This year I polished off about 60 books. A new record for me. Most of the books were not written in 2008, so my “best of” list for the year just refers to when I got around to reading it. This year I decided to break the list into four groups.
Finance
- Fooled By Randomness – Understand survivorship bias and you’ll never look at the world the same.
- Reminiscences of a Stock Operator – Investor classic from the 1920s. If you make more than a few stock trades a week, this is a must read.
- The Origins of the Crash – Not only does regular history repeat itself, so does financial history. This is the definitive book on the greatest bull market in history and all the fraud along the way.
Food and Fitness
- The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth – The easiest way to lose fat is to fall in love with healthy food. This book should be in every kitchen. Share it with your family.
- Mindless Eating – The psychology of eating. Learn how to overcome your biology to get lean.
- In Defense of Food – Don’t be a slave to the so-called nutritional experts.
Funny
- Smile When You’re Lying – Not exactly PG-13, but I loved it.
- Dave Barry’s Money Secrets – Anyone that has watched the clowns on CNBC will be ROFL.
- American Shaolin – Great stories of an American that travels to China wanting to be a Kung Fu master.
Psychology
- The Definitive Book of Body Language – Most people are unaware of body language. This book has some excellent photos and drawings that demonstrate the hidden language.
- Satisfaction – Novelty + Action = Satisfaction.
- Predictably Irrational – A very good book explaining the different ways humans behave irrationally.
Worst book of the year? There were at least 20 books this year I started and bailed on. Just like movies, I no longer feel like I need to finish everything I start.