Ladies and Gentlemen,
“Reading is an act of civilization; it’s one of the greatest acts of civilization because it takes the free raw material of the mind and builds castles of possibilities. “- Ben Okri
Following a year of living in unfamiliar surroundings, we have been focusing on essential matters which endeavors us to become a more knowledgeable and enlightened society. In this vein, we are steadfast in our quest for knowledge and with regard to this we are pleased to present to you our summer reading list 2022.
At August One, being active in thought, opportunity and knowledge is a core value that binds us. As a team of avid readers and ‘perpetual learners,’ we are constantly recommending books to each other. With our mantra of Investing in together for good we are starting a new tradition of sharing some great books that have inspired, informed and motivated us this past year.
The following is a selection from our first annual Reading List. Featuring __ titles ranging from personal development and leadership to historical fiction, biographies and self-help. This is a diverse collection of topics and authors that inspire us as individuals and as a team.
We would love to discuss these with you. Please also feel free to write to us or send an audio, text or video message with any book recommendations you might have for us.
The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed and Happiness, by Morgan Housel In the Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel teaches you how to have a better relationship with money and to make smarter financial decisions. Instead of pretending that humans are ROI-optimizing machines, he shows you how your psychology can work for and against you.
Why we sleep: Unlocking the power of Sleep and Dreams, by Matthew Walker. Why we sleep is a popular science book about sleep written by Matthew Walker, an English scientist. Walker, in his book, discusses the importance of sleeping, the side effects of failing to do so and its impact on society.
The power of your subconscious mind: Joseph Murphy was a doctor of psychology who wrote extensively about the power of the subconscious mind.
In this book, Murphy contemplates a theory that the subconscious mind has a powerful effect on everything we do and experience. He says that, if we as an individual can believe in something and visualize it clearly, we can remove all the mental blocks to achieve the desired results.
The third plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food, by Dan Barber is the Chef of Blue Hill, a restaurant in Manhattan’s West Village, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, located within the nonprofit farm and education center, Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. Barber explores the evolution of American food from the 'first plate,' or industrially-produced, meat-heavy dishes, to the 'second plate' of grass-fed meat and organic greens, and says that both of these approaches are ultimately neither sustainable nor healthy. Instead, Barber proposes Americans should move to the 'third plate,' a cuisine rooted in seasonal productivity, natural livestock rhythms, whole-grains, and small portions of free-range meat.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones By James Clear. The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 4 million copies sold! Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.
This Is Your Mind on Plants: In This Is Your Mind on Plants, Michael Pollan dives deep into three plant drugs--opium, caffeine, and mescaline--and throws the fundamental strangeness, and arbitrariness, of our thinking about them into sharp relief. Exploring and participating in the cultures that have grown up around these drugs while consuming (or, in the case of caffeine, trying not to consume) them, Pollan reckons with the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants. Why do we go to such great lengths to seek these shifts in consciousness, and then why do we fence that universal desire with laws and customs and fraught feelings?
The Midnight Library: Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
The leader who had no title: Robin Sharma is one of the world’s top experts in leadership, personal growth and life management. Regardless of what you do within your organization and the current circumstances of your life, the single most important fact is that you have the power to show leadership. Wherever you are in your career or life, you should always play to your peak abilities. This book shows you how to claim that staggering power, as well as transform your life and the world around you in the process.
With best regards to you and your families,
August One
