New books

1. Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition by Michael J. Mauboussin (**)
2. Beyond austerity: A path to economic growth and renewal in Europe by Charles Roxburgh, McKinsey Global Institute, Baudouin Regout and Jan Mischke (**)
3. Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and Schoolby John Medina (**)
4. Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman (**)
5. Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle by Dan Senor and Saul Singer (***)
6. Restless by William Boyd (**)
7. Leszek Miller, Robert Krasowski "Anatomia siły", Czerwone i Czarne, 2013 (***)

Books read recently

Ranked from * to ***:

1. Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (***)
2. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby (**)
3. Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens by Christopher Hitchens (**)
4. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.) by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (**)
5. The Price of Inequality: How Today's Divided Society Endangers Our Future by Joseph E. Stiglitz (***)
6. Numbers Rule Your World: The Hidden Influence of Probabilities and Statistics on Everything You Do by Kaiser Fung (**)
7. Deception: The Untold Story of East-West Espionage Today by Edward Lucas (***)
8. Parkinson's Law by C. Northcote Parkinson (*)
9. Boulevard of Broken Dreams: Why Public Efforts to Boost Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Have Failed--and What to Do About It (Kauffman Foundation Series on Innovation and Entrepreneurship) byJoshua Lerner (**)
10. Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else by Chrystia Freeland (***)

Recently read books

Finally, I managed to put down the list of what I have been reading recently, as always ranked from * (don't touch it) to *** (can't live without):

1. Finance and the Good Society by Robert J. Shiller (**)
2. The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Europe: Volume 2 by Stephen Broadberry (Author), Kevin H. O'Rourke (**)
3. How Much is Enough?: Money and the Good Life by Robert Skidelsky and Edward Skidelsky (***)
4. Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer (*)
5. Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error by Kathryn Schulz (***)
6. Eastern Front 1914-1917 by Norman Stone (**)
7. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
8. Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947 by Christopher M. Clark (***)
9. Strategic Vision: America and the Crisis of Global Power by Zbigniew Brzezinski (**)
10. End This Depression Now! by Paul Krugman (**)
11. "Gottland" by Mariusz Szczygiel (**)
12. "Zbig. Człowiek, który podminował Kreml" by Andrzej Lubowski (**)
13. Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles by Ruchir Sharma
14. Happiness: Lessons from a New Science by Richard Layard (***)
15. Decades of Crisis: Central and Eastern Europe before World War II by  T. Iván Berend (***)

New books read recently

Ranked from * (boring) to *** (smashing):

1. The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World by Daniel Yergin **
2. Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President by Ron Suskind ***
3. God is not Great by Christopher Hitchens***
4. Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy by Martin Lindstrom ***

New books read in the last month

As always, ranking starts from * to ***.

1. Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure by Tim Harford (May 10, 2011)***

2. Civilization: The West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson (2011)***

3. „Trans” by Manuela Gretkowska*

4. „Koźmiński Reaktywacja”, group authorship***

5. “Zgred” by Rafal Ziemkiewicz**

6. “Swiat do przerobki. Spekulanci, bankruci, giganci i ich rywale” by Witold M. Orlowski***

Books read in 2010

Here is a list of (most) books I read in 2010, together with the assessment of their quality ranging from "*" - don't bother to "***" - you can't miss it!

1. The Beijing Consensus: How China's Authoritarian Model Will Dominate the Twenty-First Century - Stefan Halper*
2. The War of the World by Niall Ferguson***
3. I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away by Bill Bryson***
4. Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World by Margaret MacMillan***
5. Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesn't Add Up by Joseph E. Stiglitz, Amartya Sen and Jean-Paul Fitoussi***
6. The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz**
7. Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy by Joseph E. Stiglitz**
8. Wrong: Why experts* keep failing us--and how to know when not to trust them *Scientists, finance wizards, doctors, relationship gurus, celebrity CEOs, ... consultants, health officials and more by David H. Freedman***
9. Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy by Raghuram Rajan***
10. The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger by Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson***
11. Prosperity without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet by Tim Jackson **
12. The Plundered Planet: Why We Must--and How We Can--Manage Nature for Global Prosperity by Paul Collier**
13. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis***
14. Truth, Errors, and Lies: Politics and Economics in a Volatile World by Grzegorz W. Kolodko***
15. Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder***
16. Ill Fares the Land by Tony Judt**
17. When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change by Mohamed A. El-Erian**
18. By Force of Thought: Irregular Memoirs of an Intellectual Journey by János Kornai**
19. W Pogoni za Straconym Czasem Wzrost Gospodarczy w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej by Orłowski Witold M.***
20. Stulecie Chaosu. Alternatywne Dzieje XX Wieku by Orłowski Witold M.**
21. Czas Wrzeszczących Staruszków by Ziemkiewicz Rafał A.**
22. Świat na Wyciągnięcie Myśli by Kołodko Grzegorz***
23. Globalizacja, Kryzys – i co Dalej? by Kołodko Grzegorz (eds)***
24. 20 Lat Transformacji. Osiągnięcia Problemy Perspektywy by Kołodko Grzegorz and Jacek Tomkiewicz (eds)***
25. On Economic Transformation in East-Central Europe: a Historical and International Perspective by Andres Solimano*
26. Cień Wiatru by Zafon Carlos Luis**
27. Koniec świata menadżerów? By Koźmiński Andrzej K.***
28. Trzecia Strona Medalu By Baliszewski Dariusz*
29. Transformacja Nieoczywista. Polska jako kraj imigracji by Agaty Gorny and others*
30. W Pogoni za Europą by Tazbir Janusz***
31. Protokóły Mędrców Syjonu by Tazbir Janusz*

