Read any good books lately?

[Luis Toledo]

"Read a book!" is a pretty common tip for new comers getting into real estate investing. Here's a question, what books do you recommend and why? Which ones should be avoided, and why?

Here are some of my recent reads:
- The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
Leverage can be a great business tool, and in some asset categories it can be about the only way to earn adequate returns. However, I personally think that household debt has become a scourge to our economy and poses a real threat to the American dream. This is a good "how to get out of debt" book. I don't buy into a lot that Dave says because his financial math isn't so good, but he nails it when it comes to the psychology behind getting debt free.

- The Wall Street Journal. Complete Real-Estate Investing Guidebook by David Crook
Its short and worth the time if you want a brief overview of many different aspects of REI. Speaks briefly to many topics and has a good bibliography that can be used to find more in depth books.

- Maverick Real Estate Investing by Steve Bergsman
Case studies in REI based on the experiences of some of the legends like Trump, Zell, Simon and others. I like this book because of the multiple perspectives it presents. The investors featured in this book generally started out small and grew huge. They seem to share some common principals which this book highlights.

- How to manage residential property for maximum cash flow and resale value by John T. Reed
I like Reed's style of writing, this book is going by quickly because he writes like I think. Very blunt advise on the nitty-gritty details of landlording and property management. Setting rents, leasing, maintenance, etc. just the basics, but no nonsense or puffery. This is not a feel good, motivational book. In fact, it might actually convince you that residential investing is not for you.

Has anyone else read these? If so, what did you think? Here are some others that I haven't gotten to yet:

-Landlording by Leigh Robinson
-The Millionaire Mind by Thomas J. Stanley
-Profit By Investing In Student Housing by Michael H. Zaransky