Variety on full display in summer reading lists

Biographies, historical fiction and how-to self-help books top the summer reading lists of readers of Pensions & Investments.

Charles Van Vleet, chief investment officer at Textron Inc., says he turns to history for his summer reads. He's halfway through "American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America" by Colin Woodard, about the 11 distinct nations of Native Americans.

"I have found insights into the political and cultural fractures that divide the nation today," Mr. Van Vleet said in an email.

He is also in the middle of a new favorite: "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind," by Yuval Noah Harari, which covers the evolution of the species from the Stone Age to today. He's currently on a chapter covering the ability of the species to create shared fictions.

A number of senior executives from the San Francisco-based in- vestment consulting firm Callan LLC shared what they're reading this summer.

Jay Kloepfer, Callan's executive vice president and director of capital markets research, is also reading "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Mr. Harari. "A fascinating survey of human development, by a person who is clearly a revolutionary thinker," Mr. Kloepfer said. "I am late to the game with Harari, but am fascinated."

"In honor of Callan's new Portland office I'm just finishing a third book by my good friend Ted Haynes who writes historical fiction novels about Oregon," said Ron Peyton, executive chairman. "'Suspects' is a murder mystery that portrays life, work, deceit and the great outdoors to spin a web of clever intrigue through first-person narratives."

Greg Allen, Callan's CEO and chief research officer, offered "The Honey Bus" by Meredith May, as one of his summer reads. "It's a memoir that reads more like a novel," said Mr. Allen. "Meredith May has a wonderful way of describing the ordinary events in life and making them extraordinary."

Marcus Frampton, CIO of the $65.8 billion Alaska Permanent Fund Corp., Juneau, has a number of books, both investing and non-investing, on his list. Those in the former category include "Pioneering Portfolio Management" by David Swensen, chief investment officer of Yale University's $29.4 billion endowment, and "John Neff on Investing" by John Neff. "I recently read Mr. Neff's obituary and am a fan of following contrarian and value investors. This piqued my interest to order his book," Mr. Frampton said.

Outside of investing, Mr. Frampton highlighted "It Starts with Food" by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. Mr. Frampton said since he joined the fund as CIO in September, "I haven't paid as much attention to my health in this year as I should've, due to all the work and crazy markets so am considering the health/diet reset that they recommend in the book ... but first I will read the book!"

Alicia Munnell, director for the Center of Retirement Research at Boston College, picked up George Packer's "Our Man," a biography about diplomat Richard Holbrooke. "It got such a good review in the New York Times book review, and my husband read it and said it was the best biography he's ever read," she said. "It's also juicy and gossipy."

Richard Ingram now lives far away from his hometown of Portsmouth, N.H., but a recent read — "The Penny Poet of Portsmouth'' by Katherine Towler — brought back fond memories.

The executive director of the $51.1 billion Teacher Retirement System of Illinois, Springfield, is an avid reader and provided P&I with a list of 23 books he's read recently, is currently reading or intends to read.

Mr. Ingram knew Robert Dunn, a fixture in Portsmouth who lived a mostly solitary life off the grid. He said the book's author did a wonderful job of capturing Mr. Dunn's personality. "It was very interesting to know more about Robert, who was one of Portsmouth's poet laureates."

Jonathan A. Needell, president and CIO of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.-based real estate firm Kairos Investment Management Co. LLC, is reading "At Home with Muhammad Ali," by Hana Ali, Mr. Ali's daughter. "The why is easy — he was the greatest (and) also my brother's favorite sports hero," Mr. Needell said. "My brother passed a couple of years ago — makes me feel closer to him."

Meanwhile, "Paying for Pollution: Why a Carbon Tax is Good for America," by Gilbert E. Metcalf is at the top of Ian Simm's reading list. Mr. Simm is the founder and CEO of Impax Asset Management Group PLC.

"Metcalf argues that the creation of a carbon tax would not only address the major cause of climate change but would also help low-income households in America," Mr. Simm said.

Mr. Simm is also reading James Barr's "A Line in the Sand," which describes how in the early 20th century the British and the French wrestled over their respective influence in the Middle East, and how their behavior and the way they reached accommodation with each other were major factors in creating the instability that has plagued the region ever since.

Ken Kencel, president and CEO of the credit money management firm Churchill Asset Management, is reading two books this summer. The first is "The League: How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire," by John Eisenberg.

