Author Title Comments
Adric, Ivo The Bridge on the Drina Nobel Prize for literature; Historical Novel of the Balkans 1300-WWI; protagonist is a bridge that connects two sides of a river
Alexander, Caroline Endurance Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic travails, survival and escape – true leadership story
Albom, Mitch Tuesdays With Morrie Albom meets weekly with a dying professor who teaches more about life than any books or therapy
Ambrose, Stephan Undaunted Courage The best book on leadership I’ve read; Lewis and Clark’s voyage of discovery across America
Baumeister/Tierney Willpower You only have so much willpower; learn to focus it where it counts most; keep your list short; pick your battles
Biddle, Tammy Davis Rhetoric and Reality in Air Warfare Hated by zealots; loved by skeptics – an honest methodological look at claims about airpower decisiveness and whether they bear fruit
Bowden, Mark Black Hawk Down What happened in Mogadishu
Bronte, Emily Wuthering Heights Dark and unhappy story of tortured love, loss and rage on the Moors in old England
Brown, Alton I’m Just Here for the Food Not a cookbook, but a book about cooking and the kitchen
Buford, Bill Heat NY writer apprentices in Mario Batali’s restaurant as kitchen slave; outstanding story about kitchens/food
Cahill, Thomas How the Irish Saved Civilization History of the fall of Rome, and how Irish monks transcribed all knowledge to pass on for future generations throughout Europe
Card, Orson Scott Ender’s Game (and all prequels and sequels) Most compelling novel I’ve ever read; sociology and morality — how far can we go when threatened?
Chesterton, G.K. The Everlasting Man (personal #1) 1921 book that logically challenges naturalist and anthropological claims that Man decended from apes
Chesterton, G.K. The Man Who Knew Too Much 8 detective stories: thinking, morality, sociology and how we see the world; see also www.chesterton.org
Crichton, Michael Timeline Archaeologists travel back in time to 13th C France in the middle of the Hundred Years War
Clancy, Tom Red Storm Rising Tale of what conventional WWIII would have looked like between the US and Soviets in 1980s
Clausewitz, Carl von On War Timeless treatise on war, statecraft, strategy, and critical thinking
Cooper, James Fennimore The Last of the Mohicans Timeless story of the early American frontier; sisters are kidnapped by natives and tracked by a woodsman
Davis, Natalie Zemon The Return of Martin Guerre Detailed history of a medieval French trial; Asks what we know about History and how we know it
DeMille, Nelson Charm School Air Force attaché finds Vietnam POWs alive in Russia teaching their spies; also read Cathedral – great book
Dickens, Charles A Christmas Carol Very short read, but far better than any play or movie version; worth reading every Christmas
Doerr, Anthony Four Seasons in Rome Melodical short book about the author, his wife & twin baby boys and life in Rome for one year; also wrote 2 Pulitzer novels!
Donahue, Keith Angels of Destruction Great story about a woman whose teen daughter runs away and 10 years later a girl shows up on her door
Druett, Joan Island of the Lost History of 2 ships that wrecked on Auckland Island in 1864; the crew of one survives, the other all die – why?
