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6 books to read this summer
Rob Lovelace
Jody Jonsson
Chitrang Purani
Matt Hochstetler
Cheryl Frank
May 27, 2025
Whether it’s a classic, new bestseller or little-known gem, a good book can make summer that much sweeter.
It’s no secret that many Capital Group investment professionals are voracious readers. Here are six of their favourite books to help you make the most of summer.
1. Your Brain on Art
Most people don’t visit museums or paint to improve their health — but maybe they should. “Art can have a profound impact on our lives, and it’s often overlooked given the emphasis in schools on science, math and English,” says Rob Lovelace, portfolio manager.
His book recommendation, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, delves into how the brain processes aesthetic experiences. According to authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, art can have life-extending effects when practiced regularly. In addition to mental and physical health benefits, art can improve the brain’s problem-solving capabilities.
Lovelace, who is also chair of the J. Paul Getty Trust, considers art a human endeavour that is especially important in the era of artificial intelligence. “The book gets into architecture and our constructed spaces, and how it affects the ways we think, learn and function. Great design is not only easier to use but feels better too.”
2. The Anxious Generation
It’s a scene we’re all too familiar with: A simple weather check on the phone turns into an hour of scrolling. Jody Jonsson, Capital Group vice chair and equity portfolio manager, vowed to spend less time on screens and tablets after reading The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.
“It’s a book especially relevant for parents of preteens and teenagers and is a window into what smartphones and social media are doing to young people’s attention spans and learning potential,” Jonsson says. Author Jonathan Haidt links children’s social media and smartphones use to reduced playtime and increased anxiety and major depression. He recommends that parents delay giving children smartphones and schools ban their use while in session.
3. Thinking, Fast and Slow
With markets on an extraordinarily bumpy ride, determining the best course of action may be difficult for even the most experienced investors. When volatility hits, Chitrang Purani, fixed income portfolio manager, turns to Thinking, Fast and Slow, the 2011 book by Nobel Prize winner in economics, Daniel Kahneman.
An instant classic, Kahneman’s book offers insights into human decision-making, both rational and non-rational. For example, prospect theory suggests that individuals value gains and losses differently, often assigning more weight to losses than gains.
“The book is a good reminder for me to be less emotional about short-term market swings I’m seeing on the screens and to focus on our research,” Purani says. “It helps me to stay invested with a long-term focus.”
4. From Strength to Strength
It’s easy to feel uncertain about what success means later in life. With that in mind, Matt Hochstetler, portfolio manager for Capital Group Canadian Focused Equity Fund™ (Canada), enjoyed From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks.
The book discusses two distinct concepts of intelligence: fluid and crystallized. Society often views intelligence as the former, which is the ability to process information quickly and draw conclusions just as easily. It emphasizes flexibility and complex problem-solving, as well as novel ideas.
Crystallized intelligence refers to the sum of our experiences and learnings. It’s a natural progression to move from fluid to crystallized as we age. “I think it really applies to investing in terms of being able to work with a lot of different analysts and recognizing patterns that you've seen over your 20 or 30 years of investing,” Hochstetler says.
5. The Covenant of Water
Cheryl Frank, an equity portfolio manager, is an avid reader and has offered several book recommendations via the Capital Ideas podcast. Her latest is a medical mystery novel, The Covenant of Water, by physician and author Abraham Verghese.
The story unfolds in India, where generations of the Malayali family are haunted by drowning deaths. Set against the backdrop of India’s independence, the author weaves a story about hardship, the passage of time and humanity’s progress. “It’s a beautifully written, immanently quotable epic with incredible lessons,” Frank says.
6. How Not to Invest
There are a number of ways you can go wrong when it comes to investing — and author Barry Ritholtz isn’t afraid to tackle them head-on.
In his book How Not to Invest: The Ideas, Numbers, and Behaviors That Destroy Wealth — and How to Avoid Them, Ritholtz reinforces well-known investment concepts like “avoid timing the market,” while also delving into the psychology of investing. “It’s not a recipe for the steps you should take to invest, but how to avoid some of the behavioural traps. It’s a perfect book for this moment,” says content director Will McKenna.
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