What has been the most influential book on your life?

[Aceyducey]

Hi all,

I was asked a question privately as to which books I would recommend for young investors and it got me to thinking, which were the most influential books - not just specifically about investing - on my life up to now and on the lives of other investors.

For me, the four books that stand out & that I will keep forever in order are:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott-Card (fiction)
The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien (fiction)
Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steve Covey

So, what have been the most influential books on your life to-date?

Cheers,

Aceyducey

[Peter Parker]

I've asked myself similar questions, as I was looking for a birthday present for my younger cousin (age 19).

Last year I gave him my copy of 'Making Money Made Simple' (Noel Whittaker). A good book that explains things well, but I'm not sure how well it went down. But then when I was his age I would have been no different and had yet to start a comprehensive investment program.

Anyway found Noel Whittaker's 'Getting it Together - the complete money guide for young people' in the local bookshop.
It was a good book, heavily discounted and as I hadn't read it fully, I bought it to have a quick read before passing it on (cheapskate me : ) . Highly recommended.

I find that books in this area can be divided into those that encourage motivation/mindsets and those that go into the specifics (ie content you should learn).

The former are good for the beginner who doesn't have the investment mindset yet. The latter are for the person who has mentally prepared themselves to do it, but need to learn the specifics. But it's easy for the mind to slip back to previous habits, and I would say that the motivational books may still be of value (as a pep read) even to more experienced investors.

In the first group are

Think & Grow Rich
Richest Man in Babylon
most of R. Kiyosaki
anything by Dale Carnegie
anything by Norman Peale

In the second group are

anything by Margaret Lomas
anything by Anita Bell
Making Money Made Simple
Streets Ahead

The generalist books (first group) have wide appeal, the specific books have narrower appeal, but are invaluable for someone who is considering various approaches.

You will need both types in your library.

Peter


PS: thanks for the reminder about SHHEP - I've haven't read mine lately. It will be interesting to reread it after all the other stuff I've read since.

[annE]

Hi

I was in a book shop in Sydney and while browsing at my leisure (this time no impatient hubby waiting for me to finish quickly) and a book with the title 'Making Money Made Simple' from Noel Whittaker just jumped at me. I bought it and this then led me to Jan Somers and her books on property investment which have had the most direct influence on my wealth creation programme.
Without Jan's books I would certainly never have started on the road to property investment and for this I am and will be eternally grateful to her.

I often re-read her ' Story by Story'

ciao for now

ann :)

[foxysilvers]

Have read and enjoyed all the books mentioned and many more as well.

One that helped me greatly over a period of years dealing with absolute ....holes in the corporate world was The Art of Strategy.. a translation of Sun Tzu's classic The Art of War by R.L. Wing.
A great book for day to day living as well.

A variation on that theme is a book by Alistair McAlpine called The New Machiavelli.....The art of politics in business. Again a good book to help in dealing with people and predicting their likely actions.

Cheers

[always_learning]

Life Skills "Why and How": For instructional audio this one stands above all others:
Jim Rohn's "The Art of Exceptional Living" (http://www.jimrohn.com/ps.dll?b=4305162) Simple messages, clear ideas!

Real world property investment in Australia: Well of course it must be: Jan Somers, More Wealth from Residential Property.

Motivational for Property Investment : Dolf De Roo's Real Estate Riches (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0446678643/qid=1053249349/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-8243683-8087034?v=glance&s=books)

Business: Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan: Execution (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0609610570/qid=1053249576/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-8243683-8087034)

[JoannaK]

Thick Face Black Heart by Ching Ning Chu is a fantastic book. I read it every time I get "lost" (i've read it over a dozen times now and my copy has endless notes and highlights in it) and have given it away as a gift to many people.

You could describe it as a pshycology/motivational book, and is a blend of Asian and Western thought patterns.

