Top 16 books on Wall Street’s reading list

•Kristen ScholerLarge swaths of the US may be stuck in a deep freeze, but Wall Street is turning its attention to spring break: Beaches, sand, sun… and books.

Dave Lutz, Head of ETF trading and strategy at Jones Trading, surveyed 800 portfolio managers, traders and analysts about what they’ll be reading as they ditch their desks for some fun and sun. The full list covers a range of genres from comedy to science fiction to investing.

Here are the 16 most frequently mentioned books from respondents:

• ‘The Goldfinch’, by Donna Tartt. A literary novel recounting the life of a young boy living in Manhattan who travels with his beloved mother to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see an exhibit when suddenly his world turns upside down.

• ‘The Martian’, by Andy Weir. A science-fiction story dubbed a “futuristic Robinson Crusoe” that tracks a man’s life who is left for dead on Mars. It follows a logbook of living in a large tent for about 550 days on what was meant to be two month’s rations for six people.

• ‘I Am Pilgrim’, by Terry Hayes. A thriller filled with twists and turns that links several unassuming characters from a young woman murdered in a run-down hotel to a father publicly beheaded in a Saudi Arabian public square to a Syrian biotech expert found eyeless in a Damascus junkyard.

• ‘Killing Patton’, by Bill O’Reilly. The latest book in O’Reilly’s series, this non-fiction piece covers the strange death of World War II General George S Patton, Jr.

• ‘The Killer Angels’, by Michael Shaara. This is a historical novel about the Battle of Gettysburg, providing a look into what the battle was about and what it meant for the country and those fighting.

• ‘The Alchemist’, by Paulo Coelho. The story follows a young man’s journey and dream of finding treasure in Egypt. His interactions with characters he meets along the way offer symbolism that can apply to many walks of life.

• ‘Zero To One’, by Peter Thiel. Entrepreneur and inventor Peter Thiel explains what it takes to drive innovation in our society and the skills necessary to be a forward-looking thinker.

• ‘Flashpoints: The Emerging Crises In Europe’, by George Friedman. This book offers the author’s insight on coming events in Europe by examining “flashpoints”, geopolitical hot spots where tensions have flared and where conflict is due to re-emerge.

• ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, by Harper Lee. An American novel about one girl’s experience growing up in the South in the early 1930s that highlights serious issues of race and inequality. The author is expected to release a sequel of sorts to this book, making the original a popular pick.

• ‘Red Notice’, by Bill Browder. The book is a real-life thriller about an American financier in Eastern Russia, the assassination of his young tax attorney and his risky mission to expose the Kremlin’s dishonesty.

• In The Kingdom Of Ice’, by Hampton Sides. This non-fiction tale covers the men of the USS Jeannette who found themselves stranded in the North Pole with the slimmest of supplies. It illustrates their long march across endless ice in the unforgiving cold.

• ‘Unbroken’, by Laura Hillenbrand. The story covers the life of Olympian runner Louis Zamperini who became an airman during World War II after competing in the Berlin Olympics. Zamperini’s tale takes readers on his journey of finding hope in desperate times.

• ‘American Sniper’, by Chris Kyle. A biography turned blockbuster hit that speaks to the life of America’s deadliest sniper Chris Kyle. Called “the devil” by his enemies and “the legend’ by his peers, Kyle accounts his life as a US Navy Seal on the battlefield in Iraq.

• ‘Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think’, by Peter Diamandis. Curious what the future will look like? This books talks about what lies ahead, providing practical solutions for concerns like overpopulation, food, water, energy, freedom and health care.

• ‘The Boys In The Boat’, by Daniel James Brown. For ‘Unbroken’ fans, this is another option up your alley. It’s about how nine working-class American boys beat the odds and find hope at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

• ‘The Prize’, by Daniel Yergin. If you want the history of oil, here’s where to find it. The story covers the global pursuit of oil, money and power and has been updated to address the current energy situation.

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