Two years ago in June I put my summer’s reading on this blog. I remember I was ridiculed for reading an economics textbook on the dock at the cottage. Stung by the criticism, last year I didn’t post that I was reading Capital in the Twenty-First Century by French economist Thomas Piketty. This year I thought I defuse the mocking by surveying my co-workers at Impact Infrastructure to see what is on their lists. And what an eclectic list it is from an erudite group!

This will, I hope, prove I am not the only nerd in the company. Here’s the list of a sample of ii’s reading from an economic bibliophile:

John Parker

• What’s the Economy For, Anyway?: Why It’s Time to Stop Chasing Growth and Start Pursuing Happiness by John de Graaf and David K. Batker. I recently met David Batker of Earth Economics and ordered this book when I Googled him. I am thoroughly enjoying it so far.
• Nemesis: A Harry Hole thriller by Jo Nesbo (former economist who graduated from the Norwegian School of Economics with a degree in Economics and Business Administration before becoming a cracking crime writer)
  
• The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
• The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
  
• Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty – yes, this is embarrassing but after reading two dozen reviews and the first chapter where the entire thesis is summarized I have lost my motivation to get through the other about 600 pages.
  

John Williams

• Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty

Katelyn Lawson

• Time to Change by David Suzuki (Katelyn says it is one of his older books, but still seems to be relevant).

Ryan Meyers

• User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product by Jeff Patton
• The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
  by Eric Ries

Eric Bill

• Influence – the Psychology of Persuasion by Cialdini. R. An oldy, but a goody.
• Execution – the Discipline of Getting Things Done by Brossidy, L. and Charan, R. (Eric just needs to influence his kids to give me some time to read, and execute that plan.)

Pat Forestell

• The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
• The First Man by Albert Camus
• Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

Rinat Greenberg

• Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Derek Ensing

• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
• But What If We’re Wrong?: Thinking About the present As If It Were the Past by Chuck Klosterman
• Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell

Ben Rommelaere

• Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
• Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant
• Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Monroe
• User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product by Jeff Patton