Recommended Reading 

 I've read a newish one called Bets And The City by Sally Nicoll. Very few women are really interested in trading. And the only interest many show is hoping to goodness their husbands don't lose all their money!

 For example at my seminars only about 5% of delegates are female. However, they tend to be the best students. I believe women who do end up trading are more likely to succeed than men as they are naturally more cautious, less likely to gamble, more likely to invest.

 Sally's book is an entertaining and light-hearted romp through all the mistakes she made when learning the ropes. Which makes it a must-read for those new to trading. She also throws in a few tales of some dates she had while learning and you can find out all about her horror of tattoos! (Don't date her if you've got one even if you're Brad Pitt). Having said that, though, one particular tattoo inspires Sally to trade in a different way – with dramatically successful results.

 Sally decides to try spreadbetting to help make her a few extra quid while writing a novel and unexpectedly her exploits turn into a book. She makes all the mistakes new traders/investors usually make - she goes from delight at wins to despair at losses and she's about to quit when... the family lawyer arrives on her door step and she gets 20 grand from her uncle in his will with the express instruction the money must be placed in a spreadbetting account...

Fired up with cash Sally, an obviously determined person, tries everything she can to make profits. She goes to seminars and courses, visits gurus, does Binary Betting, uses systems and filters makes tons of cock ups but starts making regular winning trades too.

 The beauty of the book is if you're new you can learn the kind of mistakes you can make without having to make them yourself. And if you’re an experienced trader, you’ll be entertained by a trip down memory lane, and feel cheerful that you don’t make the beginner mistakes any more. In the end Sally reckons it's not about gambling, not about investing but about trading.

So I recommend this fun book with lessons attached especially to anyone new to the markets. The tagline is "Bridget Jones meets Wall Street". That's not true - Sally is no Bridget, she is certainly not a scatterbrain and her efforts to find how to succeed at trading are worth reading. To order click here.

 I'll have two book reviews for you next week in the meantime, Come Into My Trading Room" by Dr Alexander Elder, it remains one of the best books to read on the markets. 

 Also plenty of positive reviews for the 2007 Stock Market Alamanac which many of you got for Xmas - good news for those of you who've not bought it yet, the bookstore have reduced it to £13 for the new year.

 I find it the most useful finance reference book there is. It's a superb diary of stock market events, stats, which companies report when, historical details and so much useful stuff

 A book I would never be without and I refer to mine all the time. To order it for next day delivery, click here. If you've not ordered from the website bookstore before you get a £3 discount for your next order which could be handy!

 The Investors Guide to Charting by Alistair Blair is worth a look if you want to get started in technical analysis and charting. Click here to order.

I've now finished the book  "How To Label a Goat" by Ross Clark subtitle: The silly rules and regulations that are strangling Britain. It's a book to make you angry for all the right reasons.

 This brilliant book really sums up all that is wrong with this country - it makes me cross to think the amount of money we spend on all the bureaucrats who spend their time writing long-winded rules which could be spend onng beds in hospitals instead of closing them.

 And I have given up bothering to own businesses and employ people myself because the red tape just gets you down and you think: "Why the hell do I bother anymore?" So I don't.

Just in the last year the Government has produced 3,621 pieces of legislation. This book looks at some of the more ridiculous legislation especially some of the lunatic health and safety legislation (making daisy chains banned!) Also covered the silliness of tax returns and why the Government is desperate that none of us have any fun.

 Amazingly for a hardback the book is a bargain £6.59 from the online bookstore (cover price is a tenner!) - well worth the small money. Click here to order your copy.

 I've ordered "The Intelligent Investor" from the bookstore and will have a review of it later on this week - if you want to order it (it's about £10)  click here

 And don't forget the brilliant 2006 Stock Market Almanac. A fab stock market diary with tons of essential information! Click this link to order.

 By far the best and easiest to read guide to buying shares using fundamentals is Robert Leach's The Investors Guide to Understanding Accounts.  It's an easy read and it's been very helpful to me, click here to order.

 After some mails from readers I ordered a book called The Little Book That Beats The Market by Joel Greenblatt. I've now read it and happy to recommend it.

 It is a little similar to my book in style with plenty of humour and easy to read material. Lots of interesting ways to beat the market and some clever ideas, well worth a read! You can order it on this link.

 I have been asked by a couple of people who have bought "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt. - (just out in paperback) not to give away anything more from the book as they want to read it on the sunlounger!. So I promise I won't.

 What an interesting book. It's a rogue economist who explores the hidden side of everything. Freakonomics is at the heart of everything we do from sex to crime, parenting to politics, fear and cheating.

 Find out how estate agents cheat you out of money, why pretty much everyone cheats.. what most books on how to be a good parents are cobblers.. why experts routinely make up statistics and why we really can't trust much we see or hear!

Love to hear from more of you about the Bumper Book of Government Waste! You can buy the book  "The Bumper Book of Government Waste" by Matthew Elliot and Lee Rotherham.