Read Any Good Books Lately?

I get that a lot. People who know that I write tend to be curious about what I read. Then they’re usually appalled when I recommend something that is exactly not their taste.

I read all kinds of stuff—a wide variety of fiction, mostly literary, and I particularly like authors who experiment stylistically. I also like humor and writers who are masters of mainstream storytelling and character development.

I’ve also taken an interest in biographies and histories, especially when it comes to areas like economics. I’ve read several books that have tried to explain what went wrong in 2008 that caused world economies to crash until finally I think I have a good handle on that. Here’s a short list of books that I’ve read recently that I recommend:

• ·       The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy. Sweeping biography with great insights into the rise of the Kennedy mystique.
• ·       The Art of Fielding. A story about a brilliant college shortstop who gets the throwing yips, but a whole lot more—engaging on every level: character, themes, emotions.
• ·       How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. Falls more in the experimental fiction category—an absorbing tale about a young man’s rise and fall and final reconciliation written in a form an instruction manual. Brilliant!
• ·       Angle of Repose. An epic tale about the civilizing of the West, by Wallace Stegner, among the great American writers.
• ·       After the Music Stopped: The Financial Crisis, the Response, and the Work Ahead. The most coherent explanation of the financial crisis out there that even I could understand. Written by a famous economist and former assistant chairman of the Federal Reserve.

For a more exhaustive list of recommended reads, check out my Goodreads page.