I’m an avid reader. Part of that is a natural consequence of my work — I spend a lot of time perusing earnings reports and analyst memos that outline new investment ideas. But that trait extends to my personal time, where I love being engaged with stories and new ideas. Reading helps me find interesting connections between my work and, well, everything else.  More importantly, they help me lead a more balanced life and make me a better person.

This year I had occasion to read a few more books than normal. Below you’ll find some of the standouts, ranging from inspiring novels to fascinating biographies.

The Covenant of Water

Don’t let the size of this novel intimidate you. Abraham Verghese’s sweeping story is well worth the investment, whether you read it or listen to the audiobook. The narrative spans three generations of an Indian family afflicted with a poorly understood medical condition that manifests in occasionally dangerous ways. The characters are so charismatic and rich that they leave you bereft every time the storyline shifts to a new period. Verghese weaves a great story with a medical mystery, beautiful prose and powerful meditations on life.

Verghese himself has a novel-worthy life: Today, he practices medicine and teaches at Stanford, but he was born in Ethiopia, fleeing violence there to India and eventually settling in the U.S. While here, he saw firsthand the effects of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, an experience that prompted him to pursue writing. His characters reflect his knack for re-invention as they strive for success — defined here as happiness doing something they love — and how they direct their energy to that end.

Verghese also reads the audiobook, which I listened to during (miles and miles of) walks, and his performance showcases a storytelling talent that extends beyond the page. He captures all the characters and their accents so well. It’s a perfect example of the potential of the recorded book, which can transcend its paper-and-ink and theatrical roots to become its own class of media. Verghese’s earlier book, “Cutting for Stone” is also brilliant.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Lori Gottlieb’s first book is an ambitious, semi-fictional, story which imparts lessons about therapy from the perspective of both therapist and patient. You are drawn into her story, of coming to terms with her post-divorce life, as she builds relationships with her therapist as well as her patients. The storyline shifts between her story and her patients’ stories, some of whom face fatal illnesses, have become estranged from their families, or whose past traumas haunt their current lives. The book demonstrates the merits of coming to terms with the sometimes-messy existence that is human life. The book’s a great read and will certainly make you a better person.

One part I particularly liked was the discussion of the essay “Welcome to Holland.” The parable on acceptance was written by Sesame Street alum Emily Perl Kingsley about parenting a child with a disability. Its premise is simple: You planned an amazing trip to Italy, but your plane landed in Holland. At some point, you’re going to have to stop grieving the vacation you lost and start appreciating where you’ve found yourself.

Elon Musk

Nearly everything written about one of today’s best-known technology entrepreneurs is politically polarizing, so I appreciated getting a broader history of the man from biographer Walter Isaacson. The book isn’t without flaws — Isaacson sometimes flatters his subject — but the portrait of Musk that emerges is of a man who loves tumult and crisis, someone who is sensitive but not empathetic.

As an investor, some of the details are particularly fascinating. Musk’s penchant for unrealistic deadlines stems, at least partially, from his desire to move fast and push hard. He likes to create crises that force focused hard work. His first principle of design involves stripping out so many elements that his engineers eventually must add some back.  He’s always looking for lower-cost parts, replacing esoteric, low-volume rocket parts with more-standardized auto parts. He’s known for getting onto the production floor and personally reworking processes, especially before big deadlines. That can be tough on the people working with him, but it may be part of his success. He is a rare individual who can prioritize big, impactful projects while still understanding the small details required to bring them to reality. He takes big risks, often fails, but doesn’t give up.

This is Happiness

Niall Williams’ prose does more than simply elevate the banal — his careful pen can lend majesty to anything, from the relentless Irish rain to Irish fiddlers. This is Happiness is a portrait of Ireland in 1958, filtered through the nostalgic lens of an older man remembering his youth. It’s a year of big changes: The narrator is living with his grandparents after the death of his mother, and electricity is coming to the sleepy fictional town of Faha. Williams’ gentle humor and careful observation recall Garrison Keillor and Howard Frank Mosher, tools he uses to remind us that life is sweet precisely because it is difficult.

The audiobook read by Dermot Crowley is another standout. Crowley, a 77-year-old stage actor, brings a brilliant wit to the role. I could listen to it over and over.