My Summer 2022 Reading List. Enjoy!

Since ancient times, the summer?solstice has been marked with celebrations honoring the sun.??I like to celebrate this season of hot days and cool evenings with good books – as always, a mix of new ones and old favorites.?Here’s the list that I pulled off my bookshelf for this year. Enjoy!

Flights by Olga Tokarczuk.?A recently minted Nobel Laureate (2018), Tokarczuk is one of our most astute observers of the human condition.?Flights, just one of her masterpieces, explores the question of how we as individuals move through time and space, and how our worldview varies with these changes.?This one needs to be read more than once to fully appreciate its depth.

The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich.?Ehrlich recently published a follow-up, decades later, to this collection of essays and personal reflections, prompting me to go back to the first volume.?In lyrical, precise language, Ehrlich meditates on place, time, and people as she transforms from city woman to cowgirl after moving to Wyoming from New York City.?This isn’t the resort world you may know, but the real deal.

How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C. Pam Zhang.?Shockingly original in conception and its use of language, this first novel by a talented young author provides another take on the American West.?It’s set in the 19th century, during the Gold Rush, and centers on a newly orphaned Chinese immigrant brother and sister.?They struggle to find themselves and the meanings of both family and America, all while traveling through a mythical, stark landscape. ?Zhang is definitely one to watch.

The Revenge of Geography by Robert Kaplan.?If you’re struggling to make sense of the chaos in the world today, Kaplan’s book about the determinative role geography plays in shaping geopolitics and the fate of nations is a good place to start.?Revenge was published a decade ago and was prescient in its predictions.?To me, this one is a must-read for any leader in a large, global enterprise – and everyone else with interest in world events.

The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante.?There are four wonderful books in this series, rooted in Ferrante’s childhood home of Naples.?Her style is fluid and the insights into human nature are penetrating.?If you’re not up for all four books, at least don’t miss the first in the series, My Brilliant Friend, perhaps the best depiction of female friendship in recent literature.

Bonus! Give a listen to the newest podcast serial from @Amgen, The Generative Biology Revolution.?It launches on Thursday, June 23 with host @Ray Deshaies, our senior vice president of Global Research.?His first guest is @Alan Russell, our vice president of Biologics. Between Ray, a former Cal Tech professor, and Alan, a veteran speaker on the TED circuit, this will be a fun, informative and lively conversation you won’t want to miss. Find it on Amgen.com/Science or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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