Insull: The Rise and Fall of a Billionaire Utility Tycoon | All I Want To Know Is Where I’m Going To Die So I’ll Never Go There: Buffett & Munger – A Study in Simplicity and Uncommon, Common Sense | How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need | The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams were the four books I read in my April reading list. For all the books I have read this year, including the ones on my April reading list, check out my reading lists [HERE].
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success was my favorite of the four books in my April reading list. A friend of mine, realizing I needed a reset on my work stress, recommended this book. It hit the mark. Insull: The Rise and Fall of a Billionaire Utility Tycoon continued my exploration into the figures who shaped the electricity industry. Insull was quite the character. All I Want To Know Is Where I’m Going To Die So I’ll Never Go There deepened my knowledge of financial markets. Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett are like the grandfathers I never had. How to Avoid a Climate Disaster offered new insights on how to address issues related to climate from a powerful thought leader. Let’s dive into my April reading list.
Insull: The Rise and Fall of a Billionaire Utility Tycoon
Insull: The Rise and Fall of a Billionaire Utility Tycoon by Forrest McDonald is one of the most important and notorious characters in the utility business. Insull was the billionaire utility magnate from Chicago whose electric and gas businesses operated in more than half of the U.S. states. Eventually, his businesses caused investors to lose nearly three billion dollars. Insull’s career started as Thomas Edison’s private secretary in the 1880s. He was responsible for creating centralized power plants for Edison. Insull worked out a model for the nationwide distribution and ruralization of electricity. One of his many accomplishments included government regulation of public utilities. The story ends with Insull being extradited from Greece to the U.S. to stand trial for the multiple indictments thrown at him by the Department of Justice. For further reading, check out The Vagabonds: The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison’s Ten-Year Road Trip | The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World | Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World | The Merchant of Power: Sam Insull, Thomas Edison, and the Creation of the Modern Metropolis.
All I Want To Know Is Where I’m Going To Die So I’ll Never Go There: Buffett & Munger – A Study in Simplicity and Uncommon, Common Sense
All I Want To Know Is Where I’m Going To Die So I’ll Never Go There: Buffett & Munger – A Study in Simplicity and Uncommon, Common Sense by Peter Bevelin is about a fictious Seeker who visits the “Library of Wisdom” where he meets the ficitious “Librarian” along with Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger. The Seeker wants to learn how to make better decisions to help his kids avoid the dumb decisions he’s made. The book is hilarious, providing countless lessons on how to make fewer dumb mistakes. Bevelin also covers how to fix mistakes faster after you make them. One of the major themes in the book is about avoiding terrible decision-making. I love how this book hammers home the concepts of efficiency, simplicity, common sense, and good judgment. Buffett and Munger’s ability to eliminate stupidity and get to the heart of an issue is unmatched. Supplementary Buffett and Munger books worth checking out include Tao of Charlie Munger: A Compilation of Quotes from Berkshire Hathaway’s Vice Chairman on Life, Business, and the Pursuit of Wealth With Commentary by David Clark | Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger | Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor | The Tao of Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett’s Words of Wisdom: Quotations and Interpretations to Help Guide You to Billionaire Wealth and Enlightened Business Management.
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates is his take on what must be done to stop the planet’s slide into environmental chaos. The book explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions while going into detail about how we can achieve this goal. I appreciated the clear picture painted by Gates of the challenges we face. The book describes how current technology is addressing the climate issues we face. Gates also dives into how we can make current technology more effective and where we need technology breakthroughs. I loved how the book gave us a plan to achieve the goal of zero emissions. Government policies are one piece of the puzzle. The other piece of the net-zero emissions puzzle is what technology we need, along with what we all can do to achieve this goal. Net-zero emissions will not be easy, but they can be achieved if we collectively focus on achieving this goal. Other energy and climate-related books worth checking out include Superpower: One Man’s Quest to Transform American Energy | The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future | The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World | Clean Disruption of Energy and Transportation: How Silicon Valley Will Make Oil, Nuclear, Natural Gas, Coal, Electric Utilities and Conventional Cars Obsolete by 2030 | Energy at the Crossroads: Global Perspectives and Uncertainties | Creating Climate Wealth: Unlocking the Impact Economy.
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams by Deepak Chopra compresses Chopra’s teachings into powerful principles that can be used in all areas of your life. The book blows apart the myth that success is the result of hard work and executing your plan. Instead, Chopra argues that once we live in harmony with nature, we can achieve “well-being, good health, fulfilling relationships, energy and enthusiasm for life, and material abundance will spring forth easily and effortlessly.” The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams is filled with timely wisdom similar to philosophy and stoicism. Chopra offers readers practical steps they can implement right away. The book could not have come at a better time for me. My stress levels were at an all-time high. I was able to reset my mental state as a result of this book. Another book in this category I enjoyed is The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom.
