Markus Zusak - The Book Thief

The book thief traces 4 formative years of Liesel Meminger, a girl who among other things deals with her brothers death, rolls up cigarettes, gets pretty good at soccer and you guessed it... steals books. Narrated by Death (a cynical personality), the book introduces some of the most interesting and realistic characters I have come across.Well written, fast paced and appropriate for all age groups.

The interactions Liesel has with Max are particularly engrossing. The book is also rife with symbolism, adding another dimension for the readers.

The one grievance I had with the book was the "End of the World". Unlike the death of her brother, where we observe how she deals with her loss, the bombs that wipe out every one she knows seemed particularly pointless, serving no purpose other than to make you cry. I believe this to be a disingenuous trick on the author's part. Oh and the book cover does not make any sense.

Overall this is still a very enjoyable book. The Book Thief, right up to the "end of the world", does for Hitler's Germany what The Kite Runner should have done (but failed) Taliban's Afghanistan.

Aron Ross Sorkin - Too Big To Fail

   My interest in the financial crisis of 2008 was stirred by House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street, which is why I picked this book up.

   The book presents a captivating comprehensive blow by blow insider account of the important events leading up to and during the crucial September in 2008 when the financial crisis was fully realized. First hand accounts are included from various Bankers and Regulators, exposing the reader to the different point of views. Sorkin does an excellent job of addressing the underlying issues and describing the events to laymen (the likes of you, me and Christopher Cox-Chairman of SEC at the time). It's clear after reading the book, how over the head the situation was for most of the bankers and regulators, who did not realize the severity of the problems they faced till too late and then ran around like headless chickens. There isn't (and should not have been) a wealth of analysis in this journalistic book; if attempted, would have only served to slow things down.

   When I began I was hoping that the book assign blame to the responsible bankers and regulators. To that effect I was reminded of this James Reston Jr.'s quote from the movie Frost/Nixon about Richard Nixon's upcoming interview.

   "The man lost twenty-one thousand americans and a million Indochinese during His administration. He only escaped jail because of Ford's pardon. Right now, I submit its impossible to feel anything close to sympathy for Richard Nixon. He devalued the presidency and He left the country that elected Him in trauma. The American people need a conviction, pure and simple. The integrity of our political system, of Democracy as an idea, entirely depends on it. And, in years to come, if people look back and say that it was in this interview that Richard Nixon exonerated Himself, that would be the worst crime of all."

   While understandabe (but somewhat disappointing), Sorkin did not get a conviction for America, I was glad the likes of DICK Fuld were not exonerated either.

   A must read for anyone interested in the Financial Crisis.