Similar in size to a novel but thin as a CD case, e-readers can store hundreds of books, magazines and newspapers. The content can either be downloaded through a wireless connection or transferred from your personal computer. Unlike computer screens, the displays on e-readers don’t blast your eyeballs. The words are formed using so-called e-ink that emulates the softness of the printed page.
Only a few e-readers are on the market now, though more are coming soon. We pulled the two most popular off the shelf to find out which is best.

Amazon Kindle 2 ($259 plus shipping)
Ever had the sudden urge to dig into War and Peace at Starbucks? With the Kindle you can. A wireless connection instantly hooks you up to Amazon’s online store where you can choose from 320,000 titles. The prices are 60% off printed books and downloads take less than a minute.

Not a bookworm? Don’t worry. The Kindle lets you subscribe to newspapers like the Globe and Mail and National Post for $10 to $14 a month, or magazines like Time and Forbes for $3 to $5. It also plays MP3 music files and lets you transfer PDF files, Word documents and photos from your computer at home. You can even add notes to your documents using the keyboard.

The Kindle has one big drawback though: You can only buy books through Amazon — so you’re essentially locking into an e-book vendor monopoly.

Sony Reader Touch Edition ($350)
To paraphrase Henry Ford, the Kindle is available in any colour — as long as it’s white. Sony’s Touch, however, comes in red, silver or black.

We found the Sony superior in other ways besides fashion. It’s smaller, lighter and you can down­load books from more than one source, including Chapters-Indigo, public libraries and Sony’s eBook library. It also has a nifty touch screen to flip pages with your fingertips. Like the Kindle, the Sony plays MP3s and lets you read Word and PDF files.

The Sony falls short in two areas: a smaller selection of magazines and newspapers than what’s offered through Kindle, and no wireless downloading. To get a book you have to use your computer then transfer the file to the e-reader.

The Verdict
Kindle’s wireless downloads are convenient, but we resent having to buy everything through Amazon. With the Sony there’s more choice, including reading some books for free at our local library. That, plus its sleek design, makes the Sony our winner.

So should you rush out to buy it? It depends. E-readers are a relatively new technology, and more models are coming out soon. Apple’s new tablet computer, for instance, is expected within weeks, if not months. If you need to have the latest technology, it may be time to make your move. If not, you could wait and see what the next generation of readers has to offer.

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Kevin Roth, the author’s son, is eight years old. He’s probably got a better investment portfolio than you do. This book reveals his secrets. Our take: Explaining how a second grader can whip most adult investors is a fun way to demonstrate the benefits of a simple indexed portfolio. Our only complaint? The U.S. orientation of the book. But don’t let that deter you from an illuminating and fun read.

Enough Bull by David Trahair ($19.95, Wiley)

Trahair is a Chartered Accountant who believes most Canadians are being played for suckers by the financial industry. In this book, he sets out to tell you how to retire well “without the stock market, mutual funds or even an investment adviser.” Our take: We don’t agree with everything Trahair says—his love for GICs, for instance, goes a little further than we think reasonable—but, man, we admire his attitude. Trahair argues his case well and deserves to be widely read.

The Little Book of Main Street Money by Jonathan Clements ($23.95, Wiley)

We’ve admired Clements since he was the personal finance columnist for the Wall Street Journal in its pre-Rupert Murdoch heyday. In this book, he sets out to deliver “21 simple truths that can help real people make money.” Our take: Clements’ book is short and simple, but its wisdom is deep and complex. From how to save more to how to invest better, this book delivers the goods on how to lead a rich life (in every sense) and does so in less than 200 pages. Yes, it’s aimed at U.S. readers, but its insights spill over the border. Highly recommended.

And Then The Roof Caved In by David Faber ($31.95, Wiley)

Faber is a correspondent for CNBC and this book about the crash of the U.S. housing market offers the print equivalent of a TV documentary. The subtitle states the book’s theme: “How Wall Street’s greed and stupidity brought capitalism to its knees.” Our take: Print journalists don’t think much of TV types, but much to our surprise, we wound up liking Faber’s book. He writes simply and well. He also uses real people to demonstrate the insanity of the housing boom. While this may not be the deepest book about the crash, it could be the most accessible.

