Recommended Books

Revenge Of the Tipping Point
Author: Malcom Gladwell

25 years after the publication of his groundbreaking first book, Malcolm Gladwell reframes the lessons of The Tipping Point in a startling and revealing light. He takes us to the streets of Los Angeles to meet the world’s most successful bank robbers, rediscovers a forgotten television show from the 1970s that changed the world, visits the site of a historic experiment on a tiny cul-de-sac in northern California, and offers an alternate history of two of the biggest epidemics of our day: COVID and the opioid crisis. It’s time we took tipping points seriously.
Recommended by Mark (really great as an audiobook)

Hidden Potential
Author: Adam Grant

Hidden Potential offers a new framework for raising aspirations and exceeding expectations. Adam Grant weaves together groundbreaking evidence, surprising insights, and vivid storytelling that takes us from the classroom to the boardroom, the playground to the Olympics, and underground to outer space. He shows that progress depends less on how hard you work than how well you learn. Growth is not about the genius you possess—it’s about the character you develop. Grant explores how to build the character skills and motivational structures to realize our own potential, and how to design systems that create opportunities for those who have been underrated and overlooked.
Recommended by Traci (really great as an audiobook)

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
Author: John Mark Comer

Perfect for anyone looking to de-stress and connect more. This book is a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy, spiritually alive and becoming a “non-anxious presence” in the chaos of the modern world.
Recommended by Maria

The Gratitude Journal
Author: DockBen

The Gratitude Journal is a powerful guide designed to help readers cultivate a sense of appreciation and positivity in their daily lives. Through a series of insightful prompts, reflective exercises, and uplifting quotes, this book encourages individuals to focus on the good in their lives, no matter how small.

It's an invitation to take a moment each day to acknowledge and cherish the blessings we often overlook. Ideal for anyone looking to enhance their well-being and foster a more grateful mindset.
Recommended by Lily

A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel
Author: Amor Towles

A New York Times “Readers’ Choice: Best Books of the 21st Century” Pick. The mega-bestseller with more than 2 million readers—Now a Paramount+ with Showtime series starring Ewan McGregor as Count Alexander RostovFrom the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and Table for Two, a beautifully transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotelIn 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.
Recommended by Suzanne

SAME AS EVER: A GUIDE TO WHAT NEVER CHANGES
AUTHOR: MORGAN HOUSEL

Morgan presents a master class on optimizing risk, seizing opportunity, and living your best life. With engaging stories and effective examples, he shows how we can use our newfound grasp of the unchanging to see around corners, not by squinting harder through the uncertain landscape of the future, but by looking backwards and focusing instead on what is permanently true.
Recommended by Mark

THE TENTH NERVE: A BRAIN SURGEON'S STORIES OF THE PATIENTS WHO CHANGED HIM
AUTHOR DR. CHRIS HONEY

An accomplished neurosurgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, weaves his personal journey together with case studies that reflect the thrill of scientific discovery and the limitations of medicine.
Recommended by client and friend of the team, Grace H in North Vancouver

THE ESSAYS OF WARREN BUFFETT: LESSONS FOR CORPORATE AMERICA
AUTHORS: LAWRENCE A. CUNNINGHAM and WARREN E. BUFFETT

A modern classic, The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America is the book Buffett autographs most and likes best. Its popularity and longevity over three decades attest to the widespread appetite for this definitive statement of Mr. Buffett’s thoughts that’s uniquely comprehensive, non-repetitive, and digestible. New and experienced readers alike will gain an invaluable informal education by perusing this classic arrangement of Mr. Buffett's best writings.
Recommended by Mark

SURRENDER: 40 SONGS, ONE STORY
AUTHOR: BONO

Bono—artist, activist, and the lead singer of Irish rock band U2—has written a memoir: honest and irreverent, intimate and profound, Surrender is the story of the remarkable life he’s lived, the challenges he’s faced, and the friends and family who have shaped and sustained him. My favourite book of 2023.
Recommended by Mark

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY: TIMELESS LESSONS ON WEALTH, GREED, AND HAPPINESS
AUTHOR: MORGAN HOUSEL

Doing well with money isn’t necessarily about what you know. It’s about how you behave. And behavior is hard to teach, even to really smart people. One of the best books ever written to achieve long-term financial success. My favourite book of 2022.
Recommended by Mark

STORIES I ONLY TELL MY FRIENDS
AUTHOR: ROB LOWE

A candid and captivating memoir that provides an intimate look into the actor's life in Hollywood. Lowe shares personal anecdotes, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and reflections on his career, creating a compelling narrative that entertains and inspires readers with a blend of humor, resilience, and genuine storytelling.
Recommended by Traci (suggests the audio version)

THE BIGGEST BLUFF
AUTHOR: MARIA KONNIKOVA

"The Biggest Bluff" by Maria Konnikova is a fascinating exploration of the world of high-stakes poker and a personal account of the author's journey from novice to professional player, delving into the psychology of decision-making and the importance of intuition and self-awareness.
Recommended by Mark