An excerpt of the book (which I carry with me all the time):


Thick Face - The Shield

Consider the Asian concept of face. It refers to how other people think about you and treat you. Most Asians are tremendously concerned that others think well of them and especially that others display respect for their personal dignity. Juxtapose this idea with the Western notion that having a thick skin and being insensitive to criticism and the negative opinions of others is best. Fused together these two ideas approximate the concept of Thick Face; a shield to protect our self-esteem from the bad opinions of others. A person adept at Thick Face creates his own positive self-image, despite the criticism of others. The thick-faced person has the ability to put self doubt aside. He refuses to accept the limitations that others have tried to impose on him, and more importantly, he does not accept any of the limitations that we commonly impose on ourselves. He does not question his ability and worthisness. In his own eyes he is perfect.


Black Heart - The Spear

Black heart is the ability to take action without regard to how the consequenses will afffect others. A black heart is rutheless, but not necessarily evil The black-hearted person is above short sighted compassion. He focuses his attention on his goals and ignores the cost. A black hearted perion has the courage to fail. Attempting effective action always implies the risk of failure.


Two Sides of the Same Coin

Thick face and black heard are two sides of the same coin. When one possess the strength of thick face one can ignore the criticism and disapproval of the masses. This same strength is also the source of the black heart; it allows one to effectively use the spear to cut through the ignorant and preconceived ideas of the masses. The thick face black heart practicioner must excersise his ability to ignore criticism, ridicule and vilification from others while simultaneously carrying out his duties as he sees fit.

I gave this excerpt to an artist friend of mine to interpret and she came up with the design that is my avatar.

[WillG]

Financial Investment Books (no particular order)
(These books all have something different to offer and are generally well written. I like them because I can readily recal one or two things I can apply in every day life)

Richest Man In Babylon
- good tips on saving

Jan Sommers Books
- Good practical advice for Aussie IP investment with good arguments why property investment is better than share investment

The Millionaire Next Door & Millionaire Mind
- Good general book to help you change your mindset and think about why you want to become wealthy.

Rich Dad Poor Dad (the first one)
- good general book to help you think about assets & liabilities

Celestine Phophecy
- One of those books I like to read every now and then. Another book that makes you think about events in your life and getting on with it.

[Brenda Irwin]

How about the first book? The Bible; have you seen how really successful (and not just money) people were helped by God? Take Solomon, God made him rich in all wisdom & riches. I like the sounda that.
Cheers Brenda :)

[geoffw]

Brenda,

I'll go with you on that one.Original quote by AceyDucey
which were the most influential books - not just specifically about investing - on my life up to now and on the lives of other investorsIn our Western civilisation, the Bible has to be the most one of the most influential in all sorts of ways- no matter what our personal views.

Though I suspect that not many forumites looking on ways to get out of the ratrace are going to find much inspiration there.

[foxysilvers]

Apparently The Bible is the most stolen book in the world.....kinda ironic.

Spent many nights on the road in dreary motels and tried reading The book but I think it was wasted on me.

Never nicked one either

[Ned]

Enjoying the thread guys.

Have also read many of the above - have never been able to get into Thick Face Black Heart JoannaK but will give it another go...

There are 2 books which i would suggest to people here:

1. Catch me if you can, by Frank Abagnale.

The book is about 20 times better than the movie (OK... at least twice as good:D), which was a huge disapointment to me. In real life, Abagnale undertakes things that were far more daring than the movie portrays.

This is an inspiring book because it shows what can be achieved by taking chances, thinking on your feet, and learning to understand and communicate with people. As with most pursuits, communication is the key - property is no different. This is also a good book as a 'break' from the hard core property/investment/inspiration books I often read - they are great, but sometimes you need a break!

Also, Frank Abagnale visits Australia 2 - 3 times a year, and often speaks at charity functions - he is a RIVETING speaker, one of the best I've ever heard, and well worth the effort to get there if you can

2. The 80/20 Principle, by Richard Koch.

The title is self explanatory, and has helped me enormously. the 80/20 principle is apparent in every area of our life, and this book explains it very well. 80% of your happiness comes from 20% of your experience, 80% of your problems come from 20% of the causes etc etc. As a result of reading this book (about 8 times now) I have substantially changed the things i focus on and do on a day to day basis - it's logical, but sometimes you need to have it drummed into you!

Anyway, my 2c!

