the Book Brothel

Reviewed by L.D.Y.

Hardcover (available in trade), 296 pages, 2004

Rating: 8/10

Reason for Reading: It caught my eye on amazon.ca’s best of 2004 list.

Synopsis: Experts are experts because they’re smarter than the average random crowd walking down the street, right? Maybe not. Surowiecki sets out to prove that as long as certain conditions are met, group decisions and actions can average out to a better choice than ones even experts can come up with. From Google to traffic jams to taxes, Surowiecki demonstrates time and time again that society could be much better if we’d drop the idea of the solitary genius and instead consider everyone’s input.

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Reviewed by L.D.Y.

Trade, 259 pages, 2005

Rating: 7/10

Reason for Reading: I’m playing catch-up on everything to do with business and finance after years of English courses.

Synopsis: Tired of feeling like you do all the work while your boss reaps all of the benefits? Maybe it’s time to consider starting your own business. But wait - as Robert Kiyosaki cautions in this book, there’s a lot more to consider the product or service you’re considering offering. You can work as hard as you want, but unless you know all of the areas you should be working on, as outlined in the book, you may be dooming your business to become one of the many companies to hit the market and fail within a year. The purpose of Before You Quit Your Job is to teach you to change your thinking mentality from that of an employee to that of an entrepreneur.

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href="http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/044657709X/qid%3D1117401550/701-0826663-3059561"

alt="Nice Girls Don't Get Rich by Lois P. Frankel" />

Reviewed by L.D.Y.

Hardcover, 288 pages, 2005

Rating: 9/10

Reason for Reading: I’m pretty sure expanding my shoe collection as often as

possible does not, alas, really count as ‘investing.’

Synopsis: Don’t be fooled by the book’s title - Frankel’s goal is to help you find

your way to financial independence for life, not to turn you into the type of greedy

monster that would kick her best friend in the teeth if it meant a raise and promotion at

the office. Frankel outlines seventy-five mistakes women commonly make with money, and with each one expands

on the negative effects and possible motivations behind the mistakes, before

finishing up with a section of ‘coaching tips’ that can be applied to that specific problem in order to help you get your

financial situation on track.

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Reviewed by L.D.Y.

Hardcover (available in trade), 279 pages, 2000

Rating: 9/10

Reason for Reading: A recommendation from Nancy Pearl’s Book Lust.

Synopsis: Gladwell takes a fascinating look at the people who start trends and epidemics, and the little things that can push something from locally hot to internationally cool. Why did crime drop suddenly in New York City in the 1990s? How did Sesame Street become almost requisite viewing for kids? Why do ’stop smoking’ campaigns aimed at teenagers fail? The answers might surprise you.

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