SHOE DOG
AUTHOR: PHIL KNIGHT

"Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight is a memoir that chronicles the early years of Nike, the iconic shoe company that Knight co-founded, offering a candid and compelling account of the challenges and triumphs of building a business from scratch, as well as insights into the innovative spirit and entrepreneurial mindset that drove its success.
Recommended by Mark

THE COMPOUND EFFECT
AUTHOR: DARREN HARDY

A transformative guide that explores the power of small, consistent actions in achieving success over time. Hardy reveals how making simple, positive choices daily can lead to significant and lasting results, emphasizing the profound impact of cumulative efforts on personal and professional growth.
Recommended by Ryan

HOW THE WORLD REALLY WORKS: THE SCIENCE BEHIND HOW WE GOT HERE AND WHERE WE'RE GOING
AUTHOR: VACLAV SMIL

“How the World Really Works” by Vaclav Smil is an engaging and thought-provoking book that explores the science behind major events and developments that have shaped our world.
Recommended by client and friend of the team, Lyle M.

THE STORYTELLER
AUTHOR: DAVE GROHL

"The Storyteller" by Dave Grohl is a memoir that tells the story of the legendary musician's life from his early years in Virginia to his time as the drummer for Nirvana and the frontman of Foo Fighters, all while reflecting on the power of music and its ability to connect people from all walks of life.
Recommended by Mark

The Day the World Stops Shopping
by J B MacKinnon

Consuming less is a great strategy — but can we do it? In this thoughtful and surprisingly optimistic book, journalist J. B. MacKinnon investigates how we may achieve a world without overconsumption.
Recommended by client and friend of the team, Janet P.

RENEGADES: BORN IN THE USA
AUTHORS: BARACK OBAMA AND BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

The American figureheads and friends discuss their childhoods, their debt to strong women and the illusion of the American dream in a series of candid conversations garlanded with unseen photographs.
Recommended by Mark

UNREASONABLE HOSPITALITY: THE REMARKABLE POWER OF GIVING PEOPLE MORE THAN THEY EXPECT
AUTHOR: WILL GUIDARA

This book features stories of his journey through restaurants, with the industry's most famous players like Daniel Boulud and Danny Meyer. He urges us all to find the magic in what we do -for ourselves, the people we work with, and the people we serve. He shows us how to lead and to serve at the next level by building a foundation of hospitality, and creating a people-first “working together” culture. It’s an inspiring book for businesses in every industry.
Recommended by Mark

THE INFINITE GAME
AUTHOR: SIMON SINEK

This book describes the difference between Finite and Infinite mindsets (different from growth and fixed mindsets) and provides a framework for companies to recognize which mindset they have and how to implement an Infinite Mindset. In Finite games, the rules are fixed and the end point is clear. The book also explores leadership choices, how finite mindsets focus on winning, whereas infinite mindsets develop a more significant cause than ourselves or our business. Collaborating with others, around a shared purpose, builds a better resourced, and more caring world.
Recommended by Mark

THE VOLTAGE EFFECT: HOW TO MAKE GOOD IDEAS GREAT AND GREAT IDEAS SCALE
AUTHOR: JOHN LIST

The Voltage Effect examines the science of scaling and how, “by understanding the science of scaling, we can drive change in our schools, workplaces, communities, and society at large.”
Recommended by Mark

RATIONALITY: WHAT IT IS, WHY IT SEEMS SCARCE, WHY IT MATTERS
AUTHOR: STEVEN PINKER

This book explores the concept of rationality, human progress and how it sets us apart from all other species. Using rationality to meet goals, face challenges, decide between alternatives, and feel certain emotions, are just some of the characteristics of a rational being. The book is not nearly as boring as this description.
Recommended by Mark

Stocks for the Long Run: The Definitive Guide to Financial Market Returns & Long-Term Investment Strategies, Sixth Edition
Author: Jeremy Siegel

The definitive guide to investing, Stocks for the Long Run has been providing the knowledge, insights, and tools that investors need to succeed for nearly 30 years. Stocks for the Long Run is essential reading for every investor who wants to fully understand the market, including its behavior, past trends, and future influences; in order to develop a prosperous long-term portfolio that’s both safe and secure.
Recommended by Mark 

Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead
Author: Jim Mattis

A clear-eyed account of learning how to lead in a chaotic world, by General Jim Mattis--the former US Secretary of Defense and one of the most formidable strategic thinkers of our time--and Bing West, a former assistant secretary of defense and combat Marine.
Recommended by Mark

Permanent Record
Author: Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden, the man who risked everything to expose the US government’s system of mass surveillance, reveals for the first time the story of his life, including how he helped to build that system and what motivated him to try to bring it down.
Recommended by Mark

