Review: In Praise of Shadows

In Praise of Shadows by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

More of an essay than anything. An interesting read into the aesthetics and tradition of Japan vs. modernity and Western encroachment.


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Review: The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England

The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This reads like a Lonely planet guide to traveling to Elizabethan England, complete with which years to travel there in order to avoid the plague.

It also reads like a Travelogue in time. All in all a great and interesting read.




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Review: He Gave Me Roses of the Balkans

He Gave Me Roses of the Balkans by Jung Mi-Kyung
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this more memorable than the stories in "My Son's Girlfriend". It was odd how the two voices switched from first person (for the man) and third (for the woman). Still, it was a thought-provoking short story.


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Review: L'angelo di Monaco

L'angelo di Monaco by Fabiano Massimi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Surprisingly interesting book. I can't remember why I had this in my wishlist; I believe it was because I saw the author speak at the Taipei book fair and he spoke about Umberto Eco, so I assumed the book would be in an Umberto Eco style. It isn't, but it was still a great murder mystery - historically accurate and tackling the real murder of Geli Raubal, Hitler's niece.


I look forward to reading more by the author.



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Review: Augustus: First Emperor of Rome

Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Informative as ever, although my impression was that this was more about the times and surroundings of Augustus. Still, plenty of interesting information.


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Review: Una lezione di rivalsa (Il delegato di polizia Ezechiele Beretta Vol. 5)

Una lezione di rivalsa (Il delegato di polizia Ezechiele Beretta Vol. 5) by Dario Galimberti
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is exactly what I'm looking for when I want a "giallo" from Ticino. A smart mystery, taking into account not only Lugano, and not only a historically accurate Lugano from the 1940s, but also real events that occurred during that time (explained in the final section). Complete with map and glossary of terms (in dialetto) and places.

I look forward to reading more by the author.


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Review: Order without Design: How Markets Shape Cities

Order without Design: How Markets Shape Cities by Alain Bertaud
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I figured out what I want to do when I grow up.

Urban planning seems to be a fascinating endeavor, and during the course of this book I kept thinking about how to apply other economics lessons I learned back in my grad school days, from hydraulics (information economics) to game theory. I'm sure most of it would lead to nothing, but it would be fascinating nonetheless, especially considering the models that can be created for traffic flow, population increases/decreases, etc.

Regardless, I don't know enough to confirm or debunk anything the author says, although my impression was that he wanted to get people thinking about urban planning in a new way (using economics) than anything.


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Review: The Nvidia Way: Jensen Huang and the Making of a Tech Giant

The Nvidia Way: Jensen Huang and the Making of a Tech Giant by Tae Kim
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An intriguing peek into Jensen Huang's life and career in Nvidia. As a first book into this man, this is quite thorough (at least thus far). I may have to re-read this just to glean the business lessons that can be learned from him.

Living in Taiwan, I see him idolized quite often, so I wanted to get to know the man, flaws and all, but I have to say I admire even his "flaws", if you want to call them that.

All in all a great informative read.


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Review: The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper

The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tyler Cowen once said that a great challenge for economists is to try to identify the causes of the Renaissance, so they can be replicated in this time and throughout the world (I'm paraphrasing and probably misremembering part of it), and I would argue that this book might have done exactly this.

The argument that plentiful paper helped Giotto and Cimabue for their sketching, and then renaissance bankers for their double-entry book keeping, isn't all that far-fetched.

The rest of the book follows in the same vein, and it inspired me to buy a notebook on my latest outing. We'll see how that goes.

All in all a unique and interesting read.

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Review: Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012

Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012 by Carol J. Loomis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reading Warren Buffett's thoughts and speeches is always a breath of fresh air, no matter how financial and intricate the subject matter.

Many of these articles/essays are basically fanmail. But it's still quite interesting to see how writing about Buffett progressed over the years. The writings that are actually by Buffett tend to contain more substance.



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