Happy New Year everyone – I wanted to highlight 3 great books from my Q4 reading you may enjoy.

First up is White Holes by Carlo Rovelli. Rovelli is a theoretical physicist who takes the reader on a fascinating dive into a black hole. Most interesting, he considers what happens at the end of a black hole and the creation of a ‘white hole.’ He does this in a near poetic fashion weaving the humanities into this deep exploration of technical maths. Really interesting and thought provoking – even if you skim over parts you don’t understand (as I did).

Next is Cabin: Off the Gride Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman by Patrick Hutchison. Hutchison is a dis-enchanted staff writer who buys a tiny, run down cabin on a whim. The book he has written is a wonderful reflection on the impact of place in our lives. He, along with several friends, spend several years re-doing the cabin. Along the way, skills are learned and memories are made. If Thoreau’s Walden and Matthew Crawford’s Shop Class as Soulcraft had a baby, it might be something like this.

Finally Effective Executive – Peter Drucker. Published decades ago, Drucker was a man ahead of his time in understanding the challenges of productivity in a knowledge economy. He offers wise counsel to the reader about time management and the pursuit of contribution in maximizing one’s output.

Also – Robert’s Rules: QuickStart Guide – The Simplified Beginner’s Guide to Robert’s Rules of Order – was a quick, skimmable refresher on meeting management.