It’s the best time of the year! Summer reading time!
While we’re all plotting our vacations, sneaking time in the sun, and enjoying the slower pace of the summer season, one of the best parts must be the chance to lounge with a great book.
The team at One Legal shared a few of their current reads, must-reads, and soon-to-be-reads.
Robert DeFilippis, President and CEO
Early days in the range of light by Daniel Arnold – The author retraces first ascents in the Sierras using only tools available in that era. Great history too.
Saras Ramdas, Test Automation Engineer
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty – “Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .” (Goodreads)
Eric Antze, Product Manager
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende – “This epic work of the imagination has captured the hearts of millions of readers worldwide…Its special story within a story is an irresistible invitation for readers to become part of the book itself.” (Goodreads)
Wednesday Bogel, Human Resources Manager
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg – “A moving novel about three people who find their way back from loss and loneliness to a different kind of happiness.” (Goodreads)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – “Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself.” (Goodreads)
Circe by Madeline Miller – “In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.” (Goodreads)
Cassie Cobb, Director of Customer Support
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss – “It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.” (Goodreads)
Lili Daniel, Senior Customer Success Manager
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown – “In Daring Greatly, Dr. Brown challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability. Based on twelve years of research, she argues that vulnerability is not weakness, but rather our clearest path to courage, engagement, and meaningful connection.” (Goodreads)
Lindsey Dean, Head of Marketing
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon – Everything I’ve ever wanted from a fantasy: magic, dragons, mythology, quests, and powerful heroes. This was an epic well worth its size and I think I’ve found a new favorite author.
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid – What if a door opened in one city brought you to a country on the other side of the world? A look at what immigration would mean if borders were non-existent through the delightful lens of speculative fiction.
What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky – Gritty, rich magical realism and speculative fiction at its best! These short stories sprout from around the world and I want entire novels for every one of these complicated characters.
Lisa Eggers, Marketing Manager
Verity by Colleen Hoover – “Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.”(Goodreads)
You Have the Right to Remain Innocent by James Duane – “An urgent, compact manifesto that will teach you how to protect your rights, your freedom, and your future when talking to police.” (Goodreads)
Laurence Geist, Lifecycle Marketing Manager
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz – Great history lesson about the Dominican Republic mixed in with a plot full of drama.
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult – Explores difficult topics of power and race, sometimes messy and uncomfortable. I’m not a huge fan of the ending, but overall I appreciated the story.
You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld – A collection of stories about various people’s lives, an easy read if you’re short on time or need a quick distraction.
Visnu Ghosh, Customer and Market Insight Analyst
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar – “Set in modern-day India, it is the story of two compelling and achingly real women: Sera Dubash, an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife whose opulent surroundings hide the shame and disappointment of her abusive marriage, and Bhima, a stoic illiterate hardened by a life of despair and loss, who has worked in the Dubash household for more than twenty years.” (Goodreads)
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler – “In 2025, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future.” (Goodreads)
Richard Heinrich, Senior Director of Sales & Marketing
My choices are two books with a local-ish theme:
Less by Andrew Sean Greer – I really enjoyed reading this (the author lives and works in San Francisco) — it’s the story of a novelist about to turn 50 who, rather than face the realities of his life, chooses to travel the world. It’s really well written and ultimately quite uplifting.
The Overstory by Richard Powers – I’m looking forward to reading this novel about nine Americans whose unique life experiences with trees bring them together to address the destruction of forests. The author was inspired to write the book after visiting the giant redwood forests on the California coast.
Denise Holden
Crazy Sexy Kitchen: 150 Plant-Empowered Recipes to Ignite a Mouthwatering Revolution – My daughter has decided she wants to be a vegetarian, so I’m reading up on that.