Eco, Umberto The Name of the Rose English empiricist monk seeks to solve murders in an Italian Franciscan abbey in 1327; I need 8 more lines…
Ehrenreich, Barbara Blood Rites Origins and History of the Passions of War – sociological study of man and why we are driven to war
Emmerson, Charles 1913 Nobody saw WWI coming despite preparing for it. German Kaiser and English King were cousins and best friends; lessons for today
Feist, Raymond Riftwar Saga Great novels dealing with culture and war between two very different worlds; also read Faerie Tale
Fforde, Jasper The Eyre Affair (and all Thursday sequels) Alternative Future – Jayne Eyre is kidnapped from her story and tracked by detective Thursday Next; also read Fforde’s Shades of Grey
Fisher, Alec The Logic of Real Arguments Critical Thinking and sound logic for making sound arguments
Funke, Cornelia The Thief Lord Orphaned German children run away from their Aunt to Venice and find refuge/adventure with other kids
Gaskell, Elizabeth North and South Powerful Victorian novel of cleavages in England; rich, poor; north, south; owner, laborer; man, woman
Gibbons, Euell Stalking the Healthful Herb/Stalking the Wild Asparagus Gibbons delightfully tells of now nature provides all we need. Excellent narratives, drawings and recipes for how to find and prepare wild food
Gladwell, Malcolm Blink The power of thinking without thinking; you can’t put this down once you start it; read him at gladwell.com
Glenny, Misha The Fall of Yugoslavia Excellent, accessible explanation of why Yugoslavia broke apart; culture, history; easy to read
Gorman, Bob Newsmaker Gripping story of cleavages in a small South Carolina town; makes us consider how we interact in our communities
Hansen, Brooks Pearlman’s Ordeal Hansen won a Gold Medal for The Chess Garden; this book is better, especially the second time you read it
Heinlein, Robert Starship Troopers Political Theory book disguised as science fiction – not like the movie; much better
Hofstadter, Richard Anti-intellectualism in American Life Pulitzer-winning study how and why Americans shun thinkers in favor of doers; applicable in today’s military
Holzimmer, Kevin General Walter Kreuger Excellent biography of one of the most important, yet least known 4-star generals of WWII
Homer The Iliad Epic poem about the Trojan War; Very timeless; not just a literature assignment
Hood, William Cry Spy Very detailed and fast-paced novel about Cold War spy tradecraft – still applicable today
Huntington, Samuel The Clash of Civilizations How and why the West will fight the rest; also read the many academic rebuttals to this book; Also read The Soldier and the State
Irving, John A Prayer for Owen Meany Owen Meany is a small person with a large role to play in individuals’ lives
Kapor, Momo A Guide To The Serbian Mentality Hilarious, but dead on accurate study of the Balkan mindset; short, engaging chapters on various themes
Keegan, John The Face of Battle Why men fight in battles – Studies of the battles of Agincourt, Waterloo and Somme; Also read Fields of Battle
Keegan, John Fields of Battle The Wars for North America – we know far less about our own history than we ought to know; this helps out
Kempis, Thomas á The Imitation of Christ The most classic and timeless book on spiritual growth
King, Stephen The Stand The ultimate story of good versus evil; if you read only one Stephen King book, this should be it
Lang, Pierce, Rosenthal Ethics and the Future of Conflict Chapters on various ethical issues and future war
Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird Quintessential American novel of the South, goodness, sociological problems and a child’s innocence
Lester, Toby The Fourth Part of the World Exploration of the New world from the viewpoint of the European map-makers, thinkers, and explorers
Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters Letters from a senior devil to his nephew on how to bring down man – man wins in the end
Lewis, Michael The Blind Side Evolution of the game of football through the powerful story of one poor inner city kid in Memphis
Levitt and Dubner Freakonomics A rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything – great critical thinking book
Lightman, Alan Einstein’s Dreams Excellent allegorical short chapters, each a different dream conceiving time and society in a new way
Ludlum, Robert Bourne Identity Fast-paced spy novel takes you on a trip through Europe & US
Mandel, Emily St John Glass Hotel A giant Ponzi scheme in New York and a woman escaping her past on a cargo ship intersect at a hotel on a Canadian island
Mandino, Og The Choice Short book about an author who receives a choice about which way to take his life
McCullough, David The Greater Journey How a small group of Americans in Paris btwn 1830-1900 had a tremendous impact on the USA
McMaster, H.R. Dereliction of Duty How the Joint Chiefs let the people down and lost the Vietnam War
McMurtry, Larry Lonesome Dove Quintessential novel of the American West; Texas Rangers drive cattle to Canada
Mearsheimer, John The Tragedy of Great Power Politics Mearsheimer take on why the US is doomed to go to war in the future (China) – hence the tragedy
Mingst, Karen Essentials of International Relations Basic paperback text on IR; easy to read, very broad, not very deep, but everything you need
de Montainge, Michel Essays Short essays on every topic from virtue to books to cannibals, written c. 1580 by a French nobleman
