2026 Reading Booster

Summer is here! Instead of pushing through the next few months on autopilot, consider using this time to do something different. Summer often brings a change of pace. It’s a great time to re-think your professional development by getting outside of your comfort zone. Learn to play a musical instrument, practice a new sport, read books that you would not normally choose. You might be surprised what you can find in unchartered territory!

If reading different types of books sounds appealing, here is a curated list I’ve put together. This list includes gripping historical narratives and thought-provoking fiction, in addition to the usual categories I recommend. The books I selected encompass empathy, creativity, and perspective.

Fiction

• Theo of Golden by Allen Levi – A recently released book that reads like a classic. It depicts the human spirit in its full splendor. If you only read one fiction book this summer, pick this one!

• Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser – Learn about 52 master art pieces while immersed in a story of compassion, love, and redemption.

• Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr. – If you are a runner or an athlete, you could easily replace the name of the main character with yours and think someone wrote your story. If you are not into sports, this story might allow you to understand the runners and athletes in your life a little better.

History

• Challenger by Adam Higginbotham – A very recent and comprehensive description of the culture in which the space shuttles were built and the events leading to the Challenger’s tragic end. Let’s have the wisdom and humility to learn from history as we develop new technologies and explore their applications.

• How We Got to Now by Steven Johnson – Explore the inventions that have influenced our modern world. I particularly appreciated the author’s thought that no technological advancement is purely positive, which made me ponder about the implications of our current efforts to develop and deploy AI.

• 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin – This book documents, in detail, the multiple causes of the Great Depression, while explaining many characteristics of the financial system we use today. More importantly, this title is a window into the American culture, highlighting its natural inclination to endure challenges with optimism toward the future.

Biographies

• Seven Tenths of a Second by Zak Brown – Take a sneak peek into what made McClaren the best Formula 1 team in the world and learn more about the person leading those efforts. Be aware that the author seems to be motivated by the fear of failure, which is a glass-half-empty approach to performance that has been questioned by many experts in the subject.

• Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda – This title presents Lawrence as an innovator, a strategist, a soldier, and a politician who influenced the Middle East geopolitical development.

• Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie – Learn what made Catherine a pioneer in education, health, art, and court politics. Among Catherine’s many virtues, her willingness to evolve her thinking in order to remain in power is what stood out to me as her most valuable trait.

Meaningful Career and Life

• Running Down a Dream by Bill Gurley – A concise presentation of six time-tested principles that define a successful career. The author clarifies that these principles are not magical. Successful careers require a lot of work and some luck, but it helps to know where to invest resources.

• Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman – A practical framework to embrace imperfectionism as a way of life. This book elaborates that perfection is never the right goal but neither is mediocrity. Imperfectionism is the best we can do within current constraints, which is a challenge to perfectionists (i.e., unhappy maximizers).

• Jolted by Anthony Klotz – An unbiased account of the good, the bad, and the ugly about resigning from a job, written by the author who coined “the great resignation”. This book is the most recent and comprehensive material on this topic, and it is packed with best practices about why, when, and how to resign from a job.

Innovation and AI

• Thinking in Boxes by Luc De Brabandere and Allan Iny – This book proposes an innovation framework based on induction (new boxes) instead of deduction (existing boxes). I found the approach interesting and effective to lead brainstorming sessions that aim to generate new project ideas.

• How Great Ideas Happen by George Newman – The author uses Archeology practices to derive an innovation process that is decoupled from its outcomes. The author emphasizes the need to work the process systemically, which is a must-have for the application of any process.

• The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman and Michael Bhaskar – AI is here to stay and to transform the way we live and work. In this book, the authors wisely examine the need to control the technologies we develop, so we create a better society instead of simply wealthier individuals. This book makes the case for ethical AI becoming a core capability that any leader needs to quickly embrace and develop.

Leadership

• The Future Starts with Z by Tim Elmore – Gen Zers are entering the workforce, and we must become the leaders they need to flourish. This book is an excellent reference to understand Gen Zers and how to maximize their potential. People leaders - it is time to learn new tricks!

• The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi – This book describes Adlerian psychology, which ignores the past and focuses

  on the present to influence our future. If you are wondering about the book’s title, it refers to freedom to live according to our values instead of putting on an act to be liked and accepted by others.

• 1776 by David McCullough – This is a very singular depiction of Washington’s character during 1776, bringing to light Washington’s many leadership traits and his relentless attitude to treat failures as teaching moments.