Montanaro’s Summer Reading List 2023

Our Summer and Christmas Reading Lists are some of our most popular blogs.  As we reach the half-year mark, it is time for us to share the latest recommendations from our team.  We hope that you enjoy some of these, preferably by the pool or near a beach.

Quantum Supremacy: How Quantum Computers will Unlock the Mysteries of Science – and Address Humanity’s Biggest Challenges, by Michio Kaku. 

Interesting for those who want to understand what a quantum computer is, how they work and how they might change the world, from technology (the end of the “Age of Silicon”), agriculture, to healthcare, global warming and even the creation of life itself.  Together with AI, the disruptive potential of quantum computing is huge. It is worth educating ourselves now.

“Quantum Physics Made Me Do It” by Jeremie Harris

A fun and interesting read about the impact of quantum physics on the world around us and what this means to concepts as esoteric as time, intelligence and free will.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

A fictional story about two teenagers who meet each other through gaming and go on to build their own video games together. Sam is the artist creating the visuals; Sadie the programmer. A story about building a company and the ups and downs of successful collaboration.

When the Heavens Went on Sale by Ashlee Vance

Is space an emerging economy? Is the universe open for business? Ashlee Vance, author of Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future, explores the influence Silicon Valley billionaires are exerting on the new space race.

Failure Is Not an Option, By Gene Kranz

Kranz is the veteran NASA flight director who saw it all: the Mercury Programme, the Apollo 1 disaster, the success of Apollo 11 and then the miracle “successful failure” of Apollo 13.  If you want to understand where humans are going in space today and tomorrow, understanding the past is a good place to start and this book will help.

The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review

In what is a first we are recommending a report commissioned by HM Treasury.  The Dasgupta Review is an independent, global review on the Economics of Biodiversity led by Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta (Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus, University of Cambridge). Biodiversity is a key concern for many investors and this report can help you understand the problem and some of the solutions. If it worries you or your investors that current extinction rates, for example, are around 100 to 1,000 times higher than the baseline rate, then this report is for you.

Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future by Ed Conway

This is an exploration about the “the six most crucial substances in human history”: sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium.  Mined, refined and processed far away from where we use them, these commodities have been fundamental to our development and are crucial to our future.  But at what cost?

Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of Britain’s Underclass, by Darren McGarvey.

A powerful first-hand account of poverty in Britain and the anger felt in deprived communities that are overlooked by many social and political programmes. “I know the hustle and bustle of high-rise life, the dark and dirty stairwells…that sense of being cut off from the world, despite having such a wonderful view of it through a window in the sky”.  Powerful stuff.

Apeirogon by Colum McCann

An apeirogon is a shape with an infinite number of sides.  This is a novel based on a true story about a Palestinian and an Israeli united by loss. The Palestinian’s daughter is killed by a rubber bullet fired by Israeli soldiers; the Israeli’s daughter is a victim of suicide bombers.  A story of how grief can be used as a bridge towards peace.

The Cult of We: WeWork and the Great Start-Up Delusion, by Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell.

A few of the team read this when it was first published in 2021, but the office has been abuzz with anecdotes from the Apple mini-series, WeCrashed.  Whether you read or watch, you need to remind yourself that the story of WeWork actually happened and isn’t made-up drama.

Please let us know which books you have enjoyed reading recently.  We are always open to recommendations!

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