The Big Short

By Michael Lewis.

I loved Liar's Poker when I read it years ago and was also impressed by The Big Short. I will probably have to read it again to make sure I got the whole story - hazard of reading quickly when I don't have a lot of background in the subject, I have found. Easy to read, but I think I needed some diagrams - I am very visual and descriptions of relationships are harder for me than diagrams sometimes. I am going to diagram it myself, I think. If I do, I will post them. I would recommend.

Reviews: B&N, NY Times, and The AV Club.

Interesting back story here.

Buy it here.

5 out of 5 stars.

Bleak House

I am slowly reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I really like it and like his style much more now than I did when I was younger, but it is a time-consuming book.

I will post more when I have finished.

Update: I did finish Bleak House a little while ago. I really enjoyed it - I have rarely or never encountered a book that took me so long to read that kept my interest. I can't believe how much I enjoyed his descriptions. His character development is also great. Seems cliche to say all this about Dickens, I guess. I was just kind of surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Buy it here.

5 out of 5 stars.

Gaia's Garden

Well, it has been way too long since I read much of anything. My office had a trial and it seemed to take over my life!

I have managed to read Gaia's Garden, by Toby Hemenway. Of course, it made me want to give it all up and become a farmer (though it seems that most things make me want to give it all up and become a farmer...). Very inspiring and lots of good information. I still think I need some help in overall garden design to make everything work well on my small lot, but he inspired me to make some small changes this year and see how the garden grows.

Reviews: from Organic Gardens here and from GoodReads here.

Buy it here.

5 stars.

De Bono's Thinking Course. This is a book I originally picked up years and years ago. I have read it a few times over the years and still find it really interesting. De Bono is an interesting writer - I read another book by him and couldn't get far (I Am Right, You Are Wrong). I think he needed serious editing, but maybe I was too young? I might try again. Anyway, the Thinking Course is well edited and easy to read. I have wanted to set up a "thinking club" for years after reading his suggestions - and I am starting one in Denver! I find it a very practical guide to improving my thinking.

De Bono's website is just "off" enough to seem strange. Check it out here.

5 stars out of 5.

(Couldn't find an image of the Thinking Course book to use in this post.) Buy it here.