The Price of Everything

Eduardo Porter's bestseller, The Price of Everything, is an economic exploration along the lines of Freakonomics, only not quite as interesting. That's not to say it's a bad book, just that if you only had time for one, I'd go with Freakonomics.

Porter examines the price of everyday goods and services before taking his book on a more interesting path as he examines the price of concepts and institutions, like happiness and marriage. He employs economics to explain why polygamy fell out of favor, why religion has the potential to make rational sense and why the recording industry had to destroy Napster but may have gone about it in a stupid way.

Overall, I liked the book. If you're looking for some interesting dinner conversation, it provides some relevant, timely fodder.