books and books and books and books

First, I'd like to prefact this post by thanking kim for mentioning me in her last post about books. The idea of the post was to talk about what books you're reading and talk about some of your favorites. So here goes

Books I'm Reading(or just finished reading):
1. Alan Greenspan: The Age of Turbulence - I'll spare everyone the boring economics that Greenspan goes into this book, but essentially he talks about how in both life and economics we learn the most when we discover ourselves in situations we haven't been in before.
2. Jordan Belfort: The Wolf of Wall Street - On the outside, the book looks like a snore for anyone not interested in the world of the stock market. However, Jordan Belfort takes us on the ride of a lifetime as he depicts his meteoric rise to superstardom and the insane rituals that come along with being one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in New York during the 1990's.

My Favorite Books:
1. Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged - Don't let the almost eleven hundred pages intimidate you as this is one of the most important works of the 20th century. Rand's Objectivist theory will at the very least give you a fresh perspective on money and how innovation and talent drive the world. I read this in between my freshman and sophmore year of college for a scholarship essay and it opened up a whole new world of thinking for me.
2. S.E. Hinton: The Outsiders - Even though I read this book in ninth grade, the lessons about youth and loyalty have stuck with me to this day. It's a short simple read that everyone should pick up once in their life.
3. Larry Phillips: Zen and the Art of Poker - This book was recommended to me by a friend and after reading it I feel that I began to understand some of the concepts of Zen Buddhism. The book stresses relaxation, patience, and ability to adjust to circumstances as the most important aspects that one can apply to not only poker, but life in general to increase happiness.
4. Jonathan Swift: Gulliver's Travels - Set in four distinct, highly different worlds, this satire traces the adventures of a British sea captain Lemuel Gulliver. I loved this book particularly because it introduced me to the art of satire and how it can be powerful if one wants to send a message indirectly.
5. Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest - Definitely the funniest play that i ever read in school. Wilde showed me that adding humor to a play can make it from borderline falling asleep material to incredibly entertaining.

That's just a short list of some of my favorite books that I've read. I can honestly say that I attribute my success in every subject except math to the fact that I was an avid reader as a child and continue to be to this day. The best advice that I could give to any young person is to read anything that you have an interest in. As a college student, I've found that most of my required reading is extremely technical so the pleasure has gone from it in a way. However, I've always made time to lay in bed, relax, and devour a good book.


Until next time,

mh