Books – Page 56 – Slope of Hope with Tim Knight

Slope of Hope Blog Posts

Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.

Hedge Fund Market Wizards Book Review

By Tim Knight - 13 years ago (11, Jul 2012 4:57:46 PM)

I have been wanting to write a review of the new Market Wizards book for some time, but it took me a few weeks to slog through it in my spare time. I'll come right to the point: I think I got more out of this book than any of the prior Wizard books. All of them are good, starting with the first back in 1989 (side note: years ago, I worked for one of the Wizards in the original compilation………..err, don't ask).

I think the quality and sophistication of the information in the book is a cut above the others, probably because the individuals featured in this volume tend to be seasoned managers of very large funds. If you're a serious trader, I urge you to buy the book; I heavily highlighted my copy, and I've retyped some of the favorite segments below. The quotations are from different parts of the interview, so please read its paragraph as an independent snippet. The only organization I've provided is to precede each block of quotes with the name of the person who was being interviewed:

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Year Zero Approaches

By Tim Knight - 13 years ago (06, Jun 2012 1:24:38 PM)

My friend Rob Reid has his first novel coming out July 10th (and, when this is a movie in a couple of years, you can say you read about it first on Slope). Here's a teaser he just did for the book, which you can pre-order with this link.

Coming Apart Reviewed

By Tim Knight - 14 years ago (12, Mar 2012 4:48:59 PM)

I just finished reading the best-selling Coming Apart by Charles Murray. I confess to not having heard of the book until I saw it in the store, but the cover of a champagne glass and a crumbled beer can instantly suggested to me that I was going to enjoy this new examination of the United States and its sociological disintegration of the past half-century.

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Boomerang Book Review

By Tim Knight - 14 years ago (16, Feb 2012 12:11:11 PM)

Since I rarely travel, I don't have much experience planning ahead for my trips. Such was the case last Sunday evening, because as I headed toward the entrance of the airplane, I realized I didn't have a single bit of reading material.

I don't do well without something to read. I'm not going to watch a movie, and God knows I'm not going to spend four hours reading the in-flight magazine. My panic subsided when I saw the "Wi-Fi On Board" sticker on the outside of the jet. I was saved by Go-Go Wireless.

When heading home the next evening, as I headed toward my gate, I stopped myself and turned around to go to the book shop, because I wanted to make sure I had something interesting to read if the plane didn't have WiFi (which, it turned out, it did not).

Most airport book stores are crammed with the very latest business books which promise to make you a better worker at whatever job you've got, guaranteeing you a much bigger salary. ("Good to Great", "Emotional Equations", "Entreleadership", "Switch", and a myriad of other worthless drivel). I was heartened to see Michael Lewis' Boomerang, which is something I knew would interest me. So that's what I bought.

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Outstanding History Book

By Tim Knight - 14 years ago (31, Jan 2012 4:00:36 PM)

I just finished reading one of the best – if not the best – history book that I’ve ever enjoyed. Its name is Freedom Just Around the Corner, and it covers U.S. history from 1585 through 1828.

This book truly brought to life this huge span of American history for me. I learned a lot about the complex relationships between the original immigrants to America, Canada, the French, the native Americans, and Britain. It opened my eyes to the various legal documents that established our country as well as the balancing act between the Republicans and Federalists of early America. It helped me understand what an amazing achievement it was to traverse into the original North American wilderness and tame it.

This blog is obviously not about history, but the subject is a favorite of mine, and I just thought I’d share a strong recommendation for those of you who are into this kind of thing. It’s a terrific book.