Book list of 2022
It’s that time of the year again! Time to look back and review the books I read in 2022. I enjoy this post and have been doing one for five years now. I find the process very informative and enjoyable; it’s like walking through memory lane that brings back fun memories and lets me experience the books I read one more time before I move on to the next.
This year I only read nine books. That’s very much on the low end for me. I usually average in the double digits and strive for around twenty books. I am not too dismayed, nor am I looking for any excuse for this; sometimes, I prioritize other activities over reading, and this was one of those years.
Unsurprisingly, financial books dominated the list again. That has been my theme for the past several years and will continue as I build my financial knowledge and expertise.
I read an EXCELLENT computer science-related book, so if you are into coding, check it out below; I highly recommend it.
Without further ado, here is the list in chronological order that I finished books:
The Revolution That Wasn’t: GameStop, Reddit, and the Fleecing of Small Investors
Rating: 3/5
GameStop, Robinhood, and Reddit combined to create a chaotic cocktail that dominated the minds of most amateur and professional investors in 2021. I love the book’s message and how it accurately portrays the BS that Robinhood is, but other than that, I found the book disjointed. I wonder if the book was rushed to the press to make sure to cash in while the public still followed the story. I don’t think I would recommend this book but I will highlight a few points it made:
- Robinhood promising to liberate regular investors is complete BS. They only care about getting access to as many amateur investors as possible and making as much money as possible. They do more damage to an average stock enthusiast than good.
- Social media is a mighty force. Reddit message board served as a powerful fuel to the stock market craziness of 2021. Time and time again, you can’t ignore the power of a crowd when they get organized. And the place of such organizations in the 21st century is social media.
The Naked Trader: Simplistic Option Strategies That Will Revolutionize Your Portfolio
Rating: 1/5
I like the author and have read his book Money Grows on Trees before this one. I liked it. He also has put out some excellent youtube content over the years. But this one felt more like a short piece of work he and another author put together, and the book is not worth your time. Stay away.
Getting Started in Chart Patterns
Rating: 4/5
Loved this book. I recommend this to the stock traders that have advanced a bit in their trading and at least attempted to grasp the basic chart patterns. This book will allow you to practice what you have learned and strengthen your knowledge.
The author lists all the price chart patterns that he considers useful and meaningful in the trader's arsenal. He provides his success rate for each pattern, so you get an idea of how frequently it was valid in the list of stocks he reviewed. I like how he describes his thinking, considers when the pattern is confirmed and how he would trade it.
It’s straightforward to follow and digest and is highly recommended for beginners.
We Are Bellingcat: Global Crime, Online Sleuths, and the Bold Future of News
Rating: 4/5
Fantastic book and highly recommended. If you have doubts about how criminal the Russian government is, read this book.
The author is enemy number one of Russia’s government, and frankly, I am surprised he has remained alive for as long as he has.
You will see examples of blatant and outrageous lies that Russians propagate, how they lie, and what tactics they use to hide their lies.
During all of it, you will get a closer look into one of the most accomplished investigative organizations. Made up of volunteers primarily; they work hard to unmask the crimes and the deceptions of various governments, not just Russia. What Bellingcat does is incredibly hard to replicate for government organizations that usually operate on tight budgets and fixed schedules. The sheer number of hours needed to analyze various loose pieces of information into a coherent evidence net is impossible for a government institution. Bellingcat has an advantage here as they are made up of many unpaid volunteers and can take as much time as they want on a case, not being bound by any political/government schedules.
Of course, the work is not easy and often very damaging to the psyche of the investigators, not to mention the danger brought on by dictatorships and their agencies that want to do everything in their power to eliminate Bellingcat.
A Common-Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms: Level Up Your Core Programming Skills
Rating: 5/5
This book is a must-have for software engineers. I have read a few algorithm books that are usually very dry and hard to go through in depth. This book is not that. The author covers the most needed-to-know topics and algorithms in a way that’s easy to grasp and digest. He also provides excellent examples and additional exercises. I loved following them along as I was learning the concepts.
The review is short and won’t do justice to the book. If you are a software engineer and haven’t delved into the internals of algorithms in a while, give this book a spin. Best if you schedule regular learning time to go through it, as you will get the most out of the book if you code along.
