- Berger, John — Ways of Seeing (149 pages)
- Vonnegut, Kurt — God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian (72 pages)
- Roth, Joseph — The Legend of the Holy Drinker (100 pages)
- Hrabal, Bohumil — Closely Observed Trains (87 pages)
- Bloomfield, Barbara & Chris Radley — Couple Therapy: Dramas of Love and Sex (171 pages)
- Feist, Raymond E. — Magician (689 pages)
- Feist, Raymond E. — Silverthorn (424 pages)
- Faber, Michael — Under the Skin (296 pages)
- Gourevitch, Philip — We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda (351 pages)
- Feist, Raymond E. — A Darkness at Sethanon (518 pages)
- Remarque, Erich Maria — All Quiet on the Western Front (215 pages)
- Jones, Gwyneth — White Queen (318 pages)
- Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White — The Elements of Style (104 pages)
- Keating, Karl — Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on "Romanism" by "Bible Christians" (337 pages)
- Ettlinger, Steve — Twinkie, Deconstructed (274 pages)
- Dick, Philip K. — The Penultimate Truth (191 pages)
- 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?
- Pay yourself first. No matter what your debts and other necessities, every time you are paid set aside 10% as an investment in yourself.
- Control expenditures. Budget, making sure not to touch the 10% you've set aside, so that you control what your money is spent on.
- Invest, thereby making your money work for you.
- Protect against loss.
- Make of your home a profitable investment.
- Make arrangements for future income.
- 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.
