School's out. Humidity is on the rise. Hurricane season is just around the corner. And it's the perfect opportunity — whether at a shady park, on a sandy beach or in an air-conditioned living room — to sit back, relax and dig into a good book.
So this week, in our occasional One Big Question feature, we asked south Louisiana business and nonprofit executives from a range of backgrounds: "What's on your summer reading list?"
The answers included classics from their youth and tomes that have sat on the bookshelf for years to wide-ranging histories and just-released thrillers.
The following answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Kimberly Boudreaux, CEO, Catholic Charities of Acadiana
Kimberly Boudreaux, CEO of Catholic Charities of Acadiana, speaks at a press conference at Lafayette City Hall in a 2021 file photo.
LESLIE WESTBROOK | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
I had the opportunity to meet Pope Leo earlier this month and it was an incredible and profound experience to meet the Holy Father in person. Inspired by that visit, I'm excited about spending time with his recently released encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas" — magnificent humanity — which addresses artificial intelligence and human dignity in an automated world. It's his first encyclical, so it's a major statement piece for our new pope, and I'm looking forward to spending time reflecting on how we, as a community and as people, will safeguard the dignity of human life in this new era and looking for insights Pope Leo shares in this regard.
Meghan Donelon, commercial banking group manager, First Horizon Bank
Meghan Donelon is pictured in an undated photo.
Provided photo
I've been listening to Julia Louis-Dreyfus' podcast “Wiser Than Me,” and in an earlier season, she interviewed Amy Tan. I read Tan's book "The Joy Luck Club"when I was probably in upper middle school and I haven't revisited it since. But after listening to that interview, I really want to revisit it, and I'm going to this summer. I didn't realize the book is comprised of four mother-daughter relationships, and it mirrors the structure of a mahjong game. My sister is dying to teach me how to play mahjong, and I told her we would do it this summer so it all feels like a very relevant time to revisit it. I really liked the “Joy Luck Club” the first time I read it, but I don't think I fully understood it the way that I hopefully will as a 40-year-old.
Phillip May, CEO, Entergy Louisiana
Entergy President and CEO Phillip May speaks at a Jan. 26, 2026, press conference in Baton Rouge.
By MICHAEL JOHNSON
I'm reading two books this summer. One is "Numbers Don't Lie" by Vaclav Smil. It's about trends and the data behind that. Two reasons why I like it: one of them is I can digest it quickly with my constantly context-shifting mind, and the second is it helps you understand these trends and emphasizes the need to get behind the data and really understand things, as opposed to skimming the surface and not seeing what's intricate underneath there. The other book is "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson. This one starts at the beginning of the universe and talks about how things come together. I feel like it gives you a better perspective on how the world works today, because essentially the cumulative buildup of that history and those connections.
Parke McEnery, principal, The McEnery Co.
Parke McEnery is pictured in an undated photo.
Provided photo
The volumes of "New Orleans Architecture" (compiled by Friends of the Cabildo). Right now I'm on the University section. I've had these books in our offices and our house for years and picked them up and put them down, but my wife and I just finished renovating a 1908 build, and I’ve been particularly interested in early-20th-century architecture. I love these books. Being in real estate, I love the history and the stories that come with the buildings. I think that's one of the cool, unique things about New Orleans. Particularly right now, I think I'm learning a lot in looking at our long-term history and how it's applicable today. We've been a city of a lot of highs and lows, and I think we're approaching a high, I really do.
Pete November, CEO, Ochsner Health System
Pete November is pictured in an undated photo.
Provided photo
I'm in the middle of finishing "Move Fast & Fix Things" by Frances Frei. Then, I am going to go back and reread "Dare to Lead" by Brene Brown. Frei and Brown are both fantastic leadership coaches and speakers on culture and how to be a successful leader, so both of those are great learning books for me, as I spend every day trying to improve myself and get better. I'm about halfway through "Call Sign Chaos" by Gen. Jim Mattis, and I'm going to start a book by Rick Atkinson, "The British Are Coming," which is about the Revolutionary War. Then I've got a book I'm about a quarter of the way through by Geoffrey Best called "Churchill: A Study in Greatness." It's a really detailed account of Churchill's life. I've read a lot of different books on leaders during World War II, and I learn a lot about history and then apply it in terms of leadership and how I think about the world. Then, because I usually throw in a fun thriller to read, I'll probably read the new Jack Carr thriller, "The Fourth Option."