Books on being wrong

I have just read/am in the process of reading a couple of excellent books on why experts tend to be wrong (they are actually more often wrong than right), why we find so hard to know whenever we make errors, why our memory fails ("it fades over time and is distorted by our beliefs, desires and interests) and why "If being wrong is so natural, why are we all so bad at imagining that our beliefs could be mistaken – and why do we typically react to our errors with surprise, denial, defensiveness and shame?". And "what if I am wrong?"

In addition, you can read some truths about the way our minds really work: "first, we are subject to powerful illusions about how our minds work. Second, these illusions are difficult to shake, even when they are pointed out to us in books like this. Third, technology may hurt more than it helps, since new inventions often tax our mental capacities even further."

Read the helpful reviews below and the books themselves (now available on everyone's laptop, just download Kindle software)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/books/review/Gilbert-t.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/books/11book.html?ref=review

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/books/review/Bloom-t.html

From "the Bloodlands" to "New Europe"

Anne Applebaum has written an interesting review of a new book by Timothy Snyder on "Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin", which talks about inter alia the fourteen million people in Poland, Belarus and Ukraine, who have been deliberately killed by Hitler and Stalin during their reign.

What a far cry from a situation today, where Germans pay for the Polish highways... I think that Poles and the West still do not appreciate how far we have come since those disastrous times...

Books read in 2009

I have finally found some time to write down a list of most of the books I read last year. Instead of writing reviews for which of them, I graded each of the books with "*" - from * (useless) through ** (OK to read) to *** (superb). So, here is the (almost complete) list:

1. Development as Freedom by Amartya Sen**
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Vintage) by Stieg Larsson***
3. Economic Development in East Central Europe in the Nineteenth andTwentieth Centuries (Institute on East Central Europe Series) by Ivan T. Berend and Gyorgy Ranki**
4. Successes of the International Monetary Fund: Untold Stories of Cooperation at Work by Eduard Brau and Ian McDonald**
5. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage) by Barack Obama **
6. Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why It Matters for Global Capitalism by George A. Akerlof and Robert Shiller**
7. The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008 by Paul Krugman***
8. The Chamber by John Grisham**
9. The Associate: A Novel by John Grisham***
10. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein**
11. One Economics, Many Recipes: Globalization, Institutions, and Economic Growth by Dani Rodrik***
12. The Miracle: The Epic Story of Asia's Quest for Wealth by Michael Schuman***
13. The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World - Niall Ferguson**
14. The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century - George Friedman**
15. Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation by Nandan Nilekani*
16. “Zywina” by Rafal Ziemkiewicz**
17. “Cialo Obce” by Rafal Ziemkiewicz**
18. “My, Narod” by Tomasz Lis*
19. „Czy globalizacja musi być irracjonalna?” Władysław Szymański***
20. Global Tax Revolution: The Rise of Tax Competition and the Battle to Defend It by Chris Edwards and Daniel J. Mitchell*
21. „Konkurencja podatkowa i harmonizacja podatków w ramach Unii Europejskiej, implikacje dla Polski” by Leokadia Oręziak*
22. „Podatki w Unii Europejskiej. Harmonizacja czy konkurencja podatkowa?” Slawomi Bukowski, Marek Pypec*
23. The Subprime Solution: How Today's Global Financial Crisis Happened, and What to Do about It by Robert J. Shiller**
24. Hoodwinked: An Economic Hit Man Reveals Why the World Financial Markets Imploded--and What We Need to Do to Remake Them by John Perkins**
25. “Capital Ideas Evolving” Peter L. Bernstein**
26. „Dlaczego nie jesteśmy bogaci. Dystans gospodarki polskiej do zachodnioeuropejskiej” by Wójtowicz Grzegorz, Wójtowicz Anna**
27. „Polska przedmurzem Europy” by Janusz Tazbir*
28. „How It All Happened” by Andrzej K. Kozminski**
29. “Zupełnie normalna historia” by Marcin Kula*
30. The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It by Paul Collier***
31. „Świat Według Mellera. Życie i Polityka: Ku Przyszłości” by Michal Komar**
32. „Władysław Bartoszewski. Wywiad rzeka” by Michal Komar**
33. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions (Revised & Expanded Edition) by Dan Ariely**
34. Świat, który oszalał czyli poradnik na ciekawe czasy Witold M. Orłowski**
35. White Eagle, Red Star: The Polish-Soviet War 1919-1920 and "The Miracle on the Vistula” by Norman Davies**
36. Intellectuals: From Marx and Tolstoy to Sartre and Chomsky (P.S.) by Paul Johnson*
37. “Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle” by Paul Johnson*
38. “The Post-American World” by Fareed Zakaria**
39. Rivals: How the Power Struggle Between China, India, and Japan Will Shape Our Next Decade by Bill Emmott***
40. Everyman by Philip Roth**
41. The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of an Irrational World by Tim Harford**

