Beach bound with business, history, fiction, even a little sports

Mark Cohon
Commissioner
Canadian Football League

City of Thieves, by David Benioff. “A fictional story about a remarkable friendship that grows during the brutal Nazi siege of Leningrad. I traveled to Leningrad many times when my father was building McDonald’s in Russia. Fascinating to think about the beauty of the city today compared to the hardships millions of Russians experienced during World War II.”

The Post-American World, by Fareed Zakaria. “A look at the rise of new global powers in the world and the changing role of the United States. This book was published in April of 2008, prior to the election of President Obama. Very interested to see over the coming years if Obama’s ‘cult of personality’ can counter Zakaria’s underlying premise that the balance of power has readjusted away from America.”

John Walsh
Executive Editor
ESPN

The Forever War, by Dexter Filkins

Home, by Marilynne Robinson

Heroic Living, by Chris Lowney

“And I’ve polished off the (Bill) Simmons masterpiece ‘Book of Basketball’ that’s due out in the fall.”

Jim Courier
Founding Partner
InsideOut Sports & Entertainment

Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life, by Neil Strauss. “This guy’s books are hysterical. He’s written about rock ’n’ roll, pick-up artists and now this ‘survival guide,’ which should be a page turner.”

The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, by Paul Kennedy. “A look back at why and how empires have come and gone over the last 500 years. Timely.”

Sag Harbor, by Colson Whitehead. “Good reviews on this novel about coming of age, race and reinvention in America.”

Bill Knees
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Callaway Golf

The Nine, by Jeffrey Toobin. “Sounds like it is about baseball but is really about the Supreme Court. Still about big egos and politics.”

Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible, by Dave Pelz. “Love the idea of applying scientific study to sport.”

The Big Switch, by Nicholas Carr. “Who doesn’t want to know how Google does it?”

The Prince of Providence, by Mike Stanton. “The story of Buddy Cianci, the corrupt mayor of Providence.”

Matt Kahn
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Powerade and Smartwater

Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend, by Larry Tye. “From what little I know about Satchel Paige, his is an amazing story. Looking forward to learning more.”

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. “Gladwell always writes things that make you go, hmmmmm.”

Divine Justice, by David Baldacci. “Baldacci never disappoints. He’s as consistent as Federer.”

Tony Pace
Chief Marketing Officer,
Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust

April 1865: The Month That Saved America, by Jay Winik. “The end of the Civil War and the tragedy of President Lincoln’s assassination created one of the most fascinating and frightening months in our nation’s history. If Lincoln had lived, we would have been so much better off as a nation.”

Follow the Roar, by Bob Smiley. “Scott Van Pelt of ESPN suggested it when we were discussing how much I admired Tiger Woods’ mental toughness.”

The March, by E.L. Doctorow. “An historical novel set during the Civil War. Yes, I am a bit of a buff.”

Fightin’ Irish: The A-Z Notre Dame Football Trivia Book, by Tony Pace and Mark Spellen. “Yep, re-reading my own book in anticipation of a second edition as the Fighting Irish continue to elevate the program back toward their historical standing.”

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. “His books are always part of ‘the conversation’ so I need to read it, and success is always an interesting read.”

Adam Gurian
President
Timex Business Unit

Bonnie and Clyde: The Lives Behind the Legend, by Paul Schneider. “A chronicle of their lives through first-person and documented accounts.”

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, by Alice Schroeder. “A memoir of Warren Buffett.”

Partners in Command, by Mark Perry. “George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower and their unique relationship.”

Bryce Townsend
Senior Vice President
GroupM ESP

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, by Robert Caro. “Robert Moses was the most powerful man in shaping New York City as we know it, its true architect, having more influence than mayors, governors, etc., and yet he was never an elected official. While pretty ruthless, he was an amazing visionary and to see behind the scenes the way in which our modern city was shaped is fascinating (both good and bad).”

Killing Pablo, by Mark Bowden. “I’ve had this on the shelf for a while, anticipating a juicy tale of exactly how Pablo Escobar finally fell from being the world’s most famous drug lord to folklore legend. Inspired the fictional film ‘Medellin’ in ‘Entourage’ … but I won’t hold that against it.”

The Neighborhoods of Brooklyn, by Kenneth T. Jackson and John B. Manbeck. “Being born and raised in Manhattan, and now a Brooklynite for the past couple years, I’m still trying to learn about all its distinct neighborhoods and rich history. Most people don’t know it, but if Brooklyn were a separate city, it would be the fourth-largest city in the U.S.”

Ben Fertic
President & CEO
World Triathlon Corp.

Good to Great, by John Collins. “This is one that I have read several times and it always offers ideas on how to sharpen my saw.”

Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, by Studs Terkel. “I am intrigued by the various ways people earn their living.”

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know, by Meg Meeker. “The title alone sold me on the book. I have three wonderful daughters and I think raising them is the ultimate endurance challenge.”

Libba Galloway
Deputy Commissioner
LPGA

Testimony, by Anita Shreve. “I’ve read and liked every novel she has written and don’t want to break the streak.”

A Son of the Game, by James Dodson. “I read his ‘Final Rounds,’ which brought back fond memories of time spent with my mother.”

“A book by Stephenie Meyer, because I’ve never read her but saw Morgan Pressel reading one of her books on a plane trip to China.”

Eddie Gossage
President
Texas Motor Speedway

Failure Is Not An Option, by Gene Kranz. “My uncle was one of those guys with a flat top you saw in NASA’s Mission Control in Houston during the Apollo days (he still has the flat top). He was part of the group that figured out how to get the three astronauts stranded on Apollo 13 back to earth. This book was given to me by my uncle and is written by Gene Kranz, who headed up Mission Control during the Apollo 13 crisis.”

Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell, and Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell. “I read Gladwell’s latest book, ‘Outliers,’ and was taken by the various principles it offers. I wanted to circle back around and read Gladwell’s two previous books to learn more.”

The Old Testament of the Bible. “Last year I read the New Testament. This year I plan to read the Old Testament in my daily Bible reading time.”

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, by Bill Bryson. “Hey, it’s summertime and you need a fun book to escape the heat and remember the days when summer was all about fun!”

Larry Quinn
Minority Owner and Managing Partner
Buffalo Sabres

Out Stealing Horses, by Per Petterson

A Voyage for Madmen, by Peter Nichols

The Sportswriter, by Richard Ford

Chris Stiepock
Vice President and General Manager
ESPN X Games

No Less Than Victory, by Jeff Shaara. “I’ve read two of the trilogy and the books are fantastic. … I’m sad there’s only one more to go.”

Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV, by Shelly Palmer. “I saw Shelly speak and his words scared me into reading his book. Our television landscape is changing by the day and I’m hoping this book will help me glimpse into the future a bit.”

“I had to clean my basement recently due to a plumbing incident and subsequently went through a box of old books I read a decade ago. I’ve decided to re-read two of them that I loved: ‘A Soldier of The Great War,’ by Mark Helprin. This book is beautifully written and is like a never-ending Bond or Bourne movie. And ‘You Gotta Play Hurt,’ by Dan Jenkins. This is the funniest sports book I’ve ever read. Not one of Jenkins’ most well-known for some reason, but I think it’s his funniest.”