Besides fiction chick-lit, the non-fiction books I read are typically books purchased by my husband at the airport (think very mainstream). However, even within the “mainstream” genre, there are thousands of different books to choose from, so thought I’d share some of the books I read and liked the most. I don’t want to give everything away, but have also included my comments on each regarding why I liked it and what I found to be the best bits:
1. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (by Chip Heath and Dan Heath) - Lots of great concepts covered in this book and an easy read end to end. The most interesting bit that stuck (he-he) with me was (not related to stickiness) about how when study participants are asked to read an emotional versus analytical passage followed by a donation request, participants who read the emotional passage contribute significantly larger amounts than those who read the analytical passage. This appears to be true even if the two passages and the reason for the donation are completely unrelated. Overall, excellent read: I give it 4.5 stars.
2. Microtrends: the small forces behind tomorrow’s big changes (by Mark J. Penn with E. Kinney Zalesne) - A very easy read and, with each chapter focused on it’s own microtrend, it’s possible to digest bit by bit and jump chapters by using the table of contents to find what sounds most interesting to you. However, if you’re a big economist fan, don’t expect the author to explain why the trends are happening (he is not nor does he claim to be an economist), his purpose is to observe and identify trends as they happen and predict how these trends may affect the future. Easy and interesting toilet reading: I give it 4 stars.
3. The Long Tail: How endless choice is creating unlimited demand (by Chris Anderson) - Also easy to read and a very interesting concept on how the internet has broken the bottleneck of availability and how we are entering an era of unprecendented choice. He goes on to explain that even the most obscure products have at least one consumer and how the total purchase of obscure products (or non-”hits”) can surpass the total purchase of the “hits”. I didn’t finish it because I felt he explained the concept very well in the first few chapters. One good concept drawn throughout the entire book: I give it 3 stars.
4. Confessions of an Economic Hitman (by John Perkins) - Not super easy to read and one that many anti-conspiracy-theorists will dislike due to anti-capitalism sentiments throughout the book. However, still an interesting perspective to keep in mind. It took a little long to finish: I give it 2 stars.
5. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner) - an “oldie” but goodie, this is the original book I read that got me started on all the other non-fiction books I’ve since read. Before this book, I only read fiction and believed that all non-fiction books are like textbooks and boring. The most interesting part of this book is why crime rate dropped in America (the surprise answer is the legalization of abortion). The best economics book I’ve read yet: I give it 4.5 stars.
6. Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (by Malcolm Gladwell) - Also an “oldie” and easy to read with lots of interesting examples. The best part of this book is it’s premise: that trends and “things” in general do not happen unilaterally, but build gradually until they “tip” and hit the mainstream. Also a good read is “Blink” by the same author, but I liked Tipping Point more: I give it 4 stars.
7. Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything (by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams) - I’m cheating. I’m actually only into the second chapter, but I have already encountered lots of great ideas and examples. Fairly easy to read and I like how the authors address the naysayers to wikinomics. Also, great examples. Not sure it’s fair to rate this yet, but so far so good… current star rating is 4 stars.


