This is a list of some of the reading I plan to do this fall. It’s not exhaustive but indicative of my picks and discussions lately. The books were recommended to me by new (hi Manju!) and old friends. When germane, I’ve also included relevant material. You think I missed something I should definitely read? Let me know on Twitter.
I’ve also compiled a similar list of podcasts I listen to. It covers topics like tech and biotech, Apple, philosophy, economics, culture, business, finance, literature, history, aviation, and TV. Have a look.
The Things They Carried
Published in 1990, The Things They Carried is a collection of twenty-two linked short stories (a novel, according to some) by Tim O’Brien. It depicts the men of Alpha Company battling the enemy (or maybe more the idea of the enemy,) and occasionally each other.
Relevant reading: The absolutely essential and legendary Why Men Love War, published in the November 1984 issue of Esquire. “Like all lust, for as long as it lasts it dominates everything else.”
Infinite Jest
David Foster Wallace’s masterpiece. A gargantuan, mind-altering comedy about the Pursuit of Happiness. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, Infinite Jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value.
Relevant reading: This is Water, DFW’s classic Kenyon commencement speech. Consider the Lobster, a collection of essays that are also enthralling narrative adventures.
A Perfect Day for Bananafish
Amazon — Goodreads (Part of Nine Stories)
J.D. Salinger’s seminal short story originally published in the January 31, 1948 issue of The New Yorker. The story is an enigmatic examination of a young married couple, Muriel and Seymour Glass, while on vacation in Florida. It is considered the story that would permanently change Salinger’s standing in the literary community.
Relevant reading: A short story I recently read and deeply enjoyed: The Gospel According to Mark, included in Brodie’s Report, a collection of Jorge Louis Borges’ works. It has a powerful quote (and a favorite of mine:)
It also occurred to him that throughout history, humankind has told two stories: the story of a lost ship sailing the Mediterranean seas in quest of a beloved isle, and the story of a god who allows himself to be crucified on Golgotha.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Diaz immerses us in the history of the family at large, rendering with genuine warmth and dazzling energy, humor, and insight the Dominican-American experience, and, ultimately, the endless human capacity to persevere in the face of heartbreak and loss. Considered a recent literary triumph.
A Confederacy of Dunces
Toole’s classic masterpiece. It was published posthumously, over a decade after Toole ended his own life, and won the Pulitzer Prize. The many subplots that weave through A Confederacy of Dunces are as complicated as anything you’ll find in a Dickens novel, and just as beautifully tied together in the end. Ignatius, a selfish, domineering, deluded, tragic, comic, and larger than life, carries the story.
The Power and the Glory
Greene’s novel tells the story of a renegade Roman Catholic whisky priest (a term coined by Greene) living in the Mexican state of Tabasco in the 1930s during a time when the Mexican government was attempting to suppress the Catholic Church. That suppression had resulted in the Cristero War, so named for its Catholic combatants’ slogan Viva Cristo Rey (“Long live Christ the King.”) Too human for heroism, too humble for martyrdom, the nameless little worldly “whiskey priest” is nevertheless impelled toward his squalid Calvary as much by his own compassion for humanity as by the efforts of his pursuers.
Relevant reading: Silence by Shūsaku Endō. The story of a Jesuit missionary sent to 17th century Japan, who endures persecution in the time of Kakure Kirishitan. Further relevant material is the short story The Gospel According to Mark of Borges, already linked above.
And watching: Also directed into a movie by Scorcese (a great one, that is) which I include in my canon: “a list of films that alien lifeforms should use to try and understand mankind; hopefully they’ll have an easier job of it than we do.”
When
Drawing on a rich trove of research from psychology, biology, and economics, Pink reveals how timing works. Why do certain breaks dramatically improve student test scores? How can we turn a stumbling beginning into a fresh start? Why should we avoid going to the hospital in the afternoon? Why is singing in time with other people as good for you as exercise?
Lastly, a bonus TED talk: Are you a giver or a taker? Organizational psychologist and Wharton professor Adam Grant breaks down the three basic kinds of people personalities (givers, takers, matchers) and offers simple strategies to promote a culture of generosity and keep self-serving employees from taking more than their share.