The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon – “Diana Gabaldon’s acclaimed Outlander series blends rich historical fiction with riveting adventure and a truly epic love story.” (Goodreads)
Bettina Jefferis, Customer Success Manager
The Moth Presents Occasional Magic: True Stories about Defying the Impossible by Catherine Burns – “From storytelling phenomenon and hit podcast The Moth–and featuring contributions from Meg Wolitzer, Adam Gopnik, and more – a new collection of unforgettable true stories about finding the strength to face the impossible, drawn from the very best ever told on its stages.” (Goodreads)
All These Wonders by the Moth, Catherine Burns – “A collection about risk, courage, and facing the unknown, drawn from the best stories ever told on their stages.” (Goodreads)
The Moth (50 True Stories) – “For the first time in print, celebrated storytelling phenomenon The Moth presents fifty spellbinding, soul-bearing stories selected from their extensive archive (eighteen years-plus years and 20,000-plus stories strong).” (Goodreads)
Linda Kim, Executive Director of Corporate Social Responsibility
The Meaning of Hitler by Sebastian Haffner – “This is a historical and psychological examination of the enigma of Adolf Hitler–who he was, how he wielded power, and why he was destined to fail.” (Goodreads)
The Apprentice by Jacques Pepin – “In this captivating memoir, the man whom Julia Child has called “the best chef in America” tells the story of his rise from a frightened apprentice in an exacting Old World kitchen to an Emmy Award winning superstar who taught millions of Americans how to cook and shaped the nation’s tastes in the bargain.” (Goodreads)
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi – “Reading Lolita in Tehran is a remarkable exploration of resilience in the face of tyranny and a celebration of the liberating power of literature.” (Goodreads)
Stephanie Sagaria, Sales Consultant
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson – “A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice — from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time.” (Goodreads)
Dare to Lead by Brene Brown – “In her #1 NYT bestsellers, Brené Brown taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers and culture shifters, she’s showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead.” (Goodreads)
Mark Schwartz, Manager, Government Relations and Public Policy
The Last Season by Eric Blehm – Great story about a missing backcountry ranger and the efforts made to find him. What seems like a boring subject isn’t thanks to the great writing of Eric Blehm.
Climb! by Selene Yeager – Great book for cyclists looking to become better at climbing. The author, Selene Yeager, has a great way of connecting with her audience and the advice from the book has made me a stronger, more efficient, climber.
Craig Stockl, Head of Sales
The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon, Brent Adamson – “What’s the secret to sales success? If you’re like most business leaders, you’d say it’s fundamentally about relationships-and you’d be wrong. The best salespeople don’t just build relationships with customers. They challenge them.” (Goodreads)
Garrett Tanner, Technical Project Manager
The No Asshole Rule by Robert I. Sutton – “In a landmark article published in the esteemed Harvard Business Review, Stanford University professor Robert I. Sutton addressed a taboo topic that affects every workplace: employees who are insensitive to their colleagues, corporate bullies, bosses who just don’t get it.” (Goodreads)
Kluge: The Haphazard Evolution of the Human Mind by Gary Marcus – “Gary Marcus argues convincingly that our minds are not as elegantly designed as we may believe. The imperfections result from a haphazard evolutionary process that often proceeds by piling new systems on top of old ones—and those systems don’t always work well together.” (Goodreads)
Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths – A fascinating exploration of how insights from computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives, helping to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mind. (Goodreads)
Lora Templeton, Senior Marketing Campaign Manager
The Bohemians by Ben Tarnoff – You’d never think that Mark Twain was an insecure, striving young writer jealous of the easy success of his mentor Bret Harte. This book brings the early years of young artists working to carve out a spot for themselves to life so effortlessly that I almost found myself worried for Twain’s future. It also captured a San Francisco disrupted by sudden wealth and rail technology. Thank goodness things have calmed down since then! As for Bret Harte, one of his short stories was adapted in the Coen Brothers anthology film Ballad of Buster Scruggs, so he’s doing alright after all.
Endangered Dreams: The Great Depression in California (Americans and the California Dream) by Kevin Starr – Part of the 5-volume series from Kevin Starr, this book brought me right back to the streets of 1870s San Francisco. Which is taking rather a long walk up to the Great Depression, but Starr makes his case that California’s labor movement had its roots in the high unemployment rates that followed the railroad west. I’m just now reading about the populist celebrity politician who rouses angry crowds with torchlight rallies on Nob Hill and has the local media hanging on his every word. Thank goodness things have calmed down since then!
Mike Grow, Chief Technology Officer
Endurance by Alfred Lansing – “This is a new reading of the thrilling account of one of the most astonishing feats of exploration and human courage ever recorded.” (Goodreads)
***
Need more recommendations? Check out our reading recommendations from the last two years! And share your recent faves or most-anticipated books
2018: https://onelegal.com/blog/2018-summer-reading-recommendations-from-one-legal/
2017: https://onelegal.com/blog/one-legal-recommends-a-summer-reading-list-for-2017/