Ned

[Jas]

Originally posted by JoannaK
Thick Face Black Heart by Ching Ning Chu is a fantastic book. I read it every time I get "lost" (i've read it over a dozen times now and my copy has endless notes and highlights in it) and have given it away as a gift to many people.


I liked that one so much, that I had to buy her Working Woman's art of war. That was brilliant too :)

I was thinking of re-reading Thick Face, Black Heart a few days ago. Will pull it from my bookshelf for a re-visit!

One I was very dissapointed in was Zen and the art of motorcycle maintiance. It's received so much hype over the years, but I just found it poorly written. I never finished it.

Jas

[jahn]

Hi
Three good books I've read a few times that have nothing to do with investing, (but then again everythings connected)
The Art of happiness - The Dalai Lama
The Four Agreements -
Autobography of a Yogi
Last one is a seriously good read
jahn

[PT_Bear]

The book which had the absolute most influence on my life is:

Bears in the night - by Stan and Jan Bearstan.

My mother first read it to me when I was about 2 or 3. She read it so many time that I memorized the words, and from that I learned how to read. I still know it by heart.

From that book, I went on to develop a great love of reading, including reading books about wealth generation. I owe a lot to that book.

('Go dogs go!' and 'The cat in the hat' were also great books :))

[Jas]

LOL PTBear!

My mum did the same with me and 'green eggs and ham'

Maybe that's where I got my stubborness from!

Jas

[Les]

For me, "Fox in Socks" (Dr Seuss) HAS to be the pick !!!

"When battle beetles battle in a puddle in a bottle, and the bottle's on a poodle, and the poodle's eating noodles, that's what we call....... etc"

This dude (dr Seuss) was seriously bent, but WHAT a story !!!! ;)

A favourite bedtime story for a couple of young tykes - and interesting (?) reading for Mum and Dad too......

A sense of humour helps too :D

Regards,

[Aceyducey]

While on Dr Seuss I recommend reading (to the kids of course):

'I had trouble in getting to Solla Sollew'
- About facing up to your problems not running from them.

'The Lorax'
- About environmental management

I'm glad that some non-investing books are coming up.

I get a lot of inspiration from physics books about the small & the large of how our universe is constructed (try 'Chaos' by James Gleick, 'The Last Three Minutes' by Paul Davies, 'The case of the missing neutrinos' by John Gribbin & 'A Brief History of Time' by Stephen Hawkings)


& I get a lot of passion from sci-fi, looking at images of the world that may be and how people cope amidst the technology.....after all we all are going to have to live in the future & much of Jules Verne, Arthur C Clarke & Star Trek have already come true :)

For example scientists have stopped light & then started it again, storing information in the photons - they have successfully 'transported' particles from one location to another (human transporters still a way off) & there's a researcher in the US creating a pig with wings using genetic engineering (it won't fly, but it proves a point).

Cheers,

Aceyducey

[Mark Laszczuk]

Books I like:

Where did I come from? - ooh la la

On the Road - Jack Kerouac. This book makes me realise that money don't mean squat. Freedom is what life is all about.

Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Ralph 'Sonny' Barger. Puts a human face on the reputation. They really know the meaning of loyalty.

Anything by the Dalai Lama is amazing. As an avowed atheist, I can really identify with that guy. He really is truly amazing. What I like most is that he doesn't have an agenda. He just really does love everyone, regardless of which religion they belong to or even if they do not follow any religion. I saw him in Melbourne last year, at the Vodafone Arena, he managed to fill the entire place with the most radiant, unconditional love I have ever felt. It goes down as one of the most amazing experiences in my life, something I will remember forever.

Maximum Achievement - Brian Tracy. Well, it's just cool.

Mark
'no hat, some cattle'

[bundy1964]

I think I will have a strange collection of favourite books :p

Ringnecked Parakeets and Their Mutations - T & G J J Bastiaan.

The Young Photographer's Handbook - G Haines.

A Guide to Colour Mutations & Genetics in Parrots - Dr T Martin.

I would include this forum and the MSN one as favourate reads too ;)

Never been much into investing how to books.

I do want to read Trust Magic and Tax Battles though after hearing Dale in person.

