The next couple of months will be my last chance to read as much as I'd like, so I'd like to hear if you have any recommendations. What is your favorite book? (does not have to be business realted )

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Book Recomendations

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rhyme

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27 Jan 2007, 05:51

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imjimmy

here are some of my favourite books that i have read multiple times:

Business: Made in Japan, Liar's Poker, Iacocca ,Snapshots from hell and Build to Last.

Science Fiction: End of Eternity(Asimov), Foundation series(Asimov), Time Travellers' wife, Miracle Strain (Michael Kordy), Contact (Carl Sagan) and Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy(Doughlas Adams)

Was snapshots from hell good? I've been debating reading it because I'm worried it will scare me. hehe.

gauravgoyal_g

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27 Jan 2007, 07:23

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rhyme

gauravgoyal_g

Rich dad, Poor dad - Robert Kiyosaki

You actually like that book? I thought it was total crap.

Read "We Need Managers Not MBAs"
or better yet, read "The God Delusion"

I liked the message :

1) Be your own boss.
2) Owning assets versus liabilities. Think about this for a second and its a really powerful message. I try to apply this to my actions, spending habits etc and it does help me make some good decisions.

Maybe because my own thought process is along those lines, I liked the message of the book. For example at the time I was reading the book I was planning on buying a new car. So just for kicks (and because I had the time), I decided to test this thing out. Instead of buying a new car, I scouted around for some used cars, negotiated a couple of great deals on them and resold them making a couple of thousand bucks. I'm not going to turn into a used car salesman anytime soon and it makes people flinch when I tell them about this, but I liked the fact that the book gave me a kick in the butt to try something out like that and helped me spot a potential opportunity.

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27 Jan 2007, 08:05

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I can suggest a bunch of books in literature, if you are into it..
I read "The Road" by Mccarthy recently - it's about the journey of a man and his son looking for hope and civilization after the world has ended.. Might appeal somewhat to sci-fi fans, but it is really a descriptive masterpiece from the man that gave us "Blood Meridian", surely the most powerful (and violent) book I have read.
If you want lighter stuff, I suggest any of Haruki Murakami's books - the recent "Blind Willow.." has vintage stories, but my personal favorite is "Hard-Boiled Wonderland". Die-hard sci-fi fans must read this book. It is fabulous.
My favorite Indian author is Vikram Chandra. You should read his "Love and Longing in Bombay". I am all set to read his 900 page tome "Sacred Games" which is based on a character he created in "Love..".
My personal favorite is "American Pastoral" by Roth. I believe that every American should read Roth - he is absolutely the greatest author that has written in the last 30 years or so.. If I had two months, I would re-read Roth's American Trilogy..
For sci-fi fans I also suggest "Never Let me go" by Ishiguro...
That's a long list.. hope you read at least one of these books!
Enjoy
Venky

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28 Jan 2007, 22:32

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I am trying to get my hands on 'The Blushing MBA' by Feddy Pouideh.
I believe it offers a woman's perspective of business school...should be interesting.

helg

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29 Jan 2007, 04:03

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imjimmy

helg

imjimmy

standard

imjimmy

I wanna read Asimov pieces again.

You should. I am a diehard asimov fan. Have all his 200+ fiction books in hard copy. Have been collecting since school days.

Yeah. Asimov is one of the Great Ones. Believe it or not but the American Sci-Fi authors were extremely popular in the late USSR: Harry Harrison, Robert Sheckley, Robert A. Heinlein, Clifford Simak, Alfred Bester - do you know them?

I'm a sci fi nut. I've NOT read anything by Harry Harrinson.. I've read all the others though.. I particularly like Heinlein and sheckley..especially the Moon is a harsh mistress(heinlein). Philip K Dick is another author i like.
Asimov is still my favourite though. He has some gems such as the End of Eternity which are very rarely available in stores. Most people know him from his Foundation and Robot stories only(which is a pity). But there is much much more to him. I haven't seen a more prolific author. And he was born in Russia wasn't he?

Yes, Asimov of Russian-Jewish origin.
From Harry Harrison I would recommend https://www.amazon.com/Bill-Galactic-Her ... 0743487079 - it's a hilarious anti-militaristic satire
Oh...how could I forget Philip Dick? That's amazing how such a nonconventional author was screened so many times and so successfully!

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29 Jan 2007, 18:42

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Priyah

I am trying to get my hands on 'The Blushing MBA' by Feddy Pouideh.
I believe it offers a woman's perspective of business school...should be interesting.

Let me know what you think once you get it. Sounds like it could be up my alley! I was, well, not prepared for the overwhelming male-ness of the schools I visited. I have always had lots of male friends, but I haven't been around such a male-dominated environment in a long time.

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29 Jan 2007, 18:58

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I enjoyed Mandelbrot's "The (mis)Behavior of Markets". As someone immersed in the EMH-tradition I was probably not the most receptive audience, but I did find this book thought provoking.

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29 Jan 2007, 19:31

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I'd recommend:

1) Empire by Niall Ferguson.
2) Colossus by Niall Ferguson.

1) is a historical book-long essay of the rise and fall of the British Empire.

2) is an IMHO greatly written essay (book-long, again) on the rise and "how not to fall" of the American Civilization (dare I write "Empire" without hurting feelings? Actually the book would not endorse this classification).

I'm biased to reading about history, but that said, Niall Ferguson is arguably the best author I've ever read.

Cheers. L.

PS: I like Asimov, too, but I've read his works many years back and these ones are much more consistent with my current interests.

aaudetat

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29 Jan 2007, 19:37

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Hjort

I enjoyed Mandelbrot's "The (mis)Behavior of Markets". As someone immersed in the EMH-tradition I was probably not the most receptive audience, but I did find this book thought provoking.

EMH??? Remember us non-trad applicants! We're lost with all these acronyms...er, at least, I am.

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29 Jan 2007, 20:03

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Sorry-

Efficient Market Hypothesis

aaudetat

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29 Jan 2007, 20:17

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Hjort

Sorry-

Efficient Market Hypothesis

The emoticons have failed me! Why isn't there one for laughing till you cry 'cause you STILL don't know what the hell that means??? Man, I am in for a ride.....woo! Hop on board, boys and girls, for the "I got no frikkin' clue train!"

lepium

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29 Jan 2007, 20:40

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aaudetat

Hjort

Sorry-

Efficient Market Hypothesis

I'll give it a shot (and others can also shoot me down if I'm mistaken):
The Efficient Market hypothesis assumes that individuals will make the decisions which are most beneficial to them. By assuming this much economists have been able to build an entire discipline (microeconomics if I'm not wrong). The limitations of this hypothesis, however, would undermine several conclusions. And it is not unrealistic to assume that it does not always hold true. For eg: the efficient market hypothesis would conclude that no human would ever smoke tobacco (let alone other substances) as they are clearly harmful. But, as we know, there are many smokers out there.

Hope it helps. L.

Priyah

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29 Jan 2007, 20:43

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aaudetat

Hjort

Sorry-

Efficient Market Hypothesis

Count me in...I am very much on board(that train)!!

imjimmy

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31 Jan 2007, 08:26

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rhyme

imjimmy

Was snapshots from hell good? I've been debating reading it because I'm worried it will scare me. hehe.

Scare you-- that's the last thing that the book will do. The book is actually quite funny. It describes the tribulations of a poet( book lingo for someone with a non-quantitive, non-analytical background)while coping with the stanford curriculum. I trust most of us don't belong to this category.

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