3 replies to this topic

[ConvertedGoldBug]

I'd like to start a new thread which members could perhaps suggest any really good books for further reading. I realise there's a pinned Books thread in this forum, but that tends to be mostly about investing and trading.

However, many of the ideas that get raised in this forum are fascinating, and I'd quite like to learn more about the issues themselves and possible solutions or work-arounds from a non-investment point of view.

Examples of recent threads in this forum which I find really interesting include:

Find the Missing US Recession - What next ?, What truths need facing, when the lies are understood:
http://www.greenenergyinvestors.com/index.php?showtopic=4077

Planning for the future, What can you do now in preparation:
http://www.greenenergyinvestors.com/index.php?showtopic=4064


So what I'd be interested in is anyone's suggestions of some books more related to these subjects, e.g.

-- Demographics and changes to the suburban lifestyle (I really enjoy reading Dr. Bubb's threads on how suburban living needs to change to more dense "new-urban" themes... similar to James Howard Kunstler's opinions).
-- Beyond peak oil, and changes to the way we live (slightly different take on the above)
-- Surviving in a great depression.
-- Global Warming and adapting to climate change.

+ any other subjects of interest to people...


Basically, more in-depth background information from an educational perspective about anything that tends to get covered in this forum... Nothing too heavy-going and philosophical, though!

Actually, maybe the odd "coffee-table" type book with colourful illustrations (like in Dr Bubb's "urban living" threads) would be a welcome diversion too...


Recently I've enjoyed the following books:
-- "Crash Proof" by Peter Schiff
-- "The Collapse of the Dollar" by James Turk
-- "The Long Emergency" by James Howard Kunstler
-- "Eating Fossil Fuels" by Dale Allen Pfeiffer

plus a few documentaries:
-- The End of Suburbia
-- A Crude Awakening
-- The 11th Hour

I've also got the following on my list to get hold for future reading (unless anyone advises against any of them):
-- "Water: The Final Resource: How the Politics of Water Will Affect the World" by Robin Griffiths and William Houston
-- "The David Icke Guide to the Global Conspiracy (and How to End It)"
-- "Fooled by Randomness" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
-- "Manias, Panics and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises" by Charles P. Kindleberger
-- "Heat: How to Stop the Planet From Burning" by George Monbiot
-- "The Coming Economic Collapse: How You Can Thrive When Oil Costs $200 a Barrel" by Stephen Leeb
-- "Wake Up - Survive And Prosper In The Coming Economic Turmoil" by Jim Mellon and Al Chalabi
-- "Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource" by Marq de Villiers
-- "The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency: The Classic Guide for Realists and Dreamers" by John Seymour, Will Sutherland, and E.F. Schumacher
-- "Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet" by Mark Lynas
-- "Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert's Peak" by Kenneth S. Deffeyes
-- "Empire of Debt: The Rise of An Epic Financial Crisis" by William Bonner
-- "A World Without Bees" by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum
-- "An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It" by Al Gore (not sure whether to get the book or the DVD)


Maybe if this thread has enough interest, it could also be pinned at the top of the forum?

[Steve Netwriter]

Wow that's a big list !
I hope you are going to share a summary of what you learn from reading them

I've added this thread to my list of notable threads:

http://www.greenenergyinvestors.com/index.php?showtopic=3784

[ConvertedGoldBug]

I've added this thread to my list of notable threads:

http://www.greenenergyinvestors.com/index.php?showtopic=3784

Wow, I've been immortalised forever on Steve's list of notable threads already!

This list started from a few common recommendations on websites, and then continued from random searches on Amazon and their links to other similar titles, etc.

So being quite random, although I might have struck lucky and stumbled upon of the better books on the subjects, it's obviously by no means comprehensive... which is why I thought it would be good to get some suggestions from here, of books that people have actually read and consider worthy of promoting...

[Steve Netwriter]

Healthy Money, Healthy Planet: Developing Sustainability through New Money Systems by Kiwi author Deirdre Kent

I've just started reading Deirdre's book.

My first impression was one of great surprise at how much there is in the book, especially considering it was only $35 including postage.
There are so many great points made that I've had to start marking them so I can find them again later.

The preface is very interesting and shows how much experience Deirdre has.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone who wants to understand why the world economy is in the mess it is now in, and for anyone who wants to understand the greater issues of why the current money system is unsustainable and is incompatible with a finite planet.

I now realise that many of the discussions about why society seems to be getting worse failed to find the real basic cause. If you want to understand the real issue, this book will show you.

Maybe most interesting for anyone in NZ it also explains a lot about the NZ money system and why NZ is not doing better economically.

Reading this book will probably save you spending vastly more on Bernard Leitaer's excellent, but difficult to buy, book "The Future of Money".


Brief description of book:

Deirdre Kent is the author of Healthy Money, Healthy Planet: Developing Sustainability through New Money Systems that was published in 2005.

She claims our current financial crisis is not about toxic financial products or bad debts. We need to ask the more fundamental questions about how money is created in the first place. Why does every economist and politician claim we have to have economic growth? Deirdre has been crying out in the wilderness for a long time and the current domino effect of money problems around the world has been an unavoidable scenario in an unsustainable system based on constant growth of money and goods.

321 pages, and packed with facts. A real eye opener.

The book can be ordered for $35 (includes postage within New Zealand.)  (you can pay direct into Helen's account)
Please contact Mrs Helen Dew, 12 Costley St, Carterton
Ph/Fax 06 379 8034. helend@contact.net.nz

http://www.le.org.nz/tiki-index.php

A radio interview recorded with Deirdre Kent and broadcast on 12 Nov 2008.
http://www.odeo.com/episodes/23611429-Deir...-Crisisexternal link