September was a heavy focus on finance books. In particular, this best book on Amazon lists features two books from one of my favorite authors Michael Lewis. He’s an incredible writer, to say the least. Of these books, my favorite was The Big Short. And yes, I realize finance books don’t get people jazzed. However, if you’ve seen the movie or are remotely interested in the 2008/2009 financial crisis, The Big Short is for you.
While I enjoyed Boomerang, The Accidental City was incredibly interesting. To hear how France originally founded what is now New Orleans, the struggle France went through to keep it, give it to Spain, and then get the city back, was fascinating. You learn why New Orleans is the way it is after reading The Accidental City. This is another book in my quest to learn about New Orleans.
For more Points With Q articles delivered to your inbox, sign up for my travel newsletter.
Best Credit Cards to Use to Buy Books on Amazon
You can’t go wrong with using the Citi Double Cash Card and Amex Blue Business Plus for your books on Amazon purchases. Which card you use ultimately comes down to whether you prefer to earn Citi ThankYou points or Amex Membership Rewards points. Personally, the Amex Membership Rewards program has better transfer partners. However, that doesn’t mean you should discount Citi ThankYou partners.
The Citi Double Cash earns 2% cashback. You earn 1% when you make a purchase and an additional 1% when you pay your statement balance. Citi cashback can be converted into Citi points if you also hold the Citi Premier Card or the Citi Prestige Card. The Amex Blue Business Plus earns 2x points on all transactions, up to $50k in spending every year. This card is generally considered one of the most valuable Amex cards.
Best Books on Amazon
The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans
New Orleans became the city that it is today as a result of imperial expansion. France, Spain, and England needed to control the Mississippi River. This would allow each empire to control what is now the US. When France founded the city, while at war with Britain, the city was a circus. Think snake infestations, swamps, regular hurricanes, and flooding. Certainly, not the type of place you’d call home. However, the French did call it home because they knew how important it was to have a stranglehold on this port. The Accidental City tells the story of imperial power, land grabs, and jockeying for power. Not too dissimilar to present-day New Orleans. Other books about New Orleans to check out include The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square, Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans: The Battle That Shaped America’s Destiny, and A Confederacy of Dunces.
Recommend: Yes
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World
Cheap credit flooded the world’s financial markets between 2002 and 2008. This credit gave otherwise normally sane countries the ability to extend and indulge beyond their means. As the description of Boomerang states well, “Icelanders wanted to stop fishing and become investment bankers. The Greeks wanted to turn their country into a pinata stuffed with cash and allow as many citizens as possible to take a whack at it. The Germans wanted to be even more German; the Irish wanted to stop being Irish.” Author Michael Lewis shows you how debt fueled the chaos of the derailed financial markets leading to the 2008/2009 financial crisis. Other Michael Lewis books to check out include The Premonition: A Pandemic Story, The Fifth Risk, Flash Boys, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, and Liar’s Poker.
Recommend: Yes
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
In terms of trainwrecks, the only thing worse the 2008/2009 financial crisis was The Great Depression. Driven by greed, Wall Street created complex securities using the bond and real estate markets. If I’m being honest with myself, some of the financial structure of these arcane securities is hard to comprehend. At a high level, Wall Street extended cheap debt to Americans who couldn’t afford it to get Americans to go more into debt. You hear about Mexican strawberry pickers having million-dollar mortgages. Strippers in Vegas with multiple mortgages all collateralized against one another. Author Michael Lewis tells this story with characters as he always does. In The Big Short, Lewis takes a complex topic and distills it down into digestible chunks. I can’t recommend this book enough if you want to learn about how the financial crisis happened.
Recommend: Yes
Conclusion on the Best Books on Amazon
Reading is a skill that I’ve continued to work on by focusing on books that pique my interest at the time. Hopefully, my best books on the Amazon list include books you’ll find interesting and enjoy too.
Which books on Amazon did you read last month? What books do you recommend? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.
Disclaimer: If you click and/or sign up for a credit card through certain links on this site or any of my related social media platforms, I may make a commission from that click-through. The editorial content on this page and the user comments are not provided by any of the companies mentioned and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. The opinions expressed here are mine alone.
