Book your Holidays with Good Reads
10 book recos from your friends at Validere to treat your-shelves!
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller
This is a great book that provides a useful perspective on the development of both modern day business and the energy industry. Rockefeller experienced a lot in his life which is probably why the wisdom is so useful. Unfortunately this book is around 800 pages (my wife got it for me to keep me silent at the pool one vacation) but well worth it.
Platform Revolution gives you a window into non-traditional business models and why they are changing us personally and professionally. This book on modern business is done well laced with case studies to keep a grip on the facts.
VP Product Quality Innovation
It is a great American story about entrepreneurship and struggles in building a multi billion dollar company. Waffle maker soles and selling out of a trunk at racing meets.
One of the best history books of all time in my opinion.
Co-Founder, President & CTO
Provides a really good background on scaling laws that govern lots of facets of life. For example, why most mammals have the same number of heartbeats in their lifespan (smaller mammals having faster hearts and proportionally shorter lifespans). This logic is then extended to the scaling laws of cities and point to fundamental forces behind seemingly surprising trends like why GDP per capita tends to increase with population density.
This book teaches you so much about the mental trappings of cognitive biases and while you can’t eliminate them, you can at least become more aware and think through ways to try and mitigate them.
Sapiens: A Graphic History
The original has been a favourite of many but this version appeals to a wider audience of all ages. Its numerous messages are great reminders especially in our chaotic time of fake news and global pandemics.
He narrates himself in audio books.
Professional Services Consultant
All the Light We Cannot See
It is a beautiful and heartwarming war story. Emotionally engaging and easy to read. A book to decompress with.
Implementation Consultant
Riveting bio of man who used advanced stats to (1) invent card counting and make a ton of money at blackjack and then (2) invent option pricing theory and make a ton of money on wall street.