The book I learnt most from now no longer sits in my current favourites, I learnt from it and moved on and ask me again in another few years, the list will have changed again.

bundy

[bagg]

"The Road less travelled" by M Scott Peck is pretty good on a "healthy" versus an "unhealthy" life. One of its central messages is that success requires discipline. (Not with a horse whip).

bagg

[hobgoblin]

Hi All,

The three biggies for me are Think & Grow Rich (COMPLETELY transformed my mindset and consequently my life in a 30 day period), Rich Dad Poor Dad, and Tolkein's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Jan Somers "Building wealth story by story" really inspired me with it's short tales about ordinary Aussies winning and losing. I learned a lot from both sides of the fence.

Another fave is Dexter Yager's "Everything I know at the top, I learned at the bottom", and of course the Winnie-the-Pooh on success series. "The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet" was an awesome read!!

Cheers,
Hobbo

[Mr Ed]

My favorite book...

A book that has a real corelation to business would have to be the Art of War by Tun Zu.

I have been reading it on & off now for about 5 years and there is always a special meaning in each paragraph.

The best thing I learnt from it was always allow your opponent to save face.

Mr Ed

PS I'm supprised so many of you mentioned Noel Whittikars book, Making Money Made Simple an oldie but a goodie.

[beech]

Mr Ed i really think you should have finished this book within 5 years.:D

[Lars]

A book that I recently read that is a good example how to set yourself a goal and then go for it is Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey by Goran Kropp.

This guy jumped on a push bike in Sweden, cycled some 7,000 miles to Kathmandu in Nepal, carried his own equipment up to Everest Base Camp, reached the summit of Everest (on his third attempt in under a month), then hopped on his bike for the long and rugged ride home. This is a story of not giving up!

Cheers,
Lars

[steven]

Creative Visualization, by Shakti Gawain, The art of mental energy and affirmation, My Fave Book of all time.

The Holy Bible,

The Dalai Lamas book of daily meditations,

Sixth Sense, by Stuart Wilde,

A Spaniard in the works, By John Lennon.

Successful Small Business Management,
by C Perry & W Pendleton,

and a host of property books,

[asy]

Originally posted by Aceyducey
While on Dr Seuss I recommend reading (to the kids of course):



The very very bestest Dr Seuss is:

Oh the places you'll go.

I give this book instead of a card to people I know turning 18 or 21.

An excerpt of it:

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down the streets. Look ’em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.

.......

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

KID YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!


For a full read, (Although nothing beats the printed version, those piccies are the greatest!!!)

http://spoerlein.iwarp.com/places1.html

asy :D

[Kevin Hockey]

The best books I have read are mostly recent ones.

The Richest Man in Babylon I read years ago and was a great influence but I love motivational books such as

You don't have to be Born Brilliant, John McGrath

Don't Die with the Music in You, Wayne Bennett

Also - Who moved my Cheese, Dr Spencer Johnson

Every business owner must read

E-Myth by Michael Gerber

I am now reading a marathon Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, I'll let you know my thoughts when I finish. At the rate I'm going it'll be sometime in 2012. :D

I remember laughing my head off years ago reading Fatty, the story of Paul Vautin. A great read.

Kev

www.nundahrealestate.com.au

[Jimmyjamjars]

If you want to read an Autobiography of a guy with guts and single-minded determination, try "Will" by G. Gordon Liddy. Also in the same vein is Lee Iacocca's life story, the man who turned Chrysler's fortunes around.
Jim

[CAD Guy]

What a great list, guys!

I've read a lot of these, and added several more to my to-do list...

Personally, I think Michael E Gerber's E-Myth is up towards the top of the list.
So too is Steven Covey's 7 Habits...
Both of these books have totally changed the way I view life, and have helped me to develop long term goals, as well as beeing VERY motivational.

I'm surprised to see Lord of the Rings appearing so many times, but I'd have to put that near the top of my pile too. Was one of the first novels I ever read, and gave me a great interest in reading.

But I'd have to top my list off with the Bible also. Encouraging that others have done likewise.