Cash in a Flash by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen ($27.95, Harmony)

Gosh, there’s no need to worry about this little downturn. You, too, can make millions by unleashing your Inner Winner and using High Vibration Words. Our take: We could call this silly book one of the most shameless attempts we’ve seen to cash in on people’s financial insecurity, but that would be our Inner Whiner talking. So let’s be positive: this is a great book—for anybody you truly hate. One of the co-authors (Hansen) made a mint with the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Call this one Chicken Feathers for the Brain.

Our take: An invaluable guide for anyone on the lookout for cheap stocks.

Building Wealth: A Beginner’s Guide to Securing Your Financial Future (free): If you’re looking for an outstanding introduction to the basics of personal finance, look no further. This book from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows you how to set up a budget, deal with debt, and construct an investment portfolio.

Our take: Great advice on how to build your personal wealth. While written for U.S. consumers, most of the tips apply equally well in Canada.

Sustainable Energy — Without the Hot Air by David MacKay (free): If you’re confused by all the conflicting claims about global warming and alternative energy sources, this book, by a Cambridge physicist, will, um, clear the air. MacKay sets out the numbers about everything from clean coal to hydrogen-powered cars.

Our take: A fascinating book that carefully evaluates a myriad of energy sources ranging from nuclear generators to windmills. It’s down to earth, conversational in tone, and filled with facts, not emotion. While British in focus, it offers insight for everyone.

The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money by J.M. Keynes (free): It would be an exaggeration to say that this book saved capitalism, but there’s no doubt that its publication, in 1936, pointed a way out of the Great Depression for Canada, the U.S. and Britain.

Our take: A difficult, frustrating, but wonderful book. If you’re not an economist, skip over the hard stuff and go to Chapter 12. Its meditation upon the psychology of markets sounds as if it were written for today.

The Conservative Nanny State by Dean Baker (free): This book will either delight you or infuriate you. Dean Baker, the author, is a left-leaning economist who believes the wealthy are adept at using government to enrich themselves. His book explains how.

Our take: Even if you conclude that Baker is a no-good commie, his book is guaranteed to make you think. And before you dismiss Baker, ponder this: he’s one of the very few economists we know to have predicted both the dot-com crash and the U.S. housing disaster.

If the financial crisis had an official start date, it was March 5, 2008, when Bear Stearns, one of Wall Street’s most profitable and notorious investment banks, seized up. Eleven days later Bear was dead. This book tells the story of its demise and offers unforgettable mugshots of the feral pack of boy-men who ran the place. They sometimes seemed more concerned with playing bridge than looking after their business. Our take: A dense, fascinating book. If you thought investment bankers were mostly hard-working, wise and careful, you will go away with a different opinion.

Weekly Market Comment (www.hussmanfunds.com, free)

Most financial managers write bland reports stuffed with pomposities. John Hussman doesn’t. His Weekly Market Comment offers a cantankerous, detailed critique of exactly what policy-makers and the markets have got wrong. Our take: Hussman has the right stuff, including a PhD in economics and an eye-popping investment record. He’s a pro’s pro, one of the money managers that other money managers keep a close eye on. You can only profit by reading him.

Animal Spirits by George A. Akerlof and Robert J. Shiller (Princeton University Press, $32.50)

Economists should be ashamed: few of them saw the financial crisis coming. Akerlof, a Nobel Prize winner, and Shiller, a Yale professor, believe that economists failed to raise a warning because they chose to ignore crowd psychology—what used to be called “animal spirits.” By leaving stories and emotions out of their equations, economists missed the beating heart of the market. Our take: Akerlof and Shiller are convincing and scary. If they’re right, and policy-makers continue to ignore animal spirits, more breakdowns lie ahead.

Soros by Robert Slater (McGraw-Hill, $33.95)

George Soros spent part of his teenage years living under an assumed name and fleeing Nazis. A few decades later, he made billions shorting the British pound. Today, he is one of the world’s most successful investors and a major donor to liberal causes. This book tells the tale of a man who has always been able to thrive in crisis. Our take: There is a great book to be written about Soros. Unfortunately this isn’t it. It provides a workmanlike overview of Soros’s career, but little insight into the man or what made him such a great investor.

Baseline Scenario (www.baselinescenario.com, free)

Simon Johnson, former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, is now a professor at MIT—and a blogger. His Baseline Scenario (produced with James Kwak and Peter Boone) delivers smart, snappy commentary on the current mess. Johnson’s central thesis is that policy-makers have given away far too much to Wall Street’s golden boys. Our take: Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how financial whiz kids could have steered the global economy into its worst quagmire since the Great Depression. Especially recommended is the “Financial crisis for beginners” section.

