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What's on your reading list?

What do you plan to read this summer? What are you reading now?
I am currently reading "Degrees Kelvin" by David Lindley, published by Joseph Henry Press. The biography of Sir William Thomson, Lord Kelvin. He was a 19th century physicist probably best known for dicsovering the temperature at which atoms cease to move: -273.15 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Kelvin or absolute zero). He also performed a lot of the early groundwork for theories of electromagnetism and thermodynamics. Lord Kelvin devised a new compass for ships that would work well when surrounded by steel as the world's ship building began to move from wooden to iron vessels. A fascinating figure from history.
slipknot1

Showing 2 responses by t_bone

t_bone
1,182 posts
 
Crazy4blues, I agree. DaVinci Code was a real letdown but taking a side trail, I read a The Templar Revelation, which while a bit heavy-handed, is a thought-provoking read (check the Amazon reviews for more).

Rhyno, in the same market vein, I would recommend "Fooled by Randomness" by Nassim Taleb (and if professionally interested in the subject and derivatives, his earlier "Dynamic Hedging" is among the best out there). I disliked Niederhoffer's "Education of a Speculator" so much that while I will normally read new books in the genre, I have avoided PS. In a less 'practical' vein, I heartily recommend "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator" by Edwin Lefevre. I make it a point to read it every year or so. I'm waiting on his "Sampson Rock" now.

For the several people who enjoy detective novels, two European detective writers (as hard-boiled but less flashy than Vachss) I like very much are Michael Dibdin and Ian Rankin.

For the next month or so, I have both of the above-mentioned Steingarten books and "1421: The Year China Discovered the World" waiting for me.
t_bone
1,182 posts
 
Rhyno, I was also going to recommend George Soros' AoF & BG's Intelligent Investor but I guess I don't have to. I will, however, recommend Against the Gods by Peter Bernstein and Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles MacKay as interesting 'historical' reads (if you haven't already). Also, Jack Schwager's & John Train's books are decent compendiums of people who have 'been there, done that'. On the "how to" front, I find Martin Zweig's research to be very well done. I have heard decent things about a new "how to" book by James Altucher but have not read it.
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