First Round Summer Reads (67 books)

Discover new books on Goodreads

Meet your next favorite book

Listopia > First Round Summer Reads

An unusual and original collection of recommendations from some of the best founders, executives and experts working in technology.

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by Robert Coram 4.19 avg rating — 8,349 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Elon Musk: Tesla, Spacex, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 455,496 ratings score: 169, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 4.41 avg rating — 850,409 ratings score: 164, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	How To Become Rich: Ten Keys to Financial Success by Harry Molande (Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough 4.26 avg rating — 19,264 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1) by Dan Simmons 4.28 avg rating — 317,462 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Product Strategy for High Technology Companies by Michael E. McGrath 3.63 avg rating — 157 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1) by Hilary Mantel 3.92 avg rating — 240,407 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 4.01 avg rating — 274,796 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	High Output Management by Andrew S. Grove 4.30 avg rating — 22,130 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck 4.09 avg rating — 182,183 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers―Straight Talk on the Challenges of Entrepreneurship by Ben Horowitz (Goodreads Author) 4.19 avg rating — 114,321 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari 4.32 avg rating — 1,324,871 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 280,917 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Internet of Garbage by Sarah Jeong 4.06 avg rating — 556 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Hot Seat: The Startup CEO Guidebook by Dan Shapiro 4.21 avg rating — 269 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen 4.05 avg rating — 38,890 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute 4.10 avg rating — 35,575 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley by Eric Weiner (Goodreads Author) 3.80 avg rating — 4,385 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Getting More: How to Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals in the Real World by Stuart Diamond 4.09 avg rating — 3,760 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Women in Tech: Take Your Career to the Next Level with Practical Advice and Inspiring Stories by Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack 3.92 avg rating — 494 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow 4.22 avg rating — 206,404 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chögyam Trungpa 4.14 avg rating — 7,353 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Open by Andre Agassi 4.33 avg rating — 154,914 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown (Goodreads Author) 4.39 avg rating — 371,052 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly (Goodreads Author) 3.74 avg rating — 7,202 ratings score: 78, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism by Edward E. Baptist (Goodreads Author) 4.45 avg rating — 5,726 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Building Great Software Engineering Teams: Recruiting, Hiring, and Managing Your Team from Startup to Success by Josh Tyler 3.75 avg rating — 97 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders by L. David Marquet (Goodreads Author) 4.22 avg rating — 22,722 ratings score: 75, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy 4.15 avg rating — 11,942 ratings score: 74, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness by Frederic Laloux 4.21 avg rating — 6,472 ratings score: 73, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long by David Rock 4.08 avg rating — 11,926 ratings score: 72, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service by Ken Blanchard 3.84 avg rating — 10,267 ratings score: 71, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Munroe (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 12,645 ratings score: 70, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 17,634 ratings score: 68, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus: How Growth Became the Enemy of Prosperity by Douglas Rushkoff (Goodreads Author) 3.84 avg rating — 1,515 ratings score: 67, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert (Goodreads Author) 3.74 avg rating — 2,793 ratings score: 66, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Leading Gracefully: A Woman's Guide to Confident, Authentic & Effective Leadership by Monique Svazlian Tallon 3.09 avg rating — 89 ratings score: 65, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It by David M. Ewalt (Goodreads Author) 3.73 avg rating — 5,197 ratings score: 63, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization by Peter M. Senge 3.94 avg rating — 36,281 ratings score: 62, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters by Richard P. Rumelt 4.12 avg rating — 18,885 ratings score: 61, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 136,410 ratings score: 60, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith 4.31 avg rating — 532,118 ratings score: 59, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Sex Object: A Memoir by Jessica Valenti (Goodreads Author) 3.66 avg rating — 13,689 ratings score: 58, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss by Edmund de Waal 3.97 avg rating — 66,131 ratings score: 57, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris 3.61 avg rating — 6,576 ratings score: 56, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander 3.92 avg rating — 12,126 ratings score: 55, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (Goodreads Author) 4.26 avg rating — 1,005,485 ratings score: 54, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Sam Walton, Made in America: My Story by Sam Walton 4.16 avg rating — 28,821 ratings score: 53, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney 4.45 avg rating — 28,884 ratings score: 52, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 29,984 ratings score: 51, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry by Jacquie McNish (Goodreads Author) 3.98 avg rating — 5,462 ratings score: 50, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.18 avg rating — 87,497 ratings score: 49, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness by Todd Rose 4.04 avg rating — 4,713 ratings score: 48, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family by Anne-Marie Slaughter (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 3,306 ratings score: 47, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney 3.86 avg rating — 36,483 ratings score: 46, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes 4.31 avg rating — 208,150 ratings score: 45, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 303,209 ratings score: 44, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North 4.03 avg rating — 103,857 ratings score: 43, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull 4.20 avg rating — 105,443 ratings score: 42, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	The Sparrow (The Sparrow, #1) by Mary Doria Russell (Goodreads Author) 4.13 avg rating — 84,798 ratings score: 41, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Goodreads Author) 3.99 avg rating — 1,136,031 ratings score: 40, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	’Salem’s Lot by Stephen King (Goodreads Author) 4.10 avg rating — 683,414 ratings score: 39, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) 4.13 avg rating — 167,471 ratings score: 38, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	The Course of Love by Alain de Botton (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 51,242 ratings score: 37, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 4.04 avg rating — 471,955 ratings score: 36, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster 4.20 avg rating — 313,153 ratings score: 35, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars