for weeks.
Towles has keen insight into the human condition and at times his prose reads like poetry. His stories are informative, thought-provoking, and entertaining.
The New Girl – Daniel Silva
Silva is a novelist who writes intriguing stories that are based on current day situations. This book features Gabriel Allon, the head of Israeli intelligence, and Khalid bin Mohammed, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. It blends fictionalized versions of actual recent events, such as the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a foreign embassy. It explores themes of hatred between Muslim sects, and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
I read it while on a recent trip to Istanbul, Athens, and the Balkan coast. Suddenly, I saw spies and hit-men everywhere. It’s hard to put down.