More, Thomas Utopia Middle-ages manifesto on the utopian society; he leaves you to realize why it would never work
Morganstern, Erin The Night Circus The Circus appears without warning, a marvel, a life-and-death competition between two magicians
Mowle, Thomas, Ed. Hope is Not a Plan The Iraq War From Inside the Green Zone; what planners offered as strategy but was not implemented
Page, Scott The Difference Why diversity in decisionmaking is critical to sound results; diversity trumps expertise
Pearl, Matthew The Dante Club America’s most prominent thinkers in 1865 translate Dante during a string of murders in Boston
Pearlstein, Rick Nixonland Book challenges the current meta-narrative; how race and class were used in the 60s/70s to divide the US
Pears, Iain Stone’s Fall Gripping novel of personal trial and national intrigue between 1870 and WWI; also Instance at the Fingerpost
Peiper, Joseph Leisure, The Basis of Culture Post WWII argument that man was made to live, not work, and that leisure and thought lead to heaven
Perez-Reverte, Arturo The Fencing Master Novel of intrigue set in the midst of Spanish revolution in mid-1800s Madrid — his works are good finds
Potzsch, Oliver The Hangman’s Daughter (whole series) Historical novels set in mid-1600s Bavaria; the outcast but wise village hangman solves murders
Powers, Tim Declare Wide-ranging espionage-fantasy mix; real story of spy Kim Philby mixed with hypothetical fantasy
Prosek, James Trout: An Illustrated History Excellent book about North American Trout with beautiful pictures of them all, including extinct species
Putnam, Robert Bowling Alone Explains the rise in negative social indicators as civic involvement decreases
Rowlings, J.K. Harry Potter series Life in the wizarding world parallels life in ours; These are seriously well-written books
Rutler, George Principalities and Powers Back story of spiritual warfare between totalitarian forces and the faithful during WWII
de Sales, Francis Introduction to the Devout Life Letters and meditations from St Francis de Sales to a person desiring to grow closer to the Lord
de Sales, Raoul de Roussy The Making of Tomorrow 1943 book pretty accurately predicting the collective global political system and its inherent issues
Scharra, John/Michael Killer Angels trilogy The definitive novelization of the Civil War
Setterfield, Diane The Thirteenth Tale Book the Brontes never wrote; obscure biographer listens to a dark story from a famous, dying writer
Sowell, Thomas Ethnic America Who came to America, when, why, and what resulted; Also try his book, Race and Culture
Steinbeck, John The Short Reign of Pippin IV A tale of a common man who is given the French throne even though he doesn’t want it
Stevens, Richard The Declaration of Independence and US Constitution The volume with Richard Stevens’ introduction is the best available; his words illuminate the documents; also read Sober as a Judge
Stikker, Dirk Men of Responsibility Former NATO Secretary General writes one of the best books on diplomacy you can read
Surowiecki, James The Wisdom of Crowds How the many are smarter than the few; gathering a few experts may be worse than asking the masses
Taleb, Nassim Nicholas The Black Swan Sometimes overly pithy, but good cautionary tale about placing faith in statistical methods
Thucydides The History of the Peloponnesian Wars Mandatory reader for early statecraft, combined arms, morality and international relations
Tolkein, JRR Lord of the Rings Trilogy Foundation for all modern fantasy; really an allegory of faithful selflessness and brotherhood
Towles, Amor A Gentleman in Moscow a Russian Count is exiled from public life during the Russian Revolution and made to live out life in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow
Tufte, Edward The Visual Display of Quantitative Information A brilliant look at how information is presented and how it can be presented better with fewer words
Twelve Hawks, John The Traveler (and sequels) People trying to live beyond government control; predicted many technologies of today’s surveillance state
Unknown Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Late 14th Century tale of Sir Gawain’s honor and courage, and a kept promise – excellent short read
Unknown Song of Roland 11th Century French epic poem about Charlemagne and chivalry
Virgil The Aeneid Epic tale of Aeneas’ flight after the fall of Troy and his journey ending in the founding of Rome
Waugh, Evelyn Decline and Fall Brilliant satirical novel of England’s aristocratic class, how those below them are resigned to their fates
Weigley, Russell The Age of Battles Details the futile quest for the decisive battle in warfare; strategy really matters;an excellent European history
West, Rebecca Black Lamb, Grey Falcon Sociological study of Yugoslavia in the 1930s; Excellent Read; very long and full of thick description
White, T.H. The Once and Future King Definitive modern work on Arthurian legend; moral dilemmas and the implications of right vs. might
Widmer, Andreas The Pope and the CEO Former Swiss Guard tells of leadership lessons learned from Pope John Paul II which made him a top CEO
Wodehouse, P.G. A Damsel in Distress Best known for the Jeeves and Wooster books, his comedic genius is unmatched; pick any title and read it
Wright, Mike What They Didn’t Teach You About … The Civil War; World War I; World War II; Good books full of facts/stories most people don’t know about