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I previously wrote the 20 best stock market books of all-time and you can see the largest collection of stock market book reviews HERE. but its always good to see what books my trading challenge students are reading and liking the most so you too can grow your account like these students of mine have:

Check out this great guest post below from one of my top students:

Gaining more knowledge about stocks in general will help you become a better trader. One of the best ways to do this is by reading a TON. This is why I wanted to compile a list of the top ten stock market books, according to Investimonials .

The first book is called “Reminiscences of a Stock Operator.” This biography of Jesse Livermore, known as one of the greatest speculators there ever was, has insights that have inspired generations of investors. One review said, “Nothing changes! Im into reading historical books and this is a classic. It was originally published as a series of newspaper interviews in the 20s about a fictional trader (based on real life trader Jesse Livermore) and how he earned his living trading the markets. Even though things were drastically different 80 years ago than they are today what’s even more shocking is how little things have actually changed in the stock market. The game is the same now as it was then and human nature never changes. From the beginning to the end the book is entertaining, informative, and engaging. I will say it takes a bit to get used to the language and youll have to read passages a few times to really understand what hes saying (the language was just different back then) but it doesnt take away from the enjoyment of the book. Pump and dumps are just as legal now as they were then, suckers will still lose all their money, and hope and greed will always rule the markets. Great book.”

The second book is “Pit Bull: Lessons from Wall Street’s Champion Trader.” This book is a true story, following the path of Schwartz becoming the best of the best. One reviewer said, “Fun inspirational book. I dont know that this did much for my technique (I never had much luck with the approach he likes: having a girl beside you to say if you like it, get it), but its one of those inspiring books that everyone needs to read. If you love speculation, dont give up. Get intelligent at it, hone your skills, and enjoy life. Actually I dont know that Schwartz had the enjoy life part down, but he bought some really nice stuff, and Im pretty obsessive too, so its interesting to daydream about buying million-dollar paintings.

The third is, “Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns, Second Edition.” Tom Bulkowski, trading expert, authored this book. This edition contains updates and expansions upon the first book, with new statistics that are useful in both bull and bear markets. One helpful review says, “Essential Reference Material. I have been using statistical techniques for many years and thought most patterns are mostly in the eye of the beholder. I have yet to see a head-and-shoulders. But some patterns are so obvious that recently I have looked for definitions and explanations. This author not only provides them, but also has done the heavy lifting of testing 500 securities over 5 years in order to say how often each pattern is successful, how much you are likely to make from it, etc. This has never been done before and is very useful. Encyclopedia went to my top 10 technical analysis list in the first ten minutes I had it. It will be the most dog-eared book since Edwards and Magee.”

The fourth book on our list is about Jesse Livermore, the topic of the number one book on our list. “Jesse Livermore: World’s Greatest Stock Trader” is the true-life story of one of the best traders in history. One reader said, “Fact is usually much more amazing than fiction. Well in this case that is exactly right. Jesse Livermore is probably only known by a few in the investment/trading world but his mark is assured in history. This guy is freaking amazing. Sad life, but what a story. Imagine being so powerful (because you are such an amazing trader) that the top banker in the world begs you for help to save the Amercian economy. If you liked this book you might like to check out: The Biography of Andr Meyer: A Story of Money, Power, and the Reshaping of American Business. Its not a trading book but the stories of banking, money, power are every bit as incredible as Jesses story. This is in my top three along with Jesses book.

This book is meant to give you a realistic look inside the worlds of stock trading and hedge funds. One reviewer said, “The book that launched me into trading. I, like many before me I guess, happened to get this book from Audible right around the time of the market crash in 2008. It was just curiousity about this mess of a financial system that led me to get this book and I can honestly say that it changed my life. After listening to this book a couple of times I was still doubtful about how crooked the markets are but the more I researched this I absolutely could not believe what i was learning. Once I realized how crooked the system is I learned to trade for myself and have substantially improved my financial life as a result. The book is very entertaining and flows quite well.”

The sixth is called “Reminiscences of a Stock Operator Annotated Edition.” Authored by Edwin Lefevre and Jon Markman, this is a fictionalized bio of Jesse Livermore. The book contains countless insights and words of inspiration. A review said, “Chock full of wisdom for the beginner and veteran alike. I just finished reading it for the third time in the year since I bought it and it speaks to me a little more each time. Not only is it an entertaining read, but the timeless wisdom it dishes out gets right to the heart of trading. I can see myself having to buy a new copy in a couple years, after reading it several more times. About every six months is a good schedule. The quote that stand out this time is something like, “General wisdom is never near as valuable as specific savvy. The book is simply riddled with gems like this.”

The seventh is “The Daily Trading Coach: 101 Lessons for Becoming Your Own Trading Psychologist.” Whether you want to coach yourself through life or through trading, this book by Steenbarger has important lessons for many. A helpful review said, “Psychology is so important in trading. If you are not a trader, you cannot imagine the pressure that comes with the job. Psychology is more important than anything else. Even with the best strategy, with the perfect signals, you can lose money if you don’t have the proper mindset. This book helps you asking the right questions and finding your answers. There are no such thing as right answers, just your answers. You need to know you first before being able to excel in trading. I would recommend this book to anyone. You can learn a lot about yourself, even if you are not a trader. Steenbarger knows how to make you work for your own good and in a lively style.”

The eighth is “High Probability Trading” by Marcel Link. This book’s mission is to weed out the bad trades and help you focus on the good plays that are worth it. A top review said, “Terrific daytrading book. Probably the best practical how-to book on the subject of daytrading stocks, indices, and futures contracts.”

The ninth is “Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques, Second Edition.” This book by Steve Nison is definitely more technical, providing in-depth explanations of candlestick plotting and analysis. One review said, “Candlesticks explainedand this book is well worth every penny. Its not simply a candlestick charts book, but also a very good TA work. It helps a lot in spotting continuation patterns or reversing trends, although I have to say that Id have prefered that mr Nison provided us with some more candlestick combinations with other TA tools. Trading using candlestick alone can be dangerous. Theres no way a barchart, a HLC, OHLC or any other kind of chart can tell you as much as candlesticks can do. While you cant tell which of the bars were up or down closes by looking at a barchart, a simple glance at the candlesticks could provide you much more information about accurate trade signals. One of the things that struck me the most is the fact that mr Nison explains the psychological and emotional aspects that go with almost every pattern. Thats what the chart reading is supposed to be.”

The tenth and final book on our list is “Technical Analysis: Using Multiple Timeframes.” Once again a technical book, Author Brian Shannon uses this to serve  as a complete guide to understanding market structure and the psychology of price movements. A review said, “This is why I joined Investimonials. I followed Brian Shannons blog for a long time and watched his daily mark recaps. I always thought his analysis was right on. When I saw that I could buy his book using investimonial ivBucks, well that gave me a great goal for participating in reviews. I finally got the book and thought it was great. While other books only offer the nuts and bolts details of technical analysis, Shannon goes into the psychology of why the tape reads the way it does. He breaks down the price movement into stages. Now, when I look at a stock graph, I have a better idea of the story being told about the stock. Is it a great value at $80+? Probably not. In my opinion, it should probably be priced at half that. Anything over $50 for a book that provides general technical analysis education (even if its really good like this book) is a tough sell.”

Don’t read all of these at once, as you need to take your time and make sure you really take in all of this important knowledge, but here is a list that you should try to make your way through. You’ll be glad you did!