Jun 21, 2022

New Books to read in spare time??

I got my offer, now I have got nothing to do. Never did I think that I would be asking for books to read, but here I am. Someone recommended that I read Monkey Business, which honestly was pretty good and informative. If anyone has any other book recs, or honestly anything else I should be doing as well that would be great. I am honestly so bored now that I have my next summer offer, I have no idea how to waste time after my current internship ends.

5,802 WSO Academy Investment Banking Session Reviews: 4.82/5

Class of '28 Jul 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Investment Banking Mock Interview

“The questions were amazing and genuinely challenging, which made the session extremely valuable for me. Going into the mock interview, I felt that I had memorized and understood most of the critical technical concepts, but Julius pushed me beyond the surface-level knowledge and went much deeper into the accounting side. That was especially helpful because it showed me the difference between simply knowing the main concepts and being able to confidently explain the details, connections, and reasoning behind them under pressure. The behavioral portion was just as useful. Julius gave me very detailed feedback on how I should prepare for questions related specifically to my background, experiences, and story. Rather than only practicing the standard behavioral questions, we discussed how interviewers could dig deeper into different parts of my resume and ask follow-up questions about my academic path, previous experiences, motivations for finance, and the decisions I have made along the way. This helped me understand that I need to be prepared not only with strong initial answers, but also with clear and thoughtful explanations for almost every important part of my background. One of the biggest takeaways from the session was identifying the areas where I should spend more time developing a deeper level of understanding instead of relying on memorization. Julius was very good at asking follow-up questions that tested whether I actually understood the underlying concepts, which gave me a much clearer picture of what a real interview could feel like. We also created a longer-term preparation plan together. Our goal is to work together approximately once every two to three weeks and use each session to focus deeply on a particular topic. Instead of trying to cover everything at once, we will gradually specialize in different areas and build my knowledge step by step, while continuing to work on behavioral questions and my overall interview story. I think this structure will be extremely helpful because it gives me enough time between sessions to study independently, address the weaknesses we identify, and come back better prepared for the next topic. Overall, the session gave me a much better understanding of where I currently stand, what interviewers may expect from me, and what I need to improve before recruiting begins. I left the session with very clear action items and a much more structured approach to my preparation.”

Class of '29 Oct 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Investment Banking Mock Coffee Chat

“Kevin was incredibly helpful. He took the time to do a coffee chat with me and was candid about where I could improve. His main point was that I should build more knowledge of the industry before these conversations, so I can ask sharper questions and show I've done my homework. He also gave me a clear framework for the conversation itself. Start by asking about their background and how they got into their role. Then ask for advice for my field, including what they would do in my shoes. He also explained when it is and isn't appropriate to ask for a referral, which is something I hadn't thought through before. ”

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7 Comments

Deal Team Six

Most Helpful

Red Notice is a financial-esque book, about a south side Chicago kid who ends up running his own hedge fund out of the UK. All his investments and most of the book takes place in Russia. Extremely interesting and sheds some light on what happened in the Russian equity market when Lenin brought Communism to Russia.

The Shining is an extremely good book if you like horror (plot is pretty well known).

Fearless by Eric Blehm is extremely good. All about a Navy SEAL (Adam Brown) who faced extreme adversity, which started pre-SEALS. Part of the reason the book is so interesting is because he tries to join the SEALS later in life after failing at almost everything else (really strikes a cord if you've ever felt like you fucked up your own life). I like reading about SEALs a lot and imho this topped both Lone Survivor and American Sniper. It was truly gut wrenching to read about Adam's ups and downs.

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Authored by: Certified Corporate Development Professional - 3rd+ Year AssociateCertified Corporate Development Pro

icejanitor

Not business related, but just read Circe and am thoroughly enjoying it

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Prospect in IB - Gen

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Authored by: Certified Private Equity Professional - 1st Year AnalystCertified Private Equity Pro

IBWriterMachine

Have a read of the Amazon chapter preview for my novel, The Pitchbook. If you like IB and laid back fiction, it should be right up your alley. Let me know what you think even if you don't like it.

https://www.amazon.com/Pitchbook-Banking-Analysts-Markets-Millions-ebook/dp/B097M5G83K?asin=B097M5G83K&revisionId=dab00929&format=1&depth=1

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Iyov

Venture Deals is great if you’re into VC/startups/early stage financings at all, and even if you’re not it’s extremely interesting

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Authored by: Certified Private Equity Professional - 1st Year AnalystCertified Private Equity Pro

blue_ape

“discussion materials” by Bill Keenan.

Guy was a banker at DB and wrote about his experiences. Very easy to digest and pretty funny

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VP in IB-M&A

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Authored by: Certified Corporate Finance Professional - DirectorCertified Corporate Finance Pro

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New Books to read in spare time??

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New Books to read in spare time??

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