"Poland - Key to Europe" by Buell

Now reading a book on "Poland - Key to Europe" by Buell published in 1939.

The book is fascinating. The main message I am getting so far is that Poland today is in unbelievably better political, social, military, and economic position than before 1939.

There is a couple of cool historical quirks that I like so much. For instance, in 1927 Poland, in return for a stabilization loan from the US, had to appoint a foreign financial advisor to the Council of the Bank of Poland, apparently to "watch over us". Charles Dewey, an American assistant secretary at the Treasury, assumed the position for three years. Sounds like a banana republic...

Books read 2004-06

I thought I would inaugurate the blog with a list (not totally exhaustive) of books I have read in the past two years or so. I have tried to grade them with * - from * (useless) to *** (superb) I will keep updating the list with much more (hopefully) books in the near future..

Books read in 2006
1. Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb***
2. The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman *
3. Hedgehogging by Barton Biggs **
4. The Age of Napoleon (Modern Library Chronicles) by Alistair Horne **
5. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins *
6. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown **
7. The Cold War: A New History by John Lewis Gaddis ***
8. Jadąc do Babadag (okładka miękka), Andrzej Stasiuk *
9. The Accidental President of Brazil: A Memoir by Fernando Cardoso**
10. O władzy i bezsilności, Jadwiga Staniszkis *
11. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins***
12. The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good by William Easterly**
13. America at the Crossroads: Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy by Francis Fukuyama***
14. The Partner by John Grisham***
15. What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love by Carole Radziwill*
16. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind**
17. The Sea by John Banville**
18. Against the Flow: Reflections of an Individualist by Samuel Brittan*
19. Grand Failure: The Birth and Death of Communism in the Twentieth Century by Zbigniew Brzezinski***
20. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell*
21. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell**
22. Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown by Paul Theroux***
23. The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy by Friedrich Durrenmatt ***
Books read in 2005
24. The Mystery of Economic Growth by Elhanan Helpman **
25. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner ***
26. “Ekonomia Polityczna Globalizacji” by Henryk Cholaj *
27. The Balkans: Nationalism, War & the Great Powers, 1804-1999 by Misha Glenny **
28. Madam Secretary: A Memoir by Madeleine Albright **
29. My Life by Bill Clinton **
30. The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy (IGN European Country Maps) by Anthony Giddens *
31. False Dawn: The Delusions of Global Capitalism by John Gray *
32. The Power of Productivity: Wealth, Poverty, and the Threat to Global Stability by William W. Lewis **
33. JOURNEY FOR OUR TIME, THE RUSSIAN JOURNALS OF THE MARQUIS DE CUSTINE by Marquis De Custine **
34. Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald **
35. The Old Patagonian Express by Paul Theroux **
36. The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House by John F. Harris ***
37. Polactwo, Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz ***
38. Dobre miejsce do umierania, Wojciech Jagielski **
39. La France qui tombe par Nicolas Baverez *
40. Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik **
41. Why Globalization Works by Martin Wolf **
42. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier **
43. La Belle France: A Short History by Alistair Horne **
Books read in 2004
44. The World's Banker : A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations (Council on Foreign Relations Books (Penguin Press)) by Sebastian Mallaby **
45. State-Building: Governance and World Order in the 21st Century by Francis Fukuyama *
46. Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution by Francis Fukuyama **
47. Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power by Niall Ferguson ***
48. Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire by Niall Ferguson ***
49. The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700-2000 by Niall Ferguson **
50. Dust of the Saints: A Journey to Herat in Time of War by Radek Sikorski **
51. Full Circle: A Homecoming to Free Poland by Radek Sikorski **
52. The Choice: Global Domination or Global Leadership by Zbigniew Brzezinski ***
53. Casino Moscow: A Tale of Greed and Adventure on Capitalism's Wildest Frontier by Matthew Brzezinski ***
54. A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz and Nicholas de Lange **