Best Non-Finance Books?

Recently finished up my 2 year analyst stint and have some time off before PE starts. Got cranked in banking, feel like it really numbed my mind so I want to get back into reading.

What are you favorite NON-FINANCE books? I have other plans so please spare me the "dude wtf you're going to read? go reenact eurotip"

31 Comments
 

Really depends on what kind of stuff you like to read. Myself am trying to get my hands on a Gore Vidal book, but would also suggest:

Crime and Punishment The Idiot War and Peace

I like the Russian stuff and philosophical (except Rand really).

Or guilty pleasure:

LOTR

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."
 

Schopenhauer is the easiest philosopher to understand and the above mentioned book usually consists of a paragraph to 3 pages for each theme.

If you enjoy autobiographies I recommend Baruch: My Own Story. It covers his investment ventures but even more so politics. I'm currently reading "Dark Genius of Wall Street" which is the biography of Jay Gould... so far so good. Always good to learn from these larger than life figures.

 
streetwannabe

I'm very curious as to what turned you on to that book in the first place; spontaneity?

Can't remember for sure, but probably recommended by/or just browsing through Amazon. Also, I am a huge fan of Star Wars movies. This book has none of the characters from the movies.
 

I don't read much, but currently plowing through The Passage by Justin Cronin. Kind of a post-apocalyptic thriller. Not going to exercise your brain too much, but it's hard to put down.

"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen."
 
  • The 48 Laws of Power (help you understand and manuever through any kind of power structure and human relationship)
  • What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People (help you be aware of what people really feel and what's really in their mind without them saying it verbally)
  • Introducing NLP: Psychological Skills for Understanding and Influencing People (help you systematically, verbally reframe other into what you want them to think without them noticing it)
"It's not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." - Charles Darwin
 
Best Response
mb666

Schopenhauer is the easiest philosopher to understand and the above mentioned book usually consists of a paragraph to 3 pages for each theme.

If you enjoy autobiographies I recommend Baruch: My Own Story. It covers his investment ventures but even more so politics. I'm currently reading "Dark Genius of Wall Street" which is the biography of Jay Gould... so far so good. Always good to learn from these larger than life figures.

Agreed on Schopenhauer. I got a different version of his: The Essential Schopenhauer: Key Selections from The World As Will and Representation and Other Writings. At times I've had to pause and take in the effect that my mind has been blown.

I am also reading Duff Cooper's biography of Talleyrand, another character whom I am fascinated with.

 
Going Concern

My favorite book in literature is One Hundred Years of Solitude.

If you like something philosophical, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one of my all time favorites, as well anything by Alan Watts.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a classic. Great book.

Some other good suggestions here.

If you are looking for a quick read and like mystery check out Agatha Christie novels. Hercule Poirot is quite the baller.

 
DrPeterVenkman Going Concern:

My favorite book in literature is One Hundred Years of Solitude.

If you like something philosophical, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one of my all time favorites, as well anything by Alan Watts.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a classic. Great book.

Some other good suggestions here.

If you are looking for a quick read and like mystery check out Agatha Christie novels. Hercule Poirot is quite the baller.

What did you guys like about One Hundred Years? I just finished it and I can't say I fully appreciate what makes this book such a classic

 
abcdefghij DrPeterVenkman: Going Concern:

My favorite book in literature is One Hundred Years of Solitude.

If you like something philosophical, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one of my all time favorites, as well anything by Alan Watts.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a classic. Great book.

Some other good suggestions here.

If you are looking for a quick read and like mystery check out Agatha Christie novels. Hercule Poirot is quite the baller.

What did you guys like about One Hundred Years? I just finished it and I can't say I fully appreciate what makes this book such a classic

It's hard to describe exactly, I think it's one of those things where it either clicks with you or it doesn't. That being said, the 'magical realism' style is fucking awesome, as are other broad themes like history being circular, subjectivity of reality, etc.

 

Just finished reading Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest.....holy shit this book is awesome

When in doubt...Dick Pick
 

The Firm by John Grisham if you haven't read it

Without a doubt my favorite novel, some of the points in the book will remind you of your analyst days

 

Les Miserables is quite easily the best fiction book I have ever read. If you have seen the musical or movie, it doesn't come close to doing it justice. I'll also second Crime and Punishment. Dostoevsky is really a master of his craft.

And I know this isn't fiction, but - Guns, Germs & Steel. It won the pulitzer, was suggested to me, I read it, as I was reading it, several people would comment on how good it was. After I read it, everyone who I suggested it to also enjoyed it. This includes doctors, academics, lawyers, and people in finance. It has really broad appeal and is at a really interesting cross-section of history, anthropology, economics, and other fields.

 

If youre into food/travel/culture, read some of Anthony Bourdain's work. He does seem like an egotistical maniac, but his writing style is prolific. Really really really interesting read, feels like youre watching his show.

 
"jewishlawyer"

If youre into food/travel/culture, read some of Anthony Bourdain's work. He does seem like an egotistical maniac, but his writing style is prolific. Really really really interesting read, feels like youre watching his show.

pro·lif·ic prəˈlifik/Submit adjective 1. (of a plant, animal, or person) producing much fruit or foliage or many offspring. "in captivity, tigers are prolific breeders" synonyms: productive, creative, inventive, fertile "a prolific composer" 2. present in large numbers or quantities; plentiful. "mahogany was once prolific in the tropical forests" synonyms: plentiful, abundant, bountiful, profuse, copious, luxuriant, rich, lush; More

 

Enim sed numquam repellendus harum harum consectetur magnam. Dicta quidem et facilis corrupti sit quasi illum. Aut numquam sunt ut et. Esse recusandae omnis dolorem est minus. Veritatis fugiat qui blanditiis et. Sunt error velit aperiam quia. Animi qui totam eligendi atque est.

Velit alias non ut dolor eos. Officiis rerum illo laboriosam et. Sed sed ducimus facilis dolorem id unde. Magnam aut aut suscipit reprehenderit. Magnam et facere dolorem ut voluptates facilis. Eos rerum ullam voluptatem magnam rerum aut.

Laudantium consectetur dolores ipsum omnis voluptatum. Voluptatem facilis illum ut iste quia autem porro. Optio laborum quisquam nulla sapiente autem mollitia animi voluptatem.

Accusantium totam ullam veritatis molestias distinctio unde ea eos. Veniam ut totam error rerum et in consectetur. Quia rerum voluptatem autem necessitatibus est non dolorem dolorum.

 

Veritatis est doloribus aut possimus nam aliquid veniam iure. Quis in nihil unde voluptate deleniti. Omnis dignissimos et sequi tenetur facilis animi dolorem. Consequatur eos non aliquam laboriosam soluta autem aut. Placeat explicabo inventore omnis dolores cupiditate. Ab sit accusamus expedita.

Rerum doloribus omnis consectetur natus aut. Ut quis fuga vel enim aut quo. Iure error quia soluta vel sapiente. Enim dolor id nostrum et eos tempore et. Dolor voluptatem id cupiditate voluptatem odio non explicabo.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”