February was a fun reading month. In this February reading list, I read The Collector by Daniel Silva, Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips, Meditations: A New Translation by Marcus Aurelius, and Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos by Jeff Bezos. Invent and Wander was my favorite book in this February reading list.
The Collector was the twenty-third book I read in the Gabriel Allon series I enjoyed it just as much as the first book in the series The Kill Artist. Lincoln on Leadership is another fantastic book I read about Lincoln. There is so much to learn about this incredible leader. I read Meditations for the second time coming away with even more insights than when I read the book in 2017. Invent and Wander is up there with one of the best books I will likely read in 2024. Now, let’s hop into the February reading list.
The Collector
The Collector is book 23 of 23 in Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allons series. The story starts with the backdrop of the 2022 war in Ukraine in tandem with climate change concerns. Allon, currently retired, is asked by Italian authorities to find the most valuable stolen object in the world, The Concert by Johannes Vermeer. To no one’s surprise, Allon finds the thief and the Dutch energy executive who put the theft in motion. In the process of finding The Concert’s thief, Allon uncovers a Russian plot to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Allon recruits both The Concert’s thief and the Dutch energy executive to steal Russia’s secret plans to use nuclear weapons.
Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times
Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips examines how we can apply Abraham Lincoln’s leadership abilities to today’s complex world (note the book was written in 1993 but still holds). Roughly 10 days before Lincoln took the oath of office in 1861, the Confederate States of America succeeded from the Union. In addition, Lincoln’s advisers thought he was nothing more than a country Illinois lawyer with no leadership experience. Phillips showed how Lincoln’s wisdom and leadership philosophy can be applied to your business and life. Every Lincoln book that I read makes me appreciate the job he did to lead the nation during its most challenging time.
Meditations: A New Translation
I read Meditations: A New Translation by Marcus Aurelius in 2017 for the time and loved the book. I needed a short read on our most recent trip to the Baha Mar so I grabbed this book for our flights. One of the most incredible aspects of this book is that it was written 2,000+ years ago but offers timeless lessons for us all. Meditations is Aurelius’ journal never meant for publication. How he talks about life events is beyond powerful. Aurelius teaches you how to control your thoughts. If there’s a “the best” philosophy book out there this book gets my vote.
Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos
Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos is a compilation of Jeff Bezos’ Amazon annual shareholder letters covering the principles and philosophy he lived by to create, build, and lead Amazon. Similar to Warren Buffett’s annual shareholder letters, which I love, Bezos’ originality comes through in his letters. The book also includes speeches and interviews he’s done where he shares his personal side – spending summers in Texas with his grandparents, why he left D.E. Shaw in New York in 1994 to start Amazon in Seattle, and how his thinking has changed over time as he receives more information. His shareholder letters are the ultimate inside view of one of the best entrepreneurs of all time. Bezos’s core focus is customers. There’s no denying that. However, the book shows Bezos also cares deeply about public policy, climate change, and space travel (his company Blue Origin is tackling this). I love how down-to-earth Bezos comes across in this book considering how wealthy he is.
