What the Rich Are Reading This Summer

by Robert Frank

Nothing goes with those linen shorts, the house in the Hamptons and chilled bottle of Yquem like a good summer read.

This year there are loads of good books for high-net-worth individuals to relax with on the beach. And as they have every year, J.P. Morgan Private Bank is about to release it’s 13th annual summer reading list. The bank's recommendations have become hugely popular among the wealthy, as much a rite of summer as putting the top down on the 300 SL Roadster and decamping with the family to Nantucket.

This year’s list is as varied as the rich themselves, with weighty tomes on behavioral economics, urban planning, and the history of the world to lighter fare about monarchs and Malbecs.

“Our clients have an eclectic interests and an appetite to explore new trends in business, leadership, the arts and science — this year’s summer reading list delivers that, and more,” said Darin Oduyoye, Chief Communications Officer for J.P. Morgan’s Asset Management division, which includes the Private Bank.

Here is this year’s list:

Taking People With You: The Only Way to Make Big Things Happen | David Novak. The chairman and CEO of YUM! Brands offers his strategy for becoming a successful leader.

It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership | Colin Powell. From mopping floors as a teenager to becoming Secretary of State, Colin Powell developed “Thirteen Rules,” which are now the basis for his worldwide presentations on leadership.

Thinking, Fast and Slow | Daniel Kahneman. Nobel Laureate and renowned psychologist Daniel Kahneman examines the rational and irrational systems that shape our decisions.

High Line: The Inside Story of New York City's Park in the Sky | Joshua David and Robert Hammond. The unlikely story of New York City’s High Line, from rusted railroad to public park.

Passion and Purpose: Stories from the Best and Brightest Young Business Leaders | John Coleman, Daniel Gulati and W. Oliver Segovia. Drawing on insights from surveys at the top U.S. business schools, and sharing stories from dozens of recent Harvard MBAs, this book offers insights into the visions and goals of aspiring executives.

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch | Sally Bedell Smith. Smith’s biography seeks to reveal the grace, intellect and equanimity of one of the world’s most revered women.

By Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shop | Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson. Maybank and Wilkis Wilson, founders of the shopping website Gilt, share their perspectives on the evolution of a simple concept that revolutionized e-commerce.

Diego Rivera: Murals for The Museum of Modern Art | Leah Dickerman and Anna Indych-López. A collection of panel reproductions and essays brings to light technical aspects of Rivera’s work, which sparked debates over public art and politics. A companion to the Museum of Modern Art's exhibition.

A History of the World in 100 Objects | Neil MacGregor. MacGregor unearths everyday items and unique artifacts from the past and discusses what the items reveal about the societies from where they came.

The Vineyard at the End of the World: Maverick Winemakers and the Rebirth of Malbec | Ian Mount. Mount investigates the history of the Argentina’s signature grape and discusses the innovation and politics that made the country into the Mecca of Malbec.

What do you think the wealthy should read this summer?

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