[SEASON]

my current favourite is YOU'LL SEE IT WHEN YOU BELIEVE IT by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer (american author).

a couple of important messages from the book are:

you're a soul with a body, rather than a body with a soul

you become what you think about

some universal principles exist, of which one should be aware

if you like something thought-provoking, it's worth reading

[jahn]

Hi Season
If you like that one, try a couple of Deepak Chopra's books, also very good and along similar lines, but he goes into the 'soul has a body' , concept even more than Wayne Dwyer.
jahn

[Kevin Hockey]

Hi Jahn,

There is a RE agent and speaker from the US called David Knox who is very funny and a good mate of Deepak's. He does a better impersonation of Deepak than Deepak himself. I saw David Knox speak at AREC in 2001 and have the tapes, it was bloody funny stuff.

Kev

www.nundahrealestate.com.au

[jahn]

Hi Kev
Can you laugh the whole time, or can you learn some good stuff from him as well, like deepak?
jahn

[SEASON]

Originally posted by jahn
Hi Season
If you like that one, try a couple of Deepak Chopra's books

thanx jahn,

it will be on my "to do in the near future" list.

do you apply any of Deepak's concepts to your life?

cheers

[Kevin Hockey]

Originally posted by jahn
Hi Kev
Can you laugh the whole time, or can you learn some good stuff from him as well, like deepak?
jahn

Yeah, absolutely, he provides a great message, just he does it with humour also. He has a great Clint Eastwood impression too.

Kev

www.nundahrealestate.com.au

[jahn]

Hi Kev
I guess one of the best forms of education is learning with a laugh. The message seems to 'stick' better, and I believe Deepak would say it 's healthier to laugh.

Season
Really good AND hard question.
Good books
Good lessons
and I think they are good enough so I give it a good shot to apply the learning.
Really do believe that everythng is connected in this world. Just look how much input from so many positive people, and helpful as can be, on this forum. Doesn't get much better than that. :D

PS somewhere during the last ?years, I seem to have lost some of my sense of humour, but I'm working on that too.
jahn

[Kevin Hockey]

Originally posted by jahn
Hi Kev

PS somewhere during the last ?years, I seem to have lost some of my sense of humour, but I'm working on that too.
jahn


I plead guilty too, and doing the same thing.

Actually E-Myth really helped me there. It identified things clearly for me. I now employ the right staff to handle a lot of the things I was trying to do myself. I, like all business owners couldn't see how I could afford it but my business has doubled in 6 months since doing it and profits have increased significantly.

And I now have more time for my own sanity. Hence my sense of humour is coming back, although there's those around me that may question that it is really humour:D

I can tell you I am enjoying life more now than ever before.

Kev

www.nundahrealestate.com.au

[jahn]

Hi Kev
I'm a bit slow to reply, but, thanks for that. If your sense of humour is coming back, it’s like a light at the end of the tunnel for me. (couldn’t even see the tunnel last year)
Just goes to show how this thread weaves into lots of things. A good book called E-Myth can help to re-esablish a sense of humur.

Must get off my backside. I've had a copy of 'E-Myth revisited' for about three months, and haven't read it yet.
:rolleyes:
Thanks
jahn

[Kevin Hockey]

Do it today Jahn - it's excellent. It's the best book of it's type.

Kev

www.nundahrealestate.com.au

[Sunstone]

Dear Jahn,

Must say that Kevin is right. The "E-Myth" and "E-Myth Revisited" are both excellent business books I have read even though I have heard conflicting opinions on the third book in the series.

Perfect when you get the stage of "Why am I doing this?" which happens to all businessmen once in a while. All about breaking out of the mundane and being able to create something that will keep on going without just having created a "JOB" for yourself.

Tell us what you think after you've read it.

Cheers,

Sunstone.

[jahn]

Hi Sunstone

Thanks for the info
It may be a while before I can let you know (but I will), because I just had a birthday where I put in a "wish list" and it consisted of a heap of books mentioned in this thread. Bonus. Got some good ones. :D
jahn

[Jimmyjamjars]

Just finished reading Ordinary Millionaires by Jim McKnight, a GREAT read, very inspiring. There are other threads on the forum about it, definitely a must read.
JIM

[paul_s]

I have read quite a few already mentioned so I won't repeat, one I'd recommend is The Money Game by an anoymous writer who decided to call himself 'Adam Smith' the copy I have is 35 years old (my dad gave lent it to me ) not sure if its still sold though a very interesting read about markets and money. "How to win friends and influence people" I would also suggest, though I'm not sure how much its helped me, I still seem to infuriate people on a daily basis :D

[Jude78]

Hi everyone...

