We are big fans of recommending novels to one another here at Penrod. Though we don’t have a formal book club, we are always sharing good stories. From fantasy epics to Japanese horror, from business novels to suspenseful thrillers, Penrod’s own are reading some interesting and different tales of varying genres.
Here are just a few of the books that Penrod is reading right now!
The Hike
By Drew Magary
In The Hike, Magary takes readers on a daring odyssey away from our day-to-day grind and transports them into an enthralling world propelled by heart, imagination, and survival.
Madi says: “I would recommend it! You have to be in the right mood for the type of eeriness and humor it has, but if you’re open to it, it’s a good read!”
The Far Away Brothers
By Lauren Markham
The deeply reported story of identical twin brothers who escape El Salvador’s violence to build new lives in California—fighting to survive, to stay, and to belong.
Tara says: “It’s about El Salvadoran immigrants and what it takes to make a life in the USA at a young age. It’s really good. Definitely would recommend it, especially considering the conversation around immigration happening in our country right now.”
The Crimson Labyrinth
The Crimson Labyrinth is a thriller about twelve strangers who find themselves as actors in a snuff film from which only one is permitted to emerge alive.
Keenan says: “It’s like a horror ‘Hunger Games’. I like it. I’d recommend it to people who like thrillers/sci-fi and aren’t squeamish.”
Principles
Ray Dalio, one of the world’s most successful investors and entrepreneurs, shares the unconventional principles that he’s developed, refined, and used over the past forty years to create unique results in both life and business—and which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals.
Mitch says: “It’s a book that’s half biography and half personal development. All the chapters are based on rational thinking and being logical. I would recommend it, great for getting a new perspective or mindset shift. The audio version is cool because it’s actually Ray Dalio reading and it feels a little more personable.”
The Kingkiller Chronicle Series
So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature—the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend. But once on the path of the hero, he learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.
Joseph says: “I would recommend it, especially if you love very thick storytelling.”
Tim says: “I would definitely recommend it. With the main character running an inn in a small town, as one of the most famous and most powerful people ever in legend, that he’s re-telling his life’s story to someone at all in an interesting perspective to take on it.”
I See You
By Clare Mackintosh
The author of the New York Times bestseller I Let You Go propels readers into a dark and claustrophobic thriller, in which a normal, everyday woman becomes trapped in the confines of her normal, everyday world.
Lacey says: “It’s a psychological thriller about people using classifieds to stalk and kill women. I would recommend it, it’s so good.”
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels
Documenting the round-the-clock crunches, buggy-eyed burnout, and last-minute saves, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is a journey through development hell—and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable.
Tommy says: “It’s a collection of stories written about different video game developments and the hardships and complications that can arise in production. I’d recommend it to gamers interested in how the games they play are made. Since it’s all true, it’s a very interesting read in my opinion.”