There are going to be four book giveaways this week, and Im happy to kick things off by reviewing/giving away a copy of Findependence Day by Jonathan Chevreau, personal finance columnist with the National Post.

This book is different from most personal finance books. Different in a good way. One thing that Ive been struggling with has been the somewhat narrow scope Ive taken with my writing on this blog. For the most part, I assume readers have a basic grasp of the fundamentals so I have often times written about some pretty technical aspects of finance that, quite frankly, 99% of the population couldnt give a hoot about. (Ive always wanted to use the word hoot without talking about owls!).

Sporadically youll see me try to connect with a larger audience (witness last weeks posts on cars and coffee!), and not surprisingly the traffic to this blog grows faster when I do that.

This is why I found this book to be so valuable. It does a great job of broaching a lot of personal finance topics while at the same time remaining engaging for a very large audience including those who need to learn the most: people less inclined to read a book about just personal finance. This is a story that happens to teach a lot of valuable lessons, and challenge some long-held beliefs, all the while being an engaging read.

Guerilla Frugality is a concept mentioned in the book which is worth the price of admission alone. This term may gain much traction in the coming years not only because its necessary, but partly because I see a new trend of frugal being the new cool in other words, its very timely.

The book starts with a young couple being berated about their spending habits on a TV show about personal finance. Oh, didnt I mention? This book is a fictional story! The reader learns a lifetime of knowledge about managing money and finances vicariously through a couple named Jamie and Sheena who experience a roller coaster of both financial and emotional highs and lows. The book spans a few decades of their lives and the characters every triumph and failure are well discussed and you almost forget that you are learning more about what mistakes to avoid with your own finances as the book is written as a story that is both easy to follow and emotionally engaging.

I recommend buying a copy for yourself, and perhaps a few more copies for friends and family the purchase price is a small price to pay for the financial lessons sure to be learned especially for those who find personal finance intimidating. Click here to order the book directly from the publisher but you may want to wait until the weekend to see if youve won a free copy first!

Rules and Regulations:

1. To enter, just leave one comment at the end of this post indicating a topic suggestion for me to write about in the future. Your suggestion can be detailed (like, what is convexity as it relates to bonds?) or it can be broad (like, what is a bond?). Skys the limit as long as its related to money, investing or the economy (or cars, I guess). )
2. Entries must be made by Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time.
3. Winners will be announced on Sunday.
4. Good luck!