Str8Up's thread is garbage. That thing was spawned during an era of easy credit and precipitated up until the housing crash. The dude eventually quit real estate and eventually left the board. Rich dad poor dad is also trash. Kiyosaki writes a bunch of feel good crap with no real substance. However, one may argue that it gears you into the right mindset, so to this end I can't totally hate on the book.
Here are some books i'd recommend.
Atlas Shrugged This is a riveting look at how society operates. I can't say I agree with all points, but Rand really nails a few key issues that society is dealing with today.
Greatest trade ever hedge fund John Paulson makes millions betting against the housing market. I am reading this right now and its a great look into what went wrong, and how you can make money off everyone elses greed.
The intelligent investor graham was a wall street guy for decades who than became a millionaire betting on GEICO. He was buffets professor at Columbia University and one of his biggest influences. This book is dense, but it gives you a good look at huge pitfalls of the stock markets, and what businesses do to lie to you. Its messages are timeless.
Buffetology Recommended by a poster on this forum, this is a cut and dry look at value investing, and is supplementary to the intelligent investor. Want a way to look at a company, value its shares, and buy for the long term? Look at this. Its a quick read too.
My life as a quant This is a different angle than the rest. It is about the life of a physicist turned quant engineer. more than anything it gives you a look at what goes on behind the scenes. There is a lot of brain power going into the big financial markets. One would be silly to think one could out play these guys, so the book gives you a humbling respect for the markets.
These are all I can think of off the top of my head. I am sure there are more out there, and there are better ones more specific to finance.
