One reader writes to me: I have an optimization problem that I thought you and other... readers...could help me with.

The Question: How should I go about selecting books to bring with me for a year of field research in rural Africa?

Conditions:
1. I have a limited amount of weight I can carry on the flight 2. There is little or no access to additional books where I will be 3. I only expect to return to the US once during that year

Assuming you don't want to endanger and recharge a Kindle, I'll suggest the following five books: Moby Dick, The Bible (but it must be a serious translation), Plato's Dialogues, Homer's Odyssey, and a long, fun book of science fiction or fantasy that you haven't already read. Lord of the Rings would be a fine first choice if it fits that bill, otherwise ask around or maybe try Neil Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. The basic principles are that the works should be long, deep, divisible into smaller parts, capable of sustaining rereadings, culturally central in some way, and last of all you need one piece of pure fun. For me it is cheating to suggest "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" and Tolstoy, while a splendid novelist, can be read only once in any given year.

Readers, can you improve upon these tips?

I'll add that if you read some language other than English, and thus read more slowly in that language, pick a book or two there as well.

View more information on Discover Your Inner Economist

Tyler Cowen, Discover Your Inner Economist, economics, practical, incentives, signals, markets, Penguin Books, books

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I'm STUCK, SWIMMING, DROWNING in My DRAMA and I CAN'T GET UP.
from Janice Taylor, Life & Wellness Coach and Beliefnet Blogger.

Dear Our Lady of Weight Loss (and Janice), I am OUT of CONTROL. Honestly ... OUT OF CONTROL. I did lose 21 pounds some time ago but have gained nearly all of those 21 pounds back. I Have NO CONTROL. I eat whatever, whenever. Please HELP! ~ Jess C.

Dear Jess, In order to permanently remove excess weight we need to change our internal landscape (I don't mean move your stomach to a new location).

1. Watch and become aware of your language. If you say, "I am OUT of CONTROL," you are out of control and reinforcing that belief.

2. Let go of 'the WHY of it'. Asking WHY questions ... "Why am I doing this?" "Why me?" may well yield an answer, but not necessarily a strategy to effect change.

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In the current edition of Entertainment Weekly, the editors selected the top 100 books of the last 25 years. Out of the 100 "new classics," an impressive seventeen titles are published by Penguin Group (USA), including seven within the Top 25. The titles/authors, rankings, and their imprints are as follows:

4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (Viking/Penguin)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (Dutton/Plume)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (The Penguin Press/ Penguin)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (Viking/Penguin)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (Riverhead)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (Dutton/Plume)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (Putnam/Penguin)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (ACE)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (Viking/ NAL)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (Viking/Penguin)
61. Money, Martin Amis (Viking/ Penguin)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (Riverhead Trade)

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When this Beliefnet blogger tells her "I quit my secure job of 17 years to become our country's premiere Weight Loss Artist Story" inevitably people want to know: Had she lost her mind? Was she filled with fear or was she fearless? How does one leave security and money and jump into their dream, head first, no water in the pool, and not be overcome, frozen, paralyzed and swallowed up by fear?

Truth be told, there's no way around fear ... you can only move through it! 
Here follows a brief synopsis of Janice's story, in honor of her five year anniversary of diving into fear, head first ... OUCH!

Five years ago, almost to the day, after permanently removing over 50 pounds both internally and externally, I walked into my boss's office and said, "I can't do this any longer. I'll be leaving now." Just like that - I QUIT. (And permanently removed an additional 175 pounds ... HIM!)

"What will you do?" he asked.
"Become our country's first weight loss artist and write a book." I answered
"What?" "Huh?" "That's crazy." etc. etc. etc.

Nevertheless, in the face of a fully loaded platter of fear, anxiety, and the unknown, I went for it. And when fear did rise to the surface and - oh boy - did it! - (no job, no money coming in, no real knowledge of how to write a book, no agent, no publisher), I used my 'fear' meditation/visualization to catapult me from stuck to action!