In June, I planned what I would read this summer. My father created a reading plan for every summer. I’ve learned from what he did, and I follow the same tradition. In June, I shared what I intended to read this summer. Here’s how that plan worked out.

A Book I’ve Always Wanted to Read

For my summer reading, I decided I wanted to finish Murray Gell-Mann’s The Quark and The Jaguar: Adventures in The Simple and The Complex. I’d started it twice but hadn’t finished. This summer, I finished. It is a mind-stretching book about quantum physics. Gell-Mann does a superb job of linking his insights to everyday life. This is not an easy read, but if you like good science writing, you’ll like this book by a great scientist.

A Book to Read for Fun

I planned to read Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd. It was so great, I read his historical novel about New York City, too. Both are well-researched and well-written historical novels. The New York novel was especially fascinating because I grew up in New York City. I already knew many historical details. Rutherfurd added depth and breadth to my understanding. He’s written several historical novels. I plan to read them all.

A Pump-Priming Book

Every summer, my father read something outside his normal range of reading. The idea was to shake up your thinking and give you some new perspectives. For my pump-priming book this year, I chose The Best American Magazine Writing, 2017. That was a great choice. The articles covered a range of fields I wasn’t familiar with, and the writing was great. Next year, I’ll probably choose a similar collection.

A Book to Reread

I try to reread books I’ve gotten value from as part of my regular reading pattern. I pick one specific book for my summer reading list to make sure I reread at least one book per year. This summer, I chose Peter Drucker’s Managing for Results. It was a great choice.

It’s about improving the economic performance of a business. I vowed to review it in this blog sometime soon.

Other Books I Read this Summer

Regular work reading goes on, even in the summer. Here are business books I read this summer with links to my reviews.

The Excellence Dividend: Meeting the Tech Tide with Work That Wows and Jobs That Last by Tom Peters

Building A Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller

Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, And Achieve More by Morten Hansen

The Power of Little Ideas: A Low-Risk, High-Reward Approach to Innovation by David Robertson

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink

Now It’s Your Turn

What did you read this summer?