Manward’s Summer Reading List

Andy Snyder|April 13, 2020

We got a note from the local library last week.

It’s closed. Indefinitely.

Meanwhile, we don’t need a press release to know that video streaming across the web is soaring. It was up 25% during the first half of March… and likely soared from there.

It’s good news for Netflix, which accounts for one 1 of every 3 minutes of programming streamed. But it’s also been quite a boon for Disney. Its streaming service just hit 50 million subscribers… taking a mere five months to pull off a feat that took its biggest rival seven years to accomplish.

We proudly don’t subscribe to either.

Instead, we focus on what Mark Ford called “Golden choices” in his column last Friday.

We read books.

Instead of merely killing time and idling our brain until we’re free to leave our homes again like TV does, books help us use the limited amount of time we have on this planet to make ourselves better, smarter and happier.

With that idea in mind, we figured we’d debut our summer reading list… a bit early this year.

There are three books on our nightstand right now.

Two of them are perfectly fitting for the world we live in. The other will help you get rich.

Food vs. Gov’t

We’ve just about finished Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Food Rights. It’s written by David E. Gumpert, a Liberty-loving journalist who focuses on the many ways that food and business are connected.

The book has a foreword by our very own Joel Salatin.

Overall, the book is a good read. And while we’ll say it won’t be enjoyed by all in the same way that it had us circling paragraphs and highlighting ideas… it should be considered a must-read.

Skim just one chapter and you’ll quickly see the parallels between the nation’s fight for good, healthy food and today’s government-fueled battle with the coronavirus and the citizens who may spread it.

It’s a book that shows the fallacies of the laws… the lack of logic that often goes into them… and the hubris that’s pinned on the chest of the folks enforcing them.

Gumpert also does a fine job of showing that citizens still have a chance to fight back. But we can’t be sheep blindly following the shepherd.

You’ll be a better thinker, a healthier eater and a more informed citizen for reading the book.

Just the Facts

Just beside Gumpert’s book on our nightstand is Brian Fagan’s The Little Ice Age. This one was given to us by a friend, with strong reviews. While we’re only about a third of the way through it this morning, we can give a sturdy tip of our hat to the author and his research.

It’s very well done.

The book is about the history of climate change.

But here’s the thing… It’s not political. It’s not biased. It contains exactly what the world needs: facts and some context to hold them up.

Fagan, a professor of anthropology, digs deep into the history of the world. He looks at how changing weather patterns drove man up and down and all across the planet.

Nearly every paragraph is filled with a well-researched fact. There are so many, in fact, we envision Fagan sitting in a cave of books, pulling a fresh one from the stack with each new word he taps out.

If your gut tells you the news you’re getting from CNN and Fox about climate change isn’t quite right… listen to it. Turn off the TV, and read this book instead.

It’s filled with Know-How.

Getting Technical

And finally… a quick book we started last week. This one is for the traders among us.

We’ve been investing and trading stocks for 20 years. We’ve written volumes on the subject – thousands and thousands of essays, research papers, and advisories. But like any athletic or professional endeavor, we must retain a sharp edge if we want to remain at the top of the game.

That’s why we were so excited to download a digital copy of Arms Candlevolume by Richard Arms last week.

We’ve long specialized in studying trading volume. It’s the top indicator of pricing action and trends… and yet few folks practice the art.

Richard Arms was an expert practitioner.

This quick book details a unique charting system he developed and how to read it. We’ve already incorporated it into our trading strategy.

If the notion of making more money excites you… read it.

Or just follow our trading advice. We’re a devout fan of the idea.

Bottom line… We don’t need to tell you to step away from the TV. You know its many ills.

Pick up one of the books above, and make good use of your time.

Most importantly… we’ll be done with these books this week. We need more. What are you reading, and why should we grab a copy? Drop us a line at mailbag@manwardpress.com.