10 Reads for Career Adventurers
Summer 2024 - Career Adventurer Reading List Edition 1
It’s summer, a season to read. Maybe you’ve only got one more vacay before back to school or the fall push. Why not pick up a good book?
This is the Career Adventurers reading guide. It’s reading that sparks possibility. Don’t worry, the recommended reading isn’t boring. It’s a combination of topics and genres. There’s likely something for anyone.
This reading list is a bit different than you might expect. It includes fiction! You’d likely expect the recos to be limited to non-fiction and self help books. Titles like Do What You Are or What Color is Your Parachute? are two good career focused books. But, I’ve got more for you.
But first, “Why fiction?” Fiction strengthens EQ. It limits one’s tendency to seek purely binary, right vs. wrong answers, which non-fiction tends to offer. Christine Seifert a professor of communication at Westminster College shared the benefits of reading fiction in a March 2020 HBR article. Development of empathy, theory of mind, and critical thinking are all benefits Seifert extols in her article.
I used to primarily read non-fiction business and history books. I’ve expanded my gaze to fiction and non-fiction memoirs. Not only because of the aforementioned benefits, but also because reading fiction and non-fiction stories is fun! The characters’ journeys and challenges help me see examples to influence my own life.
10 Books to Choose From
These 10 books are a combination of fiction and non-fiction. My selection criteria was simple. First, I included works mentioned on the Career Adventurer Podcast, whether I’d read them or not. Second, I included books that told compelling, thought provoking stories. If the book caused me to think about career options or overcoming career challenges, it was included. I did not include overtly career related books. I will in a future edition.
Fiction First
Each of these tales sparked my mind. They all are a blend of fantasy and reality. I felt the synapses in my brain sparking new ideas for life and career while I read them.
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
Wow! Dramatic, captivating, heartfelt, contemplative: These are all words to describe this award winning novel. It’s about a teenager who gets swallowed by a sperm whale. He has to figure out how to escape in 90 minutes, before his oxygen runs out. It’s not only a tale of escape and survival. It’s a tale of reconciliation with his deceased father. For the reader, it's also incredibly educational.
The Future by Naomi Alderman
Imagine a world worse than Covid, a world in which a flu decimates the entire population. That’s what the CEOs of the three largest tech super companies fear and a doomsday social media prepper plans for. The tech execs build secret bunkers and make plans to ride out the plague storm. The social media prepper is made privy to the their plans and tries to figure out what they are doing.
Mythos by Stephen Fry
I still remember struggling to stay awake in my college classic civ classic. Boring! The professor seemingly copied and pasted verbatim the text on greek and roman gods from the encyclopedia. Stephen Fry did not do this. Mythos brings life to mythology. Fry injects humor, sarcasm, and passion into the classic stories of the Titans, Olympians, and their progeny. This book is the perfect nocturnal wind down. It gets you to think. It equips you with stories to make you more creative and a better storyteller. At a minimum, it will make you better at Jeopardy.
Nonfiction Next
Why these books? Similar to the fiction set, these books sparked dreams and fueled unique thoughts on career and life. A few are stories about exploration and mastering your craft.
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin
This is a modern day classic tale of wandering and adventure. The hero is compelled to explore Argentine and Chilean Patagonia after seeing a "dinosaur bone" in a relative's house. The story is filled with sub-stories about exploration, adventure, resolve, and more. Chatwin not only gets to know the land, but also the unique people who inhabit it. Chatwin’s book also set the stage for travel writing as a genre. He was a pioneer. It made me think, "How might I be a pioneer?"
The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers
This is the tale of Mokhtar Alkhanshali, a Yemeni American. It’s a tale of uncovering your dreams and making them happen amidst danger. Eggers tells Mokhtar’s captivating tale of becoming an expert in coffee. Mokhtar was a door man, yet he finds purpose in Yemeni coffee. Mokhtar sets out on a goal to bring Yemeni coffee to the US. It happens when the Yemeni civil war breaks out.
Adventures on the Wine Route by Kermit Lynch
Kermit Lynch is a world class wine importer, distributor, and retailer. Whenever I’m buying wine, I look for a Kermit Lynch label. Published in 1990, Kermit shares his tour of renowned French wine regions looking for liquid gems to bring back to United States oenophiles. This is not an inventory of wine. Rather, it’s about exploring the land and meeting unknown vintners in the most well known wine region on the planet. It’ll prompt you to wonder where you should explore.
The Obstacle is The Way by Ryan Holiday
My uncle introduced me to modern day philosopher and stoic, Ryan Holiday. I’d recommend subscribing to his daily newsletter, The Daily Stoic. The Obstacle is the Way suggests that embracing and vanquishing the obstacles in our life is the best path. It’s a path to meaningful personal growth and accomplishment. Holiday suggests the path to triumph is all about perception, action, and will. He uses short stories and parables to make his points. It’s a great book for early morning or late evening reflection. It’ll make you consider choosing the tougher, less traveled path.
The Second Mountain by David Brooks
You may know David Brooks. He is a New York Times opinion columnist. He formerly worked for the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. The Second Mountain is a about the path to joy. Brooks claims that a joyful life is one that likely spans two mountains. The first mountain is about oneself, measuring life against the typical pursuits for money, title, and recognition. By contrast, the second mountain is about others. His claim is that most people do not feel satisfied once they’ve summited the first mountain. Only ascending the second mountain will lead to real joy.
Freak Factor by David Rendall
Transparently, I have not read this book yet. Dave Will, a Career Adventurer Podcast guest, recommended it. Rendall’s claim is that we spend far too much time focused on our weaknesses. How often have you focused on fixing the “opportunity” feedback you’ve received. He says a better focus is on embracing our uniqueness and leaning into it. This will lead you to the right career.
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman played Ron Swanson on the hit TV show Parks & Rec. I love his dry wit. The first and last thirds of his book are very enjoyable. I got a little snoozy in the middle third. I liked the book simply because of his desire to explore and learn new things. He talks about his hiking trip with friends. He shares observations from his road trip with his wife Megan Mullally, an actress from Will & Grace. I like it most because Nick is a woodworker, writer, and actor. He embraces career optionality. Thus, I think he is a good example for all of us.
Pick a Couple to Read
Thanks for reading the first edition of the Career Adventurer’s reading list. I’ll share career specific books in a future edition. But, there’s only so many formulaic guides to career success one can read. You already have the answers you need inside. The biggest opportunity is finding sources of inspiration to action the right path. That’s why I shared both works of fiction and non-fiction. It’s why many of the tales are memoirs. We learn from how others live, whether they are real or fictional.
Paul G. Fisher
Let us know which books have been helpful career reads for you!!!