You’ll find a list of reading at the back of my most recent book. Over the last few months, I’ve been able to get through some excellent titles. In order of importance to me:

Siblings Without Rivalry – Faber/Mazlish

Absolutely outstanding with practical tips for parents as well as case studies to better understand existing (adult) family dynamics. They gave this book to us when we left the hospital with our second child – it took me a year and a half to read it and I’m glad I did. Essential reading to understand yourself and others.

Antifragile – Taleb

Taleb shares his thoughts on a life well lived. He uses a wide range of examples to help us consider asymmetric outcomes in our lives. I will share a series of articles considering its lessons for my family. I highly recommend this read.

The Thing You Think You Cannot Do – Livingston

Livingston shares thoughts on honor, virtue and courage as components of a life with meaning. He combines stories of personal courage with examples of errors of misjudgment. I admire Livingston’s honesty with himself and his courage to share his opinions about living well. As I look forward from middle age, Livingston provides me with examples of what I’m likely to face in old age.

What Money Can’t Buy – Sandel

I enjoyed the Harvard Justice lectures so picked up this title as a way of saying thanks to the professor. An enjoyable read that encouraged me to consider the larger impact of my career in finance and my family’s tendency to isolate ourselves within our bubble. The book is a well-reasoned account of the benefits of civic virtue and the price we pay for crowding out non-market norms.

The Social Conquest of Earth – Wilson

I started this book because I enjoyed Wilson’s award winning title, Consilience. I figured, rightly, that he would have something interesting to say. The book challenged my thinking about free will at an individual, and a collective, level. As a specific example, I wonder if I am exercising an illusion of individual free will within a community that is highly predictable.

Trust – Fukuyama

Fukuyama takes the reader on an exploration of community, family and business structures around the world. I enjoyed the author’s hypothesis about business organizations being driven by cultural factors. A useful read if you’re curious about cultures outside your own or work internationally. He also spends considerable time exploring the role of family in different cultures.