Monte Carlo Simulation: The Art of Random Process Characterization
Rating: 2/5
I had high hopes for this book; the author is most likely an incredible data scientist. Unfortunately, the reader needs more details on the concepts being used, and the code examples could be more varied, mainly in excel and vb. You have to know a lot of stats and data science concepts to follow along. I don’t think this book gives you a way to learn about monte Carlo simulations, and it is most likely for advanced data science readers.
Secrets For Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets
Rating: 4/5
A stock trader’s classic, it gets recommended all the time, but I had put off reading it for years. It would have come in really handy in 2021. This book is written for the starts and ends of the bull markets as it focuses on spotting industry and individual stock breakout recognition, as well as recognition of the deteriorations in stocks.
The book was published in 1988, almost 40 years ago, and what it describes withstands the test of time. Of course, some things are outdated, such as price levels that the stocks are traded at, and a few other minor things, but overall I can confirm what the book describes I have observed as recently as 2020/2021.
The author is adamant about avoiding getting involved with anything with a price below a 200-day moving average and considers the price going under such an average as a big red flag. 2021 and 2022 were prime examples of this when many of the stocks moved under the 200-day moving average, and indeed, it was the start of big collapses in many names, as much as 80% and more.
Think & Trade Like a Champion: The Secrets, Rules & Blunt Truths of a Stock Market Wizard
Rating: 5/5
This was my second (!!!) re-read of this book (I have read it three times now). This book is a must-read for the beginner as it will teach you the essential thing in stock trading: risk management. It doesn’t teach stock selection too well, but that could be me not fully grasping his criteria, or he might not disclose all the details in selecting the stocks. Either way, it does not matter. It’s best if you find the strategy yourself. But he lays out the risk management and position sizing approaches that he has learned, and I find those sections to be instrumental.
This book changed the course of my stock trading and how I approach it, and I couldn’t recommend it enough. I doubt you will learn a stock selection strategy that you can apply; there is no holy grain; you must find the strategy yourself.
The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
Rating: 4/5
Super fascinating book. I would highly recommend it, even if you don’t know anything about poker and don’t play it yourself. I only now surface-level details about the game of poker and still enjoyed this book immensely.
A complete poker newbie decided to investigate what it would take for someone to become a successful professional poker player, someone who could compete and stand their ground in prestigious poker tournaments. To help with the project, she enlisted one of the legendary poker players to guide her and coach her. And she shared her journey throughout all of it. It was so much fun to experience her practice, growth, search for success, and get beaten up, but stand back up and go for it repeatedly.
The game of poker has many parallels to stock trading. Things like managing bankroll, that’s managing your trading account, your position sizes, taking losses when the “cards are not in your favor,” and trying to squeeze as much as possible out of your winners to pay off the losers.
The book will be very entertaining even if you are not into gambling or trading.
A Complete Guide To Volume Price Analysis
Rating: 3/5
I picked this book up to expose myself to stock trading areas I haven’t explored in depth. This book is about observing volume patterns in the stock price chart and using those patterns to make decisions in stock trading. The author swears by the volume signal and considers it the essential tool when combined with the price. The combination of price and volume help one determine where the stock is most likely to go next and position yourself appropriately for such a move.
I walked away from the book conflicted and still not fully bought in. I think I need more time to let the ideas sink in and see how they turn out from my real-world observations in the trading days ahead. I always pay attention to the volume, especially on things like gap-ups or breakouts from downtrends, and there is something there. The same with candle patterns, where for instance, a candle might have a long wick and form what’s called a “hammer pattern,” and how that is usually a good thing in downtrends and can signal reversal, etc.
However, I am not 100% aligned with the author's ideas around candle/volume sequences that indicate a particular move. From my experience, there is too much randomness to declare such a thing, but I may still be too new to grasp this.
So there you have it, that’s the complete list. I also had a few “half-finished” books experienced in 2022 but left those out as I wait until I am entirely done with the book before reviewing. Something tells me I will be reading much more in 2023, and let’s hope this prediction comes through.
To a beautiful and happy 2023 to you all, let it be surrounded with new books and learnings!
