Some Books I Have Read

I read a lot. Lately I have been lazy but in the last few days I have read a few books. Here is a quick summary:

1. How to Make Money with Junk Bonds - Robert Levine - 2012. Amazon here. I am not sure why I bought this book since I didn't really have any intention of getting into junk bonds. Maybe I will change my mind. Unfortunately there are very few books written on junk bonds for the average investor and probably for good reason. Junk bonds, as the name implies, is a bond of very low quality. Some junk bonds are rated CCC which is pretty much bankrupt. The book goes over basic background information on junk bonds. The author explains his investment technique which he calls the STRONG HORSE method of investing. In order to invest in a specific junk bond security an investor has to conduct a VERY thorough credit analysis so I still don't think individual issues are for the average investor. If I were to get involved in this kind of thing I would go through an ETF or bond fund. In my opinion this book is basically a primer on what is really a complex subject.
2. Inside Apple - Adam Lashinsky - 2012. Amazon here. If you are a close follower of Apple there is probably nothing new here. I am not an Apple junkie but I found this book an easy and friendly read. A few months ago I read Walter Isaacson's book on Steve Jobs so I already knew a lot of stuff on Apple.There is some interesting information on the other figures in Apple (besides Jobs). The book goes a bit into the secrecy of Apple but nothing is given away. This book tends to emphasize one of the problems with technology companies. A lot of research and development is done in secrecy so the shareholder has no idea what is going on. It is tougher to value a company like that. A decent book but nothing special.
3. Trading Bases - Joe Peta - 2013. Amazon here. The author combines his interest for sports betting and his experience on wall street stock trading. The chapters on investing were rather scarce with new information (I knew it already). On the other hand if you are into betting baseball you might find this book quite interesting. For me this is not really an investing book.
4. Forecast - Mark Buchanan - 2013. Amazon here.  Finally a higher quality book. The author tries to make a case for changing the methods of economic forecasting that are currently used. This is important for government policy makers but it is easily applicable for financial market analysis. The current state of economic forecasting is not good - for example in 2007/2008 the Federal Reserve completely missed the financial crisis. The author reviews the current state of economic forecasting which he calls equilibrium analysis. Using his scientific background he then suggests that using weather forecasting systems, which are based on dis-equilibrium analysis, could represent a big improvement in forecasting ability. This book is heavy going at times and is not for everybody. There are no equations however some background in economic theory is useful. The problem I have with this book is the leap from physical laws to socio-economic laws. I am not sure you can simply take a weather forecasting system that is based on pressure, temperature, etc and use it for human activity. Nevertheless, a very interesting book.