06.25.08
Posted in Audible, Books at 12:22 pm by ryan
On top of the actual paper copy of “Founders at Work” that I’m reading for some reason, I’ve put together the list of audible books I’ll be going through next…
Does America Need a Foreign Policy?
By: Henry Kissinger
Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling
By: Ross King
The Enlightened Despots (Unabridged)
By: Geoffrey Bruun
China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power (Unabridged)
By: Rob Gifford
I’ve already started listening to Kissinger’s foreign policy book and it’s an absolutely incredible read. If you’re interested in international relations and recent history, I think you’ll also find this one enlightening. I might put it up there with Legacy of Ashes, the history of the CIA, which was also an incredible read!
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03.11.08
Posted in Audible, Books at 9:40 am by ryan
History:
The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan (Unabridged) Audible
God’s Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215 (Unabridged) Audible
The Peloponnesian War Volume 1 and Volume 2 (Unabridged)
Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West (Unabridged: 20 hrs) and (Abridged: 6 hrs)
A History of the Jews (Unabridged 28 hrs) Audible
Fiction:
The Paris Option: A Covert-One Novel (Unabridged) Audible
The Cassandra Compact (Unabridged) Audible
The Lay of the Land (Unabridged) Audible
The Crazyladies of Pearl Street (Unabridged) Audible
Killing Rain (Unabridged) Audible
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02.28.08
Posted in Books, China, Economics, History, Indonedia at 11:03 am by ryan
Well, we’ve managed to burn through the list posted at the start of the month:
21:Bringing Down the House and Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai
These two should be commented on together because the style and stories are so similar. If you in the mood for a fast paced novel about a life that sounds exciting, then either of these might be fun. Author Ben Mezerk spins out a story that you should be able to find on MTV. In the case of “Rigged”, saying that building a oil futures exchanged in Dubai “changed the world of oil”, it seems a bit exaggerated, but I’m not in the oil business so I suppose it’s not really my place to comment otherwise… In both cases the stories are a lot of fun, but again, I think of these more as a novel written in the character of historical fiction (ie, parts may have been based on actual events). Don’t get your expectations out of control and you should have a good time 
In the Ruins of Empire: The Japanese Surrender and the Battle for Postwar Asia
This was an excellent history of Asia from 1945-1950. If you’re interested in how military occupation works, in how systems operate, in how civil wars get started, in how arms get moved from one group to another, this is a great read! Thoroughly enjoyed this one! How did the Vietnam War get started anyway? And what about the Korean war? And why did we let Suharto get away with so much in Indonesia? Much of the current state of Asia is the result of “The Allies” unwinding the Japanese Empire in Asia. The Korean War, Vietnam War, Chinese Civil War, and Indonesian Independence from the Netherlands will all be quickly understood. Prior to reading this, I confess I wasn’t even aware that France tried to restore it’s colony in Vietnam after Japan’s surrender at the end of WWII. At least I’m slightly less ignorant then before I read this one… Highly recommended!
Liar’s Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street
This was a very wittily written story about greed on Wall Street during the ’80’s, and a bit about the training (hazing) process for new recruits. At least a few blank spots in your knowledge of modern finance will likely be filled in by a read through this one. Recommended! Enjoy
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