"It is a compelling read about the history and dynamics behind the founding of the NFL. It shows how great results can be achieved against tremendous odds when rivals put aside their differences and work toward a common goal," he said in an email.

The second is Ken Blanchard and Renee Broadwell's "Servant Leadership in Action: How You Can Achieve Great Relationships and Results."

Chris Lee, member and head of real estate Americas at KKR & Co. Inc. is reading "Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood and the World," by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope.

"The audacity of the crime is so outrageous and the intersection between the business, entertainment and nightlife worlds add to the intrigue," said Mr. Lee, explaining his choice of a summer read.

David G. Kabiller is a voracious reader, but he narrowed his summer reading choice to one book — "Measure What Matters," by John Doerr.

"The book discusses how an organization can achieve better results by establishing effective processes to achieve a set of common objectives with greater efficiency," said Mr. Kabiller, co-founder, principal and head of business development for alternatives manager AQR Capital Management LLC, Greenwich, Conn.

Christopher Walvoord, partner and global head of hedge fund research at Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting Inc., Chicago, has put "The Signal and the Noise" by Nate Silver on his summer list to read again because he's fascinated with artificial intelligence.

"This book is a fascinating analysis of information and decision-making with imperfect information," Mr. Walvoord said, noting "it is really enlightening and very applicable."

Other books on Mr. Walvoord's docket over the next couple of months include "The Toyota Way" by Jeffrey Liker and Joe Friel's "Fast After 50."

Katie Vande Water, a Boston-based partner at executive search firm DHR International Inc., plans to read "Better Selling through Storytelling: The Essential Roadmap to Becoming a Revenue Rockstar" by John Livesay.

She added the book to her summer reading list after Mr. Livesay presented at a corporate off-site event.

Next up on the reading list for Jacob Walthour Jr., co-founder, partner and CEO of credit manager Blueprint Capital Advisors LLC, New York, is Michelle Obama's "Becoming." "She broke the mold on being a first lady and is a shining example for all girls and women around the world," Mr. Walthour added. "I have three daughters and they mean the world to me. Reading this book alongside them will be a remarkable experience."

Cara Williams, a senior partner at Mercer and global leader, financial intermediaries and family offices and global wealth leader, multinational client group, had two books on her list: "Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men" by Caroline Criado Perez; and "10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works – A True Story" by Dan Harris, the latter of which Ms. Williams describes as "a really funny and real approach to meditation and how to maintain better focus while remaining oneself just smoothing the surfaces a bit."

"These Truths: A History of the United States" by Jill Lepore is on the summer reading list of Robert Austin, Alight Solutions' director of research. "It's a long book that examines America's past in a very thought-provoking way," said Mr. Austin. "On more than one occasion as I was reading it, I was wondering where politics ends and history begins."

Jason Shapiro, director, investments at Willis Towers Watson PLC in Chicago, revealed two items on his summer reading list: Homer's "The Iliad," which he rereads "every couple of years" and describes as "one of the most vivid and enjoyable stories that I've ever read" and Kurt Vonnegut's "The Sirens of Titan."

"Playing with themes that are common in Vonnegut books, such as space, time and free will, the story weaves in Vonnegut's dry sense of humor when describing a war between Earth and Mars," said Mr. Shapiro.

Will Hansen, chief government affairs officer for the American Retirement Association in Arlington, Va., plans to read Mark Sullivan's "Beneath a Scarlet Sky," a historical fiction novel based on a true story during World War II.

"I'm a huge fan of historical fiction novels and look forward to a great read over the Fourth of July holiday," he said.

Jack Towarnicky, the Columbus, Ohio-based executive director of the Plan Sponsor Council of America, is delving into contemporary social issues with Chris Arnade's "Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America." He says the book is about what the author refers to as "lunch pail" or "brown bag" workers, individuals who have "struggled in life and stayed in towns suffering hard times."

"This election season there are many promises — waive student debt, reparations for federal income taxes paid by LGBTQ Americans as single filers, reparations for slavery, 'free' college tuition, guaranteed income (even those unwilling to work), Medicare for all, etc.," he said. "Many of these programs will ultimately shift the financial burden to these 'back row' Americans, asking them to support indolence or to subsidize the education of individuals Mr. Arnade identifies as front row strivers with advance degrees in upward mobility."n