Recently finished up my 2 year analyst stint and have some time off before PE starts. Got cranked in banking, feel like it really numbed my mind so I want to get back into reading.
What are you favorite NON-FINANCE books? I have other plans so please spare me the "dude wtf you're going to read? go reenact eurotip"
Agreed...
Really depends on what kind of stuff you like to read. Myself am trying to get my hands on a Gore Vidal book, but would also suggest:
Crime and Punishment The Idiot War and Peace
I like the Russian stuff and philosophical (except Rand really).
Or guilty pleasure:
LOTR
Also heard that Steppenwolf by Hesse is very good.
thanks for the replies, everyone. i'm probably leaning away from the heavy philosophical stuff, more towards fiction / amazing biographies. studied roman history in school, will definitely check out marcus aurelius' meditations
Schopenhauer is the easiest philosopher to understand and the above mentioned book usually consists of a paragraph to 3 pages for each theme.
If you enjoy autobiographies I recommend Baruch: My Own Story. It covers his investment ventures but even more so politics. I'm currently reading "Dark Genius of Wall Street" which is the biography of Jay Gould... so far so good. Always good to learn from these larger than life figures.
Slaughterhouse 5, Farewell to Arms
Also, am now interested in Schopenhauer!
Believe it or not, I thought this was excellent. I very rarely read fiction, but I couldn't put this down. http://www.amazon.com/Path-Destruction-Star-Wars-Darth/dp/0345477375
I'm very curious as to what turned you on to that book in the first place; spontaneity?
I just finished A Dance with Dragons and it was awesome....so if you are into Game of Thrones..then A Song of Ice and Fire books are a great read.
My favorite book in literature is One Hundred Years of Solitude.
If you like something philosophical, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one of my all time favorites, as well anything by Alan Watts.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and The Google Story are great books if you're interested in tech, entrepreneurship, success or just inspirational success stories in general.
The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie (yeah, the man can also write a book pretty well!)
Stieg Larsson's millenium series. Great books if you're looking for exciting fiction
Fast, mindless, interesting read: The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson. NYT Best sellers usually don't do too much for me... but I couldn't get enough and finished in about 3 days lol
I don't read much, but currently plowing through The Passage by Justin Cronin. Kind of a post-apocalyptic thriller. Not going to exercise your brain too much, but it's hard to put down.
To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, Angels and Demons
This Side of Paradise
Agreed on Schopenhauer. I got a different version of his: The Essential Schopenhauer: Key Selections from The World As Will and Representation and Other Writings. At times I've had to pause and take in the effect that my mind has been blown.
I am also reading Duff Cooper's biography of Talleyrand, another character whom I am fascinated with.
One Hundred Years of Solitude is a classic. Great book.
Some other good suggestions here.
If you are looking for a quick read and like mystery check out Agatha Christie novels. Hercule Poirot is quite the baller.
What did you guys like about One Hundred Years? I just finished it and I can't say I fully appreciate what makes this book such a classic
It's hard to describe exactly, I think it's one of those things where it either clicks with you or it doesn't. That being said, the 'magical realism' style is fucking awesome, as are other broad themes like history being circular, subjectivity of reality, etc.
Just finished reading Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest.....holy shit this book is awesome
The Firm by John Grisham if you haven't read it
Without a doubt my favorite novel, some of the points in the book will remind you of your analyst days
Les Miserables is quite easily the best fiction book I have ever read. If you have seen the musical or movie, it doesn't come close to doing it justice. I'll also second Crime and Punishment. Dostoevsky is really a master of his craft.
And I know this isn't fiction, but - Guns, Germs & Steel. It won the pulitzer, was suggested to me, I read it, as I was reading it, several people would comment on how good it was. After I read it, everyone who I suggested it to also enjoyed it. This includes doctors, academics, lawyers, and people in finance. It has really broad appeal and is at a really interesting cross-section of history, anthropology, economics, and other fields.
Anything by Erik Larson is good, in particular Devil in the White City and Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. Historical non-fiction but written like novels. Easy-to-read page-turners.
If youre into food/travel/culture, read some of Anthony Bourdain's work. He does seem like an egotistical maniac, but his writing style is prolific. Really really really interesting read, feels like youre watching his show.
pro·lif·ic prəˈlifik/Submit adjective 1. (of a plant, animal, or person) producing much fruit or foliage or many offspring. "in captivity, tigers are prolific breeders" synonyms: productive, creative, inventive, fertile "a prolific composer" 2. present in large numbers or quantities; plentiful. "mahogany was once prolific in the tropical forests" synonyms: plentiful, abundant, bountiful, profuse, copious, luxuriant, rich, lush; More
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