I’ve always thought it’s important to expose yourself to arguments that challenge your existing views. Not necessarily because you’ll change your mind, but because understanding the strongest version of an opposing argument helps test your own thinking and identify any weaknesses in your position.

With that in mind, I decided to give The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton a listen.

I must admit I came into Animal Spirits expecting the focus to be somewhat narrower and more centred on markets and trading than what it turned out to be. In fairness though I think that’s more due to my bias word association leaning directly to trading when I hear the term "animal spirits”.

As the saying goes, history doesn’t always repeat, but it often rhymes. In reading 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin, it’s hard not to notice the parallels between the market behaviours leading up to the 1929 crash and those we see today.

I must confess, I was left quite torn by the end of Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber. It begins with the expansion of his essay of the same name, however by the time I finished, I couldn’t help but feel that a well-developed series of essays might have delivered the same impact with less repetition.

I’ve read a number of books on monetary history, but Debt: The First 5,000 Years took me in a direction I hadn’t expected. I bought it purely based on the title, somewhat assuming it would be a detailed history of monetary debt and the consequences of excessive borrowing.

Chokepoint explores how the U.S. leverages control over key “chokepoints” in the global economic system and the subtle but powerful mechanisms of influence that shape international relations.