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1. Berger, John — Ways of Seeing (149 pages)
2. Vonnegut, Kurt — God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian (72 pages)
3. Roth, Joseph — The Legend of the Holy Drinker (100 pages)
4. Hrabal, Bohumil — Closely Observed Trains (87 pages)
5. Bloomfield, Barbara & Chris Radley — Couple Therapy: Dramas of Love and Sex (171 pages)
6. Feist, Raymond E. — Magician (689 pages)
7. Feist, Raymond E. — Silverthorn (424 pages)
8. Faber, Michael — Under the Skin (296 pages)
9. Gourevitch, Philip — We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda (351 pages)
10. Feist, Raymond E. — A Darkness at Sethanon (518 pages)
11. Remarque, Erich Maria — All Quiet on the Western Front (215 pages)
12. Jones, Gwyneth — White Queen (318 pages)
13. Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White — The Elements of Style (104 pages)
14. Keating, Karl — Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on "Romanism" by "Bible Christians" (337 pages)
15. Ettlinger, Steve — Twinkie, Deconstructed (274 pages)
16. Dick, Philip K. — The Penultimate Truth (191 pages)
17. Clason, George S. — The Richest Man in Babylon (198 pages)

Page count

4494

Becoming a home owner inspired me to take a closer look at my financial situation. I realised I know very little about finances and wanted some guidance. The Richest Man in Babylon had been recommended, and I was intrigued by reviews I read.

Clason's financial advise is shockingly simple. It's a lot like weight loss: it's no secret that with proper diet and exercise most of us would be adequately fit; similarly, if we apply Clason's common sense rules, we would be financially fit. To pound the point home, Clason presents a series of parables, set in and around Babylon, in which his various rules are put to the test. The stories are illustrative and mostly enjoyable.

The rules?

1. Pay yourself first. No matter what your debts and other necessities, every time you are paid set aside 10% as an investment in yourself.
2. Control expenditures. Budget, making sure not to touch the 10% you've set aside, so that you control what your money is spent on.
3. Invest, thereby making your money work for you.
4. Protect against loss.
5. Make of your home a profitable investment.
6. Make arrangements for future income.
7. Increase your ability to earn more.

Refreshingly simple! Of these, he reiterates in each chapter, the first is the most important rule. Making that 10% investment in oneself makes it easier eventually to follow the other rules.

The Richest Man in Babylon is a brilliant book, accessible, fun to read, and filled with sound advice. And if you follow the advice, the book will pay for itself and more.