This is a select list of books that I might have enjoyed reading before or at the moment. Each of these books is recommended for reading unless explicitly stated otherwise. Wherever possible, I would double it up with either my review of the book or a general snapshot of the book from public sources.
The Kite Runner (by Khaled Hosseini)
Rich Dad, Poor Dad (by Sharon L Lechter, Robert T Kiyosaki)
The Fountainhead (by Ayn Rand)
Blink – The Power Of Thinking Without Thinking (by Malcolm Gladwell)
Catcher in the Rye (by J D Salinger)
Eye of the Needle (by Ken Follett)
False Impression (by Jeffrey Archer)
The Partner (by John Grisham)
If Tomorrow Comes (by Sidney Sheldon)
Gone With the Wind (by Margaret Mitchell)
Etiquettes of Life in Islam (by Yusef Islahi Muhammed; Translator-Riaz Husain)
Khutbat – Fundamentals of Islam (by Syed Abul Ala Maudoodi)
Islam Versus The West (by Maryam Jameela)
In Search of Excellence (by Tom Peters)
How to have a Beautiful Mind (by Edward De Bono)
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari (by Robin S Sharma)
PS, I Love You (by Cecelia Ahern)
The Broker (by John Grisham)
Straight from the Gut (by Jack Welsh)
The Intelligent Investor (by Benjamin Graham)
Chaos and Order in the Capital Markets (by Edgar E Peters)
The Goal (by Eliyahu M Goldratt)
Zahir (by Paulo Coelho)
The Alchemist (by Paulo Coelho)
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (by John Perkins)
The World is Flat (by Thomas L. Friedman)
Economics in One Lesson (by Henry Hazlitt)
This is one of the few books that are very lucid and not letting the central theme out of sight at any point. The key essence of the book is best summarized in the words of the author himself – “The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate, but at longer effects of any act or policy, it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group, but for all groups.” It is significant to note that the author calls economics an art and thus distances economics from the rigors statistics or the modernistic econometrics. Henry takes up different issues like demand-supply principle, subsidies, tax sops, price control, import-export policy and analyses the effects of a particular policy on different sections of society viz. producers, consumers, tax-payers and indirectly affected people. He demonstrates pure straight thinking and lets natural reasoning flow to draw conclusions of which we know, but are not aware or refuse to accept. All the reasoning in the book is based on the axiom – “Something cannot be created out of nothing”! n other words, “Economic resources have alternative uses and the best policy is the one which which produces net gain in the long run.” From what I can understand, this books makes a good read for those interested in economic and business policy. It would entice those people who believe in long-term rather than quick-fix solutions.
1421 – The year China discovered the world (by Gavin Menzies)
Just like how the most important treasures of the world are lost to history, so is this landmark incident that has just been forgotten…. and with it have gone those remarkable events that should have been in the record books. This book starts form 8th March, 1421 when the largest ever fleet in the world set sail from China…. This was a special mission under the command of Emperor Zhu Di. It was a world mission expected to last over 2years and would circle the globe. But, on its return, China had changed… transitioning into a self-imposed isolation. But, lost with this transition were the historical records of these Chinese ships reaching 70years before Columbus, circumnavigatinig the globe a century before Magellan, discovering Antarctica before anyone else, reaching Australia 350 years before James Cook and solving the longitude problem 300 years before the Europeans….
A Thousand Barrels a Second (by Peter Tertzakian)
Whatz the saturation point for oil? Are the present day high oil prices routine or is there something more than meets the eye? Is the superpowers’ thirst for oil sustainable? If these questions keep wracking ur brains whenever ya browse thru news everyday, then A Thousand Barrels a Second is an excellent read which can guide ya in making investment decisions, managing risks and finding business opportunities in this new era of energy dependence. However, if one were to ask me the credibility of the author to comment on a global issue of this nature, Peter Tertzakian is a very knowledgeable guy… however his experience as a Chief Energy Economist makes me biased since ever since I have started reading the “Confessions….”, all energy economists seem to me like one of the EHM clan! However, as I have understood from some readers, this book delves more into the historical depths of the oil era rather than on the alternative policy options… and solutions for resolving this criss. But, what it does remarkably well is backfilling our knowledge of the history of energy and its evolution (ain’t I talking of the dinosaurs?)
The End of Oil (by Paul C Roberts)
Petroleum is now so deeply entrenched in our economy, our politics, and our personal expectations that even modest efforts to phase it out are fought tooth and nail by the most powerful forces in the world: companies and governments that depend on oil revenues; the developing nations that see oil as the only means to industrial success; and a Western middle class that refuses to modify its energy-dependent lifestyle. But within thirty years, by even conservative estimates, we will have burned our way through most of the oil that is easily accessible. And well before then, the side effects of an oil-based society — economic volatility, geopolitical conflict, and the climate-changing impact of hydrocarbon pollution — will render fossil fuels an all but unacceptable solution. How will we break our addiction to oil? And what will we use in its place to maintain a global economy and political system that are entirely reliant on cheap, readily available energy? Brilliantly reported from around the globe, The End of Oil brings the world situation into fresh and dramatic focus for business and general readers alike. Roberts talks to both oil optimists and oil pessimists, delves deep into the economics and politics of oil, considers the promises and pitfalls of altenatives, and shows that, although the world energy system has begun its epoch-defining transition, disruption and violent dislocation are almost assured if we do not take a more proactive stance.
