Cfar1′s #CBR4 Review #14 of Freakonmics:A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
I have heard for several years about this book but never read it. I finally bought the ebook version and read it on my tablet. It was my lunch hour and waiting room book. I have to say it fit the purpose well, it was interesting enough to hold my attention, but there were frequent points where I could stop and pick back up without problem. I liked the concept also, the use of tools commonly used for one purpose being applied to another.
Simply put, the authors pick a subject and ask a question, then they try to find data to analyze to answer the question. Sometime the answer is controversial, such as the idea that abortion lower the crime rate, other times it might challenge beliefs in a less threatening way, such as why most drug dealers live with their mothers, or why realtors might leave their house on the market longer but encourage you to sell faster. I found the book easy to read, and very interesting. Economics was the least favorite of my business classes in school, but if it were taught more like this I might have got less sleep in class. My version had updates, blog posts and comments included at the end.
Cannonball Read IV 
I know that there is a podcast associated with this book as well – it is kind of interesting as well.