18 Jun 2024 Beacon Summer 2024 Reading List

Asking people about the books they’re reading can spark some of the best conversations and reveal fascinating insights. Most people enjoy sharing their current reads and are happy to chat about them. With that in mind, we thought it would be fun to share some of the books that members of your Beacon team are excited to dive into this summer. You might get to know us a little better or even find your next great read.

Ryan’s Picks: The first book I’m looking forward to reading is We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda, by Philip Gourevitch. This book was first released in 1999 and is one I’ve read a couple of times before, but it takes on special meaning because I will be traveling to Rwanda with my church in mid-July. It offers a detailed background of the events leading up to the genocide in 1994 plus interviews with many survivors. I’ve wanted to visit Rwanda since I first read this more than 20 years ago, so I’m excited to visit in just a few weeks.

The second book is one Jack and I will be reading together. It’s called I Will Teach You To Be Rich, by Ramit Sethi. Last year I suggested reading personal finance books to our kids as a way to educate and open lines of communication, and this summer I’ll put my money where my mouth is by spending time reading with Jack. This is a great personal-finance-101 kind of book.

Geoff’s Picks:  Lately, I’ve been exploring how spending our time, effort and financial resources on things that improve our health, deepen our social connections and give us meaning and purpose can increase our chances of a successful retirement and a fulfilling life. Both of these books are part of that journey.

In his book, Build the Life You Want, Harvard professor and social scientist Arthur Brooks delves into the science and art of creating a fulfilling life. He blends empirical research with practical wisdom and offers up actionable strategies to cultivate joy, manage stress, and foster meaningful relationships.

Bill Perkins’ Die With Zero is a practical guide to using your wealth to live more fully, provide lasting memories and create more joy with the goal of maximizing life experiences rather than merely accumulating wealth.

Daniel’s Pick: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is one of my favorite books and he recently released this new book that I will be checking out this Summer. His style of narrative nonfiction is easy for most people to dive into and enjoy. The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War captures the fraught five months between Lincoln’s election and the Civil War’s outbreak. Through the lens of key historical figures, Larson explores the chaotic period marked by political turmoil and personal strife, culminating in the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. It’s a gripping account of the unforeseen forces that nearly destroyed our nation.

 Jared’s Picks: The Last Devil to Die, by Richard Osman. The latest in the Thursday Murder Club series, I’m really excited for this one to come out (in August), especially because I think murder mysteries are best read in the summer. If you are unfamiliar, this series tracks the sleuthing capabilities of an immensely lovable group of retirees who solve mysteries from their retirement community in southeastern England. Highly recommended!

Masters of Atlantis, by Charles Portis. Portis wrote one of my all-time favorite beach reads, True Grit, so I am returning to the well this summer with what promises to be another hilarious novel. From Wikipedia: “It satirizes the Western Esoteric and New Religious movements of the early-to-mid twentieth century, following a WW1 veteran named Lamar Jimmerson over the course of several decades as he attempts to establish and maintain an esoteric society dedicated to what is supposedly the lost knowledge of the legendary city of Atlantis.”