Just thought I would add Bryce Courtenay as a fantastic fiction writer...i have all his books and read and reread his books....I also can't say enough about Robert K-Rich Dad...He is awesome ....

I also think The Road Less Travelled was also life changing.

All the other books mentioned are awesome although got a few to get tomorrow in book shops:) My partner never stops talking about E-Myth as well and i just love the story about Harry in that book...

Nice meeting you all

Judy

[Kevin Hockey]

I am now reading Justin Herald's book " Would you like Attitude with that". It is exceptional reading. From $50 to multi millionairre and retired at 31. I love his "Attitude".

Kev

www.nundahrealestate.com.au

[Nimee]

Originally posted by Kevin Hockey
I am now reading Justin Herald's book " Would you like Attitude with that". It is exceptional reading. From $50 to multi millionairre and retired at 31. I love his "Attitude".

Kev

www.nundahrealestate.com.au

Agree with you on this kevin; furthermore he is a great speaker.

I have thought about the original question of which book has influenced me most. I can't choose just one. At least 3 has changed my way of thinking in diffrent stages.

First Noel Whittaker's "Making money made simple" make me starting to think of planned financial freedom.

Next Jan's "building wealth in changing times" made my eyes open very wide.

After that Kiyosaki's " Rich Dad poor Dad" for a completely new outlook.

And then there is my all time favourite " Richest man in Babylon".

Edit: just re-read to realise it is not just investing books. So I want to add "Foundation" series by Issac Asimov.

[cad]

Hi all,

I'm going to state the obvious here, but Jans first book Building Wealth through Investment Property was the very first investment book I ever read & that's where it all began for me then I followed up with

The richest man in Babylon-George S Clason

Rich Dad Poor Dad-Robert Kiyosaki

Seven Steps to Wealth-John Fitzgerald
This is a simple easy read. I buy & give this one away to younger friends interested in getting started.

More Wealth from Residential Property-Jan Somers

Share Trading Books-All Daryl Guppy's Books & Trading for a living-Dr Alexander Elder

On the other side of the coin;

Wild Swans-Jung Chang-education & reference

Cuckoo,stinky-true crime

All the above I can read over & over.

cad

[kylie500]

My husband just read "Losing my Virginity" by Richard Branson and says it's the best book he's ever read - previously it was Rich Dad Poor Dad. It's next on my reading list.

Rich Dad Poor Dad was a turning point for us - it opened our eyes and gave us lots of ideas to try out.

One Minute Millionaire was great - shows that you can do anything if you put your mind to it and it really matters

I liked Dolf de Roos book (under the rich dad tag - but can't remember the name of it) for practical ideas.

Trading books - Reminiscinces of a stock operator and how I made $2,000,000 on the stock market were both written a long time ago but hold true even today. Trading in the Zone stands out as a great book on trading psychology, as does Dr Harry Stanton's Let the Trade Wins flow.

Who moved my cheese

How to get lots of money for anything fast - an ebook - impressed me so much that I signed up for it's affiliate program. It goes into great detail on exactly HOW to get your mind focused on what you want and eliminate all those negative thought patterns (you can check it out here http://hop.clickbank.net/?yourich/fastmoney )

And for something VERY different, I loved "The Fifth Sacred Thing", written by Starhawk. It is set in 2048, and tells of a community run on ecological principals, without poverty, hunger or hatred, and where the people honours it's mix of race, religion and sexual orientation. There is a state north of this one, where a "totalitarian regime polices a corrupt apartheid state". The peaceful society finds itself under threat from the other one, and needs to defend itself. It is called a visionary novel, and it is fantastic.

There are so many more I could add to this list, and as it's been said before, the list changes from time to time.

