“Reading a book isn’t a race – the better the book, the slower it should be absorbed.” – Naval Ravikant, author & investor
I’ve asked the Pure Portfolios team to provide a list of books they’ve read in 2022, along with a brief description or takeaway.
If you’re looking for your next book to read, this list could provide your next great journey (or maybe a gift idea for a friend or loved one!).
Nik Schuurmans
World War II Generation Speaks: The Things Our Fathers Saw Series Vols. 1-3 by Matthew Rozell. The author captures the impact of WWII on a small upstate New York community. The series documents firsthand stories of dozens of young men during WWII. “We did what needed to be done” was a consistent theme for American’s greatest generation. A WWII prisoner of war quote is seared in my head, “any person, or kid today who’s growing up in the U.S., should get on their hands and knees every night and thank God that they were born in the United States of America.”
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor. We chase the latest diet plan, workout regiment, and wellness programs. The author outlines we should be focused on the simple act of breathing correctly. In summary, nose breathing unlocks massive benefits, while mouth-breathing can be detrimental to our long-term health .
Every Shot Counts: Using Strokes Gained to Improve your Golf Performance & Strategy by Mark Broadie. The backstory of the modern “strokes gained” stats that are used on the PGA Tour. The author makes the case “old school” golf stats i.e. greens in regulation, putts per round, driving distance, etc. are misleading and obsolete. This book is great for those that have limited time to practice and want to focus on the shots that separate good players from great players.
Four Foundations of Practical Golf by Jon Sherman. Most amateur golfers suffer from unrealistic expectations and taking the game too seriously. The author focuses on “expectation management” and making the game fun again. This is perfect for the golfer that struggles with the mental side of the game. This really helped me take ego out of the game and find perspective.
Unreasonable Hospitality: Giving People More Than They Expect. The author took over a struggling restaurant and turned it into one of the best in the world. The premise was transforming ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences. This is a great book for those in the service business.
Erin Varghese
13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin. Increasing your mental strength can change your entire attitude. It takes practice and hard work, but with Morin’s specific tips, exercises, and troubleshooting advice, it is possible to not only fortify your mental muscle but also drastically improve the quality of your life.
Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey. The memoir is filled with prompts, quotes, wisdom, and advice on how to live with greater satisfaction.
The Defining Decade by Meg Jay. The book centers around Jay’s experience as a clinical psychologist seeing people in their 30s and 40s who are hamstrung by having a “lack of vision” in their 20s. This book is meant to provide people in their 20s with some direction around creating that vision (not in a corny way) so that they’re setting themselves up better for their 30s and beyond.
Red Notice by Bill Browder. A financial caper, a crime thriller, and a political crusade, Red Notice is the story of one man taking on overpowering odds to change the world, and the story of how, without intending to, he found meaning in his life. This book was a recommendation from a Pure client.
November 9th by Colleen Hoover. November 9 follows the love story between Ben and Fallon. Right as Fallon is ready to move to New York, she meets Ben the writer. They spend Fallon’s last day in LA together, promising to meet every year on the same day.
Regretting You by Colleen Hoover. This story delves into the complex relationship between a parent and a child, the challenges of growing up and seeking independence, and how to move on after tragedy.
Layla by Colleen Hoover. Layla explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love. When Leeds meets Layla, he’s convinced he’ll spend the rest of his life with her – until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life.
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover. After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter.
The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose. Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. Life is going exactly how she planned. The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He’s a struggling writer who has had little success in his career, but one morning everything changes. Sarah must take on her hardest case yet, defending her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress.
One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose. When a salon owner’s wealthy client is found dead, it’s only her and her accumulation of town gossip that can help the police solve the murder.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena. Armas Catalina desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding, especially since her little white lie about her boyfriend has spiraled out of control. Now everyone she knows will be there and eager to meet him. Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. She begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.
The Wrong Heart by Jennifer Hartmann. Melody is grieving the loss of her husband. Parker is grieving the loss of his childhood. Both broken, find themselves embroiled in love that brings them both back to life and over to the other side of heartbreak.
David Gewant
Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. Historical depiction of the settlement of Plymouth colony and the life of the pilgrims.
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. The author’s intimate journey across America accompanied by his faithful dog Charley.
Family Wealth by James E. Hughes, Jr. Details how family members and their advisors preserve human, intellectual, and financial assets for generations.
A Death in Eden by Keith McCafferty. A Sean Stranahan murder mystery that takes place on the famed Smith River in Montana.
In Search of the Castaways by Jules Verne. Lesser known adventure tale as part of trilogy that includes 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Mysterious Island.
Toby Weber
Defi & the Future of Finance by Book by Ashwin Ramachandran, Campbell Harvey, and Joey Santoro
The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simon’s Launched the Quant Revolution by Gregory Zuckerman
The Geometry of Wealth by Brian Portnoy
Power Play by Jim Higgins
Post Corona by Scott Galloway
Night School by Jack Reacher
Boomsday by Christopher Buckley
The Fourth Turning by William Strauss & Neil Howe
Sold Out: How Broken Supply Chains, Surging Inflation, and Political Instability Will Sink the Global Economy
The Bond King by Mary Childs
Colin Purcell
Without by Donald Hall. Donald Hall journals his way through his grief before, during, and after the death of his wife. He does an incredible job of expressing both the mundane and existential grief he goes through. On top of this he reminisces on the joys that his wife, and a domestic life, brought him.
The Journal of John Woolman and a Plea for the Poor by John Woolman. John Woolman is a Quaker in the 1700s who journaled his life as he visited Quaker Meetings throughout early America. He focuses on, at the time quite revolutionary, ideas of anti-slavery, anti-materialism, and discusses power’s ability to corrupt. In a Plea for the Poor, a pamphlet as they were in early America, his focus is on simplistic life, wasteful consumption, and how money and power are used to corrupt and suppress those in lower classes.
Tranquility by Billy Sparrow. What 20-year-old doesn’t dream of setting off to leave their home in the past so they can explore the world on their own terms? That is the journey the author took in the 90s when he bought a sailboat to travel from Seattle to Southern California for a few weeks one summer.
Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
21 lessons for the 21st century by Yuval Noah Harari
I Hate to Leave this Beautiful Place by Howard Norman
Julie Johnsen
The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner. A riveting true story of one girl’s coming-of-age in a polygamist family.
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. Based on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris.
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris. Taking place at the end of the Civil War, this book tells the story of the unlikely bond between two freedmen who are brothers and the Georgia farmer whose alliance will alter their lives, and his, forever.
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Follows a half-French, half-Vietnamese man serving as a spy for the Communist forces in the final days of the Vietnam War.
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Written as an oral history, the book tells the story of the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous break up.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. In a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn by Larry Colton. The author journeys into the world of Montana’s Crow Indians and follows the struggles of a talented, moody, charismatic young woman.
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
In Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Anxious People by Fredrick Bachman
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Pure Portfolios wishes all of our clients, partners, and readers a wonderful holiday season!
Want to put a face with a name? Visit our team page.