I have just finished reading Freakanomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J Dubner.  I wasn’t sure what to expect but had heard a lot about the book and now I’m hooked on Freakanomics!  Such an interesting way to look at data and the real reasons behind certain economic changes.

This book is a fast read, easy chapters and really gets you thinking.  Some parts are a little shocking and if you don’t want to read about the economic impact and reduction in crime linked to the legalisation of abortion then this book may be a bit too controversial for you.

But if you have an open mind and want to look further and not just accept the percentage rates and figures published by our governments then this book will certainly get your brain working.  For me, I have found myself looking beyond a figure on a spreadsheet at work or a percentage survey in a magazine.  I’ve begun to look at what the figures are or aren’t telling us, where are the gaps and where is the spin?

For someone who usually has no interest in numbers this book certainly caught my attention and I have now subscribed to the weekly podcast episodes too.

In a pretty big literary jump I moved from Freakanomics to The Great Gatsby.  I love the change in language and how formal the written word was back in 1920’s when Scott Fitzgerald wrote this wonderful treasure.  Again, for very different reasons I find myself blasting through the book and eager to see how the tale unfolds.  I can only hope the images of the roaring 20’s which I created in my head whilst reading this book match up to Baz Lurhmanns movie version out later this year.

The question is now, what book to read next??