[Kevin Hockey]

I have read some terrific books of late including -

You Inc. by John McGrath and

Perform or Else by David Parkin & Paul Bourke ( This is a sensational book for business owners )


I also have some more to get started on including -

Good to Great by Jim Collins

The magic of thinking big - David J Schwartz

Skroo the rules - Darryl Blake ( about Graham Turner of Flight Centre fame )

Kev

www.nundahrealestate.com.au

[voodoo]

Hello everybody,

Well i have read a few books but the best is a little purple book with yellow writing on the cover.

"MAXIMIZE YOUR MENTAL POWER" David.J.Schwartz

I was walking past a book shop about 5 or 6 yrs ago and it was on a table out front for $5 so i picked it up.

I have read this book alot and feel it should be compulsary reading before leaving school.

It covers friends, Influence, Money, Good Health, Love and Romance. Also convert Wisdom into Successful living. Learn how to plan, Organize and Control your Mental Power and see how easy it is to get everything you want out of life.

It is awesome, a must.



:)

[Jacque]

Oh, wasn't Dr Seuss a wise man?
I loved your exerpt, Asy. I've read that story many times to my own children, and I can still clearly recall the thrill as a child, when I received a pile of Dr Seuss books a foot high, for one Christmas. I will forever carry a love of reading because of authors such as Dr Seuss (Theodore Seuss Geisel).
A bit of trivia for you buffs..
Did you know that his first children's book THE CAT IN THE HAT, was inspired by an article in 1954 decrying illiteracy standards in children? Dr Seuss's publisher sent him the article and a list of some 400 words (which got culled down to 220 for the book) which he wanted included in a book for First Graders. The result of that was the enormously popular CAT IN THE HAT.

Anyway....
other good recent reads have included:

YEAR OF WONDERS by G.Brooks
THE FRINGE DWELLERS by N. Gare (read it at school but it's so much more appreciated as an adult, believe me)
POOR MAN'S ORANGE by Ruth Park (quintessentially Australian)

As for investing books, I've read so many over the years and still go back to the old personal story favourites, Jan's STORY BY STORY, the recent ORDINARY MILLIONAIRES (Jim McKnight) and various motivational reads, most of which have already been mentioned.
What would life be like without a good book to curl up with at night? I simply cannot imagine. I love the transportation that reading involves and I am so inspired so often by what I read.
Happy reading all!

[perky29]

I just finsihed reading Ordinary Millionares, and my wife read it before me. What a great read!!! 12 different ways of making money with property - and many methods which would do well even in a depressed market. :)

[Sunstone]

Dear guys,

There are VERY FEW books that I have read more than once. Story by Story and Ordinary Millionaires are exceptions to the rule.

Hope Jim sells enough to justify putting out his next property book.

Although I wouldn't mind purchasing the royalty stream for "TRMIB". (Bought enough copies in my time.)

Cheers,

Sunstone.

[Puppeteer]

Unlike Jas I found Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance probably the most influential book I've ever read. It took a long time for the message to hit home, but is the one book that prompted me to take action continually, even if it's just a little bit to move you in the right direction.

Also Retire Rich, Retire Young by Kiyosaki (probably his best book - but it's better if you've already read Rich Dad Poor Dad, and Cashflow Quadrant)

Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness by Jim Rohn

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People as well, but I need to re-read it coz it was pretty heavy going.

Also Jonathon Livingstone Seagull (by Richard Bach - I think). A very uplifting story for someone who is seen as different by their peers. It got me through some of the darker periods of my life.

[agent 86]

INFLUENCE by Dr Bob Cialdini

agent 86

[willair]

How To Get Rich on other people money,Tyler G Hicks.1988.
Seeds Of Greatness,Denis Waitley ,1994.
Understanding Investment Property,N E Renton.2000..
theses are the only ones that i still read every week.
good luck
willair..

[oceangirl]

Recently read "Getting A Life" by Jacqueline Blix and David Heitmiller. This book explores the idea of 'voluntary simplicity' and setting your financial goals using the idea of trading your life energy for income producing activities.

Lots of interesting stuff on setting priorities, considering your deeply held values and organising time, money and energy accordingly.

Thought provoking and relevant when considering one's own "big picture".

Was wondering if other forumites had read this one, and if so, what did they think?

Thanks

Oceangirl