Leonardo da Vinci
Author: Walter Isaccson

Isaacson shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy. He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and technology. Da Vinci is truly history’s most creative genius and true Renaissance man.
Recommended by Mark 

Born to Run
Author: Bruce Springsteen

Born to Run will be revelatory for anyone who has ever enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, but this book is much more than a legendary rock star's memoir. And like a fabled Springsteen concert, Born to Run achieves the sensation that all the relevant questions have been answered. He delivers the story of Bruce, in digestibly short chapters which he wrote himself over a six year span.
Recommended by Mark

Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future
Author: Johan Norberg

Every day we’re bludgeoned by news of how bad everything is – financial collapse, unemployment, growing poverty, environmental disasters, disease, hunger, war. But the rarely acknowledged reality is that our progress over the past few decades has been unprecedented. By almost any index you care to identify, things are markedly better now than they have ever been for almost everyone alive. Dramatic, uplifting and counter-intuitive, Progress is a call for optimism in our pessimistic, doom-laden world.
Recommended by Mark

The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History
Author: Boris Johnson

Churchill was a man of contradictions: fearless on the battlefield - he pioneered aerial bombing and few could match his experience in organizing violence on a colossal scale, yet he hated war and scorned politicians who had not experienced its horrors. He was the most famous journalist of his time and perhaps the greatest orator of all time, despite a lisp and chronic depression he kept at bay by painting. Most of all, he is proof that one person—intrepid, ingenious, determined—can make all the difference.
Recommended by Mark

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
Author: Malcom Gladwell

It's a classic underdog tale: David, a young shepherd armed only with a sling, beats Goliath, the mighty warrior. The story has transcended its biblical origins to become a common shorthand for unlikely victory. But is that really what the David and Goliath story is about? Watch Gladwell’s TED talk on this book: https://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_the_unheard_story_of_david_and_goliath?language=en
Recommended by Mark

Thinking Fast and Slow
Author: Daniel Kahneman

Kahneman, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, reviews the human mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. In discussing how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives--and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble.

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt
Author: Michael Lewis

In Lewis's game-changing bestseller, a small group of Wall Street iconoclasts (including a Canadian Brad Katsuyama who turns out to be the hero and champion of integrity in the story) realize that the U.S. stock market has been infiltrated by High Frequency Traders who have found a way to electronically frontrun the market. They investigate, expose, and reform the insidious new ways that the HFTs have tried to rig the market.

SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance
Authors: Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

This book asks not only the tough questions, but the unexpected ones: What's more dangerous, driving drunk or walking drunk? Why is chemotherapy prescribed so often if it's so ineffective? How is a street prostitute like a department-store Santa? Why are doctors so bad at washing their hands? How much good do car seats do? What's the best way to catch a terrorist? Did TV cause a rise in crime? This book “Explores the Hidden Side of Everything.”

56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports
Author: Kostyka Kennedy

DiMaggio's achievement lives on as the greatest of sports records. Alongside the story of DiMaggio's dramatic quest, Kennedy deftly examines the peculiar nature of hitting streaks and with an incisive, modern-day perspective gets inside the number itself, as its sheer improbability heightens both the math and the magic of 56 games in a row.

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game Author: Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis follows the low-budget Oakland A's, visionary general manager Billy Beane, and the strange brotherhood of amateur baseball theorists. They are all in search of new baseball knowledge—insights that will give the little guy who is willing to discard old wisdom the edge over big money.

The Signal and the Noise
Author: Nate Silver

Most predictions fail because most of us have a poor understanding of probability and uncertainty. Both experts and laypeople mistake more confident predictions for more accurate ones. But overconfidence is often the reason for failure. This is the "prediction paradox”: The more humility we have about our ability to make predictions, the more successful we can be in planning for the future.
Recommended by Mark

The Big Short
Author: Michael Lewis

From the author of The Blind Side, Moneyball and Liar's Poker. The Big Short details the subprime mortgage industry and the broken financial system that resulted in the U.S. housing meltdown in 2008.
Recommended by Mark

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't
Author: Jim Collins

One of the best books ever written about business and life. 'Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.'
Recommended by Mark

Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck--Why Some Thrive Despite Them All
Author: Jim Collins

Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others do not? Great By Choice details the principles for building a truly great enterprise in unpredictable, tumultuous, and fast-moving times.
Recommended by Mark

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
Author: Dan Ariely

Why do smart people make irrational decisions every day? Behavioural economist Dan Ariely cuts to the heart of our strange behaviour, demonstrating how irrationality often supplants rational thought. Predictably Irrational brilliantly blends everyday experiences with a series of illuminating and often surprising experiments, that will change your understanding of human behaviour. And, by recognising these patterns, Ariely shows that we can make better decisions in business, in matters of collective welfare, and in our everyday lives from drinking coffee to losing weight, buying a car to choosing a romantic partner.
Recommended by Mark

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Authors: Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

Fascinating alternative look at day to day assumptions that we all make.
Recommended by Mark