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The following is a list of finance books that I have read recently. Each section below offers not only the brief description
of the book along with its link on Amazon, but also my personal rating and a link to the full review that I wrote for the book on Amazon.
In some cases, I also provide the notes that I took while reading.
Before you scoff at my seemingly pretentious use of ratings and reviews, please keep in mind - this just helps me keep track of the stuff I've read and
what I've thought about each book. And if my words help others in any way, shape, or form - that's great.
(Update) Unfortunately, due to the nature of my job, I have not had much free time lately - so I provide a list of finance books I have read recently
that I think are worthwhile.
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Recent Worthwhile Reading List
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Finished reading: April 21, 2013
Description: a detailed chronicle of the unprecedented events in the 2008 financial crisis.
My rating:  - read my full review here.
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The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs
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Finished reading: April 9, 2013
Description: a thorough account of the firm's leaders, an interesting read - albeit somewhat repetitive and at times poorly organized.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Colossal Failure of Common Sense
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Finished reading: August 31, 2009
Description: an attempt to tell the story of Lehman's collapse; entertaining yet seemingly one-sided in its opinions as coming from a junior trader.
My rating:  - read my full review here.
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Finished reading: August 8, 2009
Description: a minute-by-minute account of Bear Stearns' final days, including tons of primary sources and excellent history on the firm.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Finished reading: July 23, 2009
Description: an incredible look into Michal Milken's empire of junk bonds, which fueled the hostile takeover craze of the 1980's. Thrilling, full of details, amazing!
My rating:  - read my full review here.
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Finished reading: July 19, 2009
Description: a fun account of Andy Kessler's days a stock equity analyst, and an insightful look at the failure of the Chinese Wall.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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A Demon of Our Own Design
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Finished reading: July 18, 2009
Description: a fresh look on complexity and risk management in the financial markets, with some excellent case studies and stories.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Finished reading: June 23, 2009
Description: a detailed narrative (1994-1998) of the rise, fall, and bailout of Long-Term Capital Management, an elite hedge fund that focused so much on mathematical models that it forgot about the "human factor" and paid a dear price.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Finished reading: June 17, 2009
Description: a solid introduction to options, technical analysis, and several trading strategies (collars, synthetic calls, covered calls, bull call spreads, bull put spreads, straddles and strangles, and butterflies and condors), that is geared toward beginners who have not had options exposure before.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Finished reading: January 7, 2009
Description: an insightful look into the bond-trading culture of Salomon Brothers in the 1980s, full of interesting personal history and witty commentary on Wall Street.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Finished reading: December 22, 2008
Description: a thought-invoking narrative by a "trader-turned-philosopher," this book urges the reader to consider the role of chance
in every-day life (and in the financial markets).
My rating:  - read my full review here (cut/edited my Amazon, which
apparently does not appreciate negative comments on books).
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Finished reading: July 26, 2007
Description: Seth Klarman's elusive masterpiece is a fantastic overview of a risk-averse approach to value investing: common investor mistakes, the basics behind value
investing and keeping a margin of safety, and highly applicable advice on investment opportunities and portfolio management.
My rating: - read my full review here.
My notes: very detailed notes I took for this book can be found here.
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Private equity as an asset class
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Finished reading: July 17, 2007
Description: an overview of the private equity field in both Europe and the US, from characteristics and structure of buyouts and venture capital to
their historic trends and returns.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco
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Finished reading: July 9, 2007
Description: a thrilling narrative on the events surrounding the biggest buyout in Wall Street history - the LBO of RJR
Nabisco in 1988.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Bigwigs Briefs: Become an Investment Banker
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Finished reading: July 6, 2007
Description: a collection of advice from various Wall Street executives on how to become successful in investment banking.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
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Finished reading: July 1, 2007
Description: the thinly disguised Jesse Livermore describes his successes and failures in the early twentieth century, providing
some great timeless advice for the reader. One of my favorite books of all time!
My rating: - read my full review here.
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The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
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Finished reading: June 27, 2007
Description: John Bogle's relatively quick and simple introduction to index investing and why it should compose a significant portion of
the average investor's portfolio.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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How to Read a Financial Report
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Finished reading: June 19, 2007
Description: an overview of financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement) and how they work
together.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Finished reading: June 4, 2007
Description: urges you to examine your relationship with money and offers a potential way to break out of the rat race.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Alpha Teach Yourself Investing in 24 Hours
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Finished reading: May 29, 2007
Description: practical but conservative description of stock and bond markets, with advice on how to begin your investment planning.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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Finished reading: May 23, 2007
Description: Peter Lynch provides insightful and practical advice in picking companies for long-term investing.
My rating: - read my full review here.
My notes: notes I took for this classic book can be found here.
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Standard and Poor's Guide to Money and Investing
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Finished reading: May 1, 2007
Description: a thorough description of the various investment vehicles available today.
My rating: - read my full review here.
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