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Summer Readings and Podcasts List

“Books are good company, in sad times and happy times”.

After more than a year, we are unfortunately still living the COVID-19 pandemic. People have passed through some really difficult times. However, it seems that we can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel and everything is slowly starting to improve thanks to all the measures implemented and the progress of vaccination. We hope that it’s onwards and upwards from here on!

But what do books have to do with this? Books have been lifetime companions for us and even more so during lockdown. That’s why, as in previous years, our team has created a new October Summer reading and podcast list to give you some inspiration that will help you to disconnect during the summer – and to make sure of it, each of them have explained the reason why they love their suggestions for you.

Get yourself comfortable, wherever you may be and prepare to enjoy our list of recommendations!

Books

Science Fiction

The Three-Body Problem by [Cixin Liu, Ken Liu] The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin (EN)

A classic of Chinese SF, soon to be turned into a Netflix series by the creators of Game of Thrones. This is the first part of the 3-books cycle, which explores the realpolitiks of encountering alien races whose intent and technological level is unknown to you.

how today's biggest trend will collide and reshape the future of everything 2030: How Today’s Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything by Mauro Guillen (EN)

According to Mauro Guillen, the only way to truly understand the global transformations underway and their impact is to think laterally. That is, using “peripheral vision,” or approaching problems creatively and from unorthodox points of view. Guillen encourages us to consider the dynamic inter-play between a range of forces that will converge on a single tipping point, 2030.

Business and personal development

The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Potential, Transcend Your Limits by Wim Hof (EN)

Get inspired and energized by Dutch legend Wim Hof, who ran marathons in -30C and climbed Mount Everest in shorts. Wim explains how you can boost your immune system, improve concentration and mental well-being by following some simple (and cold!!) steps.

How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World's Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs How I built this The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs by Guy Raz (EN)

Guy Raz has interviewed more than 200 highly successful entrepreneurs to uncover amazing true stories. In How I Built This, he shares tips for every entrepreneur’s journey. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of starting their own business or wondered how trailblazing entrepreneurs made their own dreams a reality.

must read nicolas meunier L’arnaque de la voiture propre by Nicolas Meunier (FR)

Stories and travel

must read amazonia Amazônia by Sebastião Salgado (EN)

The latest book of the amazing and generous photographer. An easy way to travel the world in spite of COVID-19 ! For six years Sebastião Salgado traveled the Brazilian Amazon and photographed the unparalleled beauty of this extraordinary region.

L’ame brisée by Akira Mizubayashi (FR)

Two stories in parallel but connections somewhere :

In 1938 in Tokyo, Yu, an English teacher and amateur violinist, is arrested in front of his 11 year old son, Rei, in the middle of a musical rehearsal. Rei will grow up without his father, with two haunting memories from that day.

In the second part, we enter the life of a couple Jacques and Hélène, he a violin maker and she a bow maker. They met in 1950 in Mirecourt, a small town in the Vosges and capital of French violin making.

la vida exagerada de martin romaña-alfredo bryce echenique-9788437617923 La exagerada vida de Martín Romaña by Alfredo Bryce Echenique (ES)

Martin Romaña leaves Peru for Paris, but nothing there is like “The Paris of Hemingway”. From his armchair called Voltaire, Martin narrates his encounters with Parisian life in the 60s, while humorously writing his novel about Latin Americans who survive in “a City of Light whose lights have melted”

Mind and philosophy

Justice by Michael J. Sandel (EN)

A Harvard professor, gives an introduction to different philosophical views and how they interact with moral dilemmas. He explains the works of famous philosophers like Aristotle, Kant and Rawls and applies them to real world examples. The book challenges you to think about moral dilemmas and provides a framework to approach the dilemmas we face today.

True crime

must read 2021 Whoever Fights Monsters Whoever fights monsters by Robert K. Ressler (EN)

A chronicle of one man’s life-long career tracking serial killers introduces the FBI detective who pioneered psychological profiling as a way to catch some of the nation’s most dangerous and deranged criminals.

 

Podcasts

Society and culture

Una habitación propia (ES)

If you want to know the lives, thoughts and contributions of extraordinary women who, in one way or another, have marked a before and after in history this is your podcast.

Generation Do It Yourself (FR)Long, very long (over two hours) podcast allowing you to really get to know the person interviewed by Matthieu Stefani.

Educational

Non Violent Communication (EN)

Improve your communication by understanding the impact of word used. This is very good for personal and professional development.M. Rosenberg is taking as exemple Jackal vs Girafe (to explain the impact of violent communication).

Technology

Darknet Diaries (EN)

Stories from the “dark side” of the internet about hacking, data breaches and cyber crime. Good to get some sensitivity about the issues we face with cyber security.

True crime

Crime Junkie (EN)

Crime Junkie is a weekly true crime podcast dedicated to give you a fix – they will tell you about whatever crime they’re obsessing over that week in a way that sounds like you’re sitting around talking crime with your best friend. The storytelling is straightforward and free of rabbit holes so the cases stay suspenseful and are easy to follow.

We have put this list together for you with a lot of thought and care, so we truly hope you enjoy it much as we have!