Steve’s Pick

Smart Baseball by Keith Law

Summer is the best time to read baseball books. Law was one of the first proponents of advanced analytics, or sabermetrics, to work in a major league front office. He writes with such clarity about how modern statistics are influencing each aspect of the game that it is both easier to understand and easier to disagree with. I don’t agree with everything Law argues in the book, but this was the first book that helped clarify my own opposition to certain new statistical approaches to an old game while appreciating for the first time the value of others.

Traci’s Pick

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

Part cautionary business tale, part vacation escapism — this exposé chronicles the rise and fall of the firm Theranos, the multibillion-dollar biotech startup headed by Elizabeth Holmes. WSJ Journalist John Carreyrou does such a good job capturing the intrigue and drama in this page-turner that I could not put it down.

Chris’ Pick

Normal People by Sally Rooney

I am all about beach books. Normal People is a story of the transformative power of relationships. The story follows the complex friendship and connection between Connell and Marianne from high school through adulthood. The book was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize.

Bruce’s Pick

Power of the Dog by Don Winslow

This crime thriller, based on the DEA’s involvement in the war on drugs, is an action-packed, blood-soaked journey from Mexico to NYC to Central America. It’s a long, character-rich book (almost 800 pages) and is the first in a trilogy that continues with The Cartel and The Border.

Corey’s Pick

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard

After his defeat in 1912, Roosevelt and his son Kermit took a trip down an uncharted portion of the Amazon. Using his letters home to recount this period of Roosevelt’s life, Candice Millard includes a little of everything: history, science, relationship, geography. When asked for a favorite book, this is still my frontrunner.

Carrie’s Pick

My Soul is Rested: Movement Days in the Deep South Remembered by Howard Raines

This book of oral history is based on interviews with the key voices of the Civil Rights movement. From Rosa Parks to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., I love the glimpses of the non-public sides of these brave men and women and hearing the stories in their own voices. If you like history, you’ll enjoy it.

Gaylon’s Pick

The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

I love this light and sweet read for summer. The story is about the life of a middle-aged man dealing with the pitfalls of being an independent bookseller. It will entertain from start to finish.

Casey’s Picks

First, Grant by Ron Chernov

I've been working my way through Ron Chernov’s sweeping biography of Ulysees S. Grant for two months (over 1,000 pages). Chernov is a Pulitzer Prize winner and a brilliant writer. Grant was a complex figure and Chernov does a masterful job of capturing the triumphs and the tragedies of his life.

Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott

I learned about the concept and the book from Raisa Energy CEO Luis Garcia. Do you practice "ruinous empathy, obnoxious aggression, or manipulative insincerity”? If you think you might, Radical Candor is for you. It’s filled with insightful advice about leadership and organizational culture that may well cause you to change your thinking, just as it did mine.

Look for our next blog post in July where we will discuss how to run a meeting.