One more day to go and we close the year. Going back to my list of books I read this year we continue with:
3.- The Mormon Way of Doing Things.- Good book and inspiring, it analyzes the traits of very successful Mormon business men. People like Mitt Romney, current presidential candidate, or the current CEO of Jet Blue. In summary, Mormons are very disciplined and have very strong family values, the book provides proof that you do not have to be a workoholic to be successful, you do not have to give up your family either, when you focus on what you are doing and give it everything you have at every moment, you can be successful too.
4.- Commodities Rising: It is about supply and demand, if you are interested in commodities, or want to become a better investor, this book is a must read. It analyzes numerous commodities and explains the balance between supply and demand over the next few years. In the short term traders may control prices, but in the long term, supply and demand will control commodity prices.
5.- Your Financial Edge: The basic premise of this book is that over the next few years, investors will have to learn to accept more risk in order to keep up with inflation. The US is not the investing paradise it used to be, this is the Chinese century, another must read if you want to become a better informed investor.
6.- The Law of Attraction: I read this book after having read "The Secret," it is nothing more than positive thinking and the message that you eventually become your thoughts, and that your thoughts can make it or break it for you. The basic philosophy is good, but if this is your first book on positive thinking, I recommend other books over this one, such as "The Magic of Thinking Big," or "Think and Grow Rich."
7.- As a Man Thinketh: This is also an inspirational book, and should take you no more than a couple days to read it. What you think is what you become, let me summarize the book with the following quote: "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?"
8.- The Elephant and The Dragon: The implications of India and China in the world politics and economics are immense, you need to read this book to understand where these countries came from and their potential, it is being trumpeted everywhere that China and India will rule this century, be ready to take advantage of this, start by reading this book.
9.- Give Your Speech, Change the World: You cannot be completely successful without being a good public speaker. Public speaking is one of my passions, and although I still consider it nerve racking, it is always very exciting. Read this book if you want to improve your public speaking skills.
10.- The Science of Success: To be honest, I was disappointed at this book and would not recommend it, I thought the author would go into more detail and a better perspective on what it takes to be successful, but instead analyzes the strategy used at Koch industries.
11.- Untapped, The Struggle for Africa's Oil: Excellent read, this is almost like a novel, and it is guaranteed to keep you reading page after page, the author spent several years touring Africa and analyzing the situation and how important Africa will become in the future as an oil supplier for Asia and America.
12.- The Extreme Future: It is always fun and intriguing to think about the future and the trends that will change the way we currently live. Some of the stats are astounding, I admit that not everything that the authors tout will come to fruition, but the book will certainly broaden and challenge your thinking.
13.- A Bull in China: I just finished this book yesterday, it is fascinating the many ways in which China will change the investing horizon, if investing is your passion, this book is a must, the author (Jim Rogers) is not dumb and you would be fool not to listen at least to what he has to say, if there is one American that knows about investing in China, he's the one.
14.- Five Wishes: This is the last book I want to share with you, if you are currently trying to find meaning in your life or your simply not satisfied with what you have accomplished in your life, read this book. The writing style of the autheor may not be to your liking, but the book conatins a fountain of wisdom, and challenges your thinking and the status quo. This book dares you to do all those things in your life that you never have gotten around to and you consider important.
Thanks for putting up with me one more year, as we enter the new year, I plan on sharing some investing tools that I will be developing and sharing some of my thoughts on trends and investing opportunities over the next few years. I cannot guess what the market will do tomorrow, but is you are patient and are willing to wait, I can tell you the forces that will drive our economics over the next 10 to 20 years. I hope you have enjoyed the holidays and have taken time to reflect and count your blessings.
