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2022 Holiday Reading List

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Each holiday season we look forward to bringing you a new list of books we enjoyed this year. We are excited to share with you this year's Holiday Reading List, curated by the MERU team.

As we all look forward to the holidays to unwind and recharge, we hope you find some time to open the pages (or power on the Kindle) to enjoy a new book! Our 2022 reading list captures a variety of great reads hand-picked by our team - perfect to gift to friends and family or keep for yourself.

From all of us, we wish you a happy holiday and a wonderful new year.

- The MERU team

 

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Working Out Loud
by John Stepper

A wildly popular, proven approach for personal and professional transformation that guides you to set goals and build relationships to help you achieve them. Thousands have embraced the 'Working Out Loud' method and experienced how it opens them up to new people and possibilities. Emphasizes generosity and connection, helping you learn how to reach and engage people, how to experiment and deal with setbacks, and how to make yourself and your work more visible.

- Vadim

Arriving Today
by Christopher Mims

A fun and informative read providing a high-level overview of the global supply chain. Journey along with a USB charger as it travels from Asia to an end consumer in the United States. Along the way, Mims spends chapters talking about cargo ships, disruption centers, the trucking and rail sectors, and what the future of these industries have in store.

- Hershel

The Adventures of Lily Huckleberry Around The World
by Audrey Smit and Jackie Knapp

Come along to France, Australia, Egypt, Canada, Russia, Tanzania, and Peru with Lily Huckleberry! The fourth book of this whimsical series for kids aims to show the beauty and diversity of the world. It gives young readers a brave female role model to look up to, foster their imaginations and create a society of little explorers who are curious about the world and always ready for adventure.

- Daisy

The Splendid and The Vile
by Erik Larson

The Splendid and The Vile takes readers back to a time of true leadership, when, in the face of unrelenting horror, Winston Churchill's eloquence, courage, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together. This read is a "fresh and compelling portrait of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz", and tells the story through cinematic-detail of how Churchill taught the British people 'the art of being fearless'.

- Jason

The Institute
by Stephen King

Stephen King has still got it. While his writing style has changed over the years, this novel brings the same intensity with a storyline that has themes similar to Eleven's backstory in Netflix's 'Stranger Things'.

- John
The Culture Code
by Daniel Coyle

This interesting and easy-read aims to uncover 'the magic of great groups'. Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world's most successful organizations -- the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team Six, IDEO, and the San Antonio Spurs -- to reveal 'what makes them tick'. Drawing on examples ranging from large corporations to entertainers to a group of jewel thieves, Coyle offers strategies that trigger learning, spark collaboration, build trust, and drive positive change. He combines leading-edge science, on-the-ground insights from world-class leaders, and practical ideas on creating an environment where innovation flourishes, problems get solved, and expectations are exceeded.

- Anna
Scaling Up Excellence
by Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao

A good read that effectively outlines the need to substract (not also add) when scaling businesses. Less is sometimes more.

- Nick
Nothing Fancy
by Alison Roman

Recipes that extract the best out of seasonal products are combined with practical tips to simplify food preparation enabling the amatuer chef to spend more time enjoying food and drinks while hosting. My favorites include the Foccacia with Labneh & Scallion Dip, Celery & Fennel Salad, One Pot Chicken with Dates & Lemon, and the Tiny, Salty, Chocolate Cookies. Many of the recipes are great to keep in the fridge for the week when time is short, and my daughter loves to help out with the dough preparation and consumption of the cookies. Enjoy.

- Josh
Chip War
by Chris Miller

The US's increasing hawkishness towards China (culminating with new semiconductor export controls) seemed to come out of nowhere, but decades of history led to this point. Chip War summarizes how we got here, starting with the invention of the integrated circuit and narrating forward to the present day. It's a must read for anyone not already familiar with TSMC's dominance of the geopolitical risks of concentrating so much advanced manufacturing capacity into an area smaller than West Virginia a mere 100 miles off China's coast.

- Kyle

 

Greenlights
by Matthew McConaughey

#1 New York Times Bestseller - Actor Matthew McConaughey recounts on his captivating life using diaries he has written from age 18 to present. McConaughey offers a healthy perspective on how to deal with life's challenges and enter a state of success called 'catching greenlights'.

- Sloan
The Smartest Guys in the Room
by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind

This deep dive into one of the largest business downfalls of all time is exciting and relevant. In the portrait of Jeff Skilling that emerges, we see hints of Sam Bankman-Fried.

- Sam
Primal Leadership
by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, Annie McKee

This latest edition builds on Daniel Goleman's initial writing while addressing some of the ways in which the world has changed since the original book was published. Still relevant today, Primal Leadership covers the role of emotional intelligence in leadership, characteristics of a good leader and leadership styles, and outlines the steps to becoming an effective leader.

- Sean