Books to read or talk about

I have observed that if you are an MBA student (or planning to do one in the near future), there will often be various occasions (such as at cocktail
parties, interviews,class discussions,networking sessions) where one would be involved in converstations that are "intellectual". Basically, here either you would have to form an opinion or provide an insight based on one's experiences.Sometimes, there are discussions about books that folks have read and the key theme is discussed.

Over the past one year, I have often observed that while talking to senior management of a company , or while attending an interview or in a class discussion, there are often references made to certain key books.
So, here is a list of books for you to read if you are heading to a B school now.
Read the following books for a few reasons: You don't want to be left out when a discussion happens.You also want to show that you read books on diverese subjects
and have an opinion.And most importantly you will expand your thinking after reading these books.


1.World is Flat by Milton Friedman: Teacher taught me during my schooling that the earth was round. But the CEO of my company told Tom Friedman that the earth was flat and he wrote a best seller on that.The book has a very interesting perspective.
Pankaj Ghemawat,HBS prof does not agree with him but if you are coming from India and have been in the IT services industry, you would definitely want to read the book and reflect on it.

2.Freakonomics by Levitt and Dubner: Economics explained in a very interesting manner.Teaches you to observe things around you and ask questions. Very interesting book! I had to do this as a part of my strategy assignment but I loved reading the book.

3. Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell: I would have also mentioned Blink by the same author. But the Tipping point was the one which I liked more. There is some interesting stuff that you can talk about if you are appearing for a Marketing interview.

4. Blue Ocean Strategy by Kim and Mauborgne : Have not read the book but plan to do so in the near future. People have talked a lot about it and it appears that this is not an "airport book" and has some interesting ideas on "How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant".

5.The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt: If you are talking to a guy who is into operations , this book is a must read. Theory of Constraints,Herbie - terms that you will commonly encounter. The book is an easy read and is a "must read" if you are looking for jobs in operations management.

Are there any other books that you think that one should read to sound intellectual in a cocktail party or in a class discussion that I am missing.? Do post your thoughts in the comments section.!