Audiobooks

My multi step commute has gotten me hooked on Audible. Any good recommendations for audiobooks? Ideally, something that covers economics or history or the history of economics…looking a you bchad.

Ack, go with Ringworld series or something fun!

The problem with “learning” economics, is that it’s all wrong. So what is actually learnt?

Fiction books don’t really translate well for Audiobooks (for me anyway). I think it gets a little silly with the narrator using different voices, inflections, etc. Autobiographies are what I usually read, but I was looking to get something with a little more of a historic perspective. This is leisure reading and I think I have a decent enough understanding of economics to know what is “wrong.”

The Last Kingdom narrated by Julian Glover

Bchad might know some books by guys who are not reciting the current incorrect theories, but pushing new perhaps more correct theories. He mentioned some stuff before on economics in a zero growth rate world, and externality analysis…that’s the cutting edge. But those obscure authors probably won’t have audiobooks.

Try this one:

Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics

A Song of Ice and Fire

Ringworld is also good. PA seems to have decent taste in books.

The guy asked for books relating to economics or history. How does a scifi book set in 2850 fit in either category?

Can you figure out the economics behind building a ringworld? I thought not.

Right, or the Naked Sun (about a robotics society, which is becoming relevant for us, complete with economic analysis and projections). Sci-fi actually offers quite a bit of thoughts on economics, and it does so with perspective, zoomed out instead of micro-analysis. Although really I simply meant, it’s just more fun!!

Economists are about as fun as actuaries. sad

Fear and loathing on the campaign trail - HT

Fools Die - Puzo

Whenever I am feeling sad, I listen to my favorite audio book as shown below. It fills me with hope and optimism for the future.

I wonder if the campaign gets the sale proceeds or if Hillary and Tim do?

Economics stuff can be hard on audiobooks, because often there are diagrams and charts that don’t translate well to a spoken-only format, plus, the topics can be a bit dry. Histories of economics and economic philosophy can work well if you like that stuff. I looked to see if Robert Heilbroner’s The Worldly Philosophers might be on audiobook, because I wouldn’t mind listening to that, but I wasn’t able to find it (Edit: I did eventually find it)

I haven’t downloaded economics-themed audiobooks in a while, but I did listen to Niall Fergusun’s, The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World. You might start there and look for the “readers also recommended…”

The Big Short was also good on audiobook, but you’ve likely already read it. I listened to it while on a long road trip.

Alchemy of Finance by Soros was kinda meh, but when I listened, I was a finance newbie - maybe it is better now.

It’s not so economics-y, but I liked listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s books (Blink, Tipping Point, What the Dog Saw). The main issue there is that the reader (I think it is Gladwell himself) does speak in a bit of a monotone, but the rest is fascinating.

I’m sure it’s split between the candidates, the party, publisher, the real writers, and any number of other parties. Obama still makes a lot of money from his book royalties.

By the same token would you consider cosmic scifi actual precedent and food for thought for astrophysicists?

I bet ya Kaine is getting screwed out of his share.

Get ya mind right bro:

3 Pillars of Zen

Light on Life (Iyengar)

tao te ching

All of these are great on audio, I’ve listened to each multiple times and pick up something new each time. Hard work good and hard work fine, but first take care of head bro.

Absolutely. Carl Sagan worked closely with astrophysicists. Much of what they’re doing in the field of theoretical astrophysics has been written about in sci fi novels for decades. Jules Verne wrote about technology that hadn’t even been considered then came true nearly a century later.

So, yes, sci fi absolutely sets actual precedent and food for thought for astrophysicists and other scientists.

A couple suggestions that are not academically about economics, but definitely touch extensively on the development of the American economy through time, and are very good reads, so I imagine they would be a good listen.

What Hath God Wrought- Considered one of the definitive works on the subject of American development from post war of 1812 until 1850 or so.

American Collossus- A high level look at the industrial revolution, but one that isn’t “dry”

An Empire of Wealth- A rundown of everything from Jamestown to post 9/11 America. Not a lot of depth, but lots of bits of interesting info.

Another thing I like to do is deep dive on very specific topics. Recently, I’ve read the two books below and while definitely not about economics, they both greatly changed the economics of the US and to an extent, the world, and both are fascinating historically.

Nothing Like it in the World- A Stephen Ambrose book on the building of the transcontinental railroad.

The Path Between the Seas- David McCullough goes 700 pages deep on the Panama Canal. Trust me it’s good.

Finally, this is much more a high school level read or listen, but it’s a very quick read or listen and touches on econonics in a lot of ways:

Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy- Literally they follow a t-shirt from cotton field to post-consumer recycling facility and discuss all the various economies and economics surrounding something as simple as a $7 t-shirt.