The Only Three Questions That Count
by Ken Fisher ($33.99, Wiley)

Fisher, one of the best-known money managers in the U.S., believes you should invest only when you have an edge on others. In this entertaining book, he explains how to look for that edge. He also explains why you shouldn’t worry about government deficits, overburdened consumers or giant trade deficits.

Our take: You have to respect a guy who’s managed to beat the market over the long haul. Fisher comes out swinging and makes you think twice about many of your most cherished investing beliefs.

The Big Picture
by Barry Ritholtz (free, BigPicture.typepad.com)

Ritholtz, a market strategist who runs an institutional research firm in New York, delivers his take on what’s ahead for stocks in this smart and funny blog. Count on healthy doses of music and humor to go along with a heaping helping of economics and market stats.

Our take: Ritholtz seems like a nice guy. He’s also a great read, especially when he tears into shoddy statistics. Watch Super Barry punish the bad guys, then cheer as the data go flying!

Jim Cramer’s Mad Money: Watch TV, Get Rich
by James Cramer ($32, Simon & Schuster)

The title says it all. Cramer, the bald and bellowing host of the television spectacle Mad Money, pounds his chest, explains how he made his fortune, then delivers a lecture on how you can strike it rich too — by watching his television show.

Our take: There’s something fascinating about watching a huge ego sprawl in all directions, but if you don’t love Cramer’s show, you won’t like his book either.

Why We Want You to be Rich: Two Men — One Message
by Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki. ($29.95, Rich Press)

Trump, the real estate mogul, and Kiyosaki, the author of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series of personal finance books, offer their philosophy of creating wealth. Expect a lot of emphasis on psychology and motivation, not much on financial specifics.

Our take: Remember those special edition comic books when two superheroes — Batman and Superman, say — joined forces to combat a particularly nasty villain? This work is in the same vein. Which is to say, it’s not to be confused with reality and will appeal most to 12 year olds.

Money, a Memoir
by Liz Perle ($17.50, Picador)

Perle, a former publishing executive, believes that women are raised to be voluntarily blind when it comes to money. Her own divorce opened her eyes to how little she knew about investing, negotiating or looking after her own financial well-being.

Our take: Whether you’re a man or a woman, we think there’s a lot to be learned from Perle’s frank discussion of the different ways in which the sexes regard money.

Infectious Greed by Paul Kedrosky (free, Paul.Kedrosky.com)

Kedrosky is both an academic and a venture capitalist. He divides his time between Canada and the U.S., while somehow finding the energy to write a darn funny but also informative blog about what he calls money culture. Here you’ll find insights on the market and on venture capital. Better yet, you’ll discover whether having a CEO who’s a good golfer tends to hurt a company’s stock market performance. (Short answer: yes.)

Our take: A must stop, especially if you’re interested in technology investing.

The Little Book of Value Investing by Christopher H. Browne ($23.99, Wiley)

A useful introduction to finding undervalued stocks by a managing director of Tweedy, Browne, the famed value investing firm. He takes you through the theory behind value investing then shows you how to put a stock under the microscope.

Our take: Browne isn’t a particularly graceful writer, but his book offers a great crash course in the essentials of stock picking.

More than you know by Michael J. Mauboussin ($31.69, Columbia University Press)

The subtitle of this book is Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places and Mauboussin, a Wall Street equity analyst, delivers on that promise. He demonstrates how Tiger Woods’s golf swing, Tupperware parties and guppies’ mating behavior all contain lessons for investors.

Our take: A fast, fun read and one that will stretch your notions of where to find stock market ideas.

Make Money, Not Excuses by Jean Chatzky ($32.95, Crown)

This book by a Time magazine columnist offers eminently practical advice — mostly for women, but suitable for guys, too — on how to get your personal finances in order, starting with four simple rules: make a decent living, spend less than you make, invest the rest, and protect yourself from disaster.

Our take: Chatzky’s focus is purely on the U.S., so you’ll have to do some cross-border translation, but we like her down-to-earth tone and practical tips on everything from how to save to how to shop.

Annual Reports 101 by Michael Thomsett ($24.95, Amacom)

If you’ve ever wanted a plain English guide through accounting jargon, this is it. Thomsett, a former accountant, explains how to break down an annual report to spot potential problems or opportunities.

Our take: One of the clearest, most helpful books we’ve seen on how to decipher a financial statement.