50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Six

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the sixth thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2017, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. Any type of book can count, it's not too late to join, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

The first thread of the year is here, the second one here, the third thread here, the fourth one here, and the fifth one here.

What are you reading?

Sadik - Strictly imho, Yannis Varoufakis is a joker and Greeks have nobody but their leaders (and hence, themselves, as a democracy) to blame for their economic failure.

Does he mention anywhere in that book that Greece FALSIFIED its numbers, misrepresented the state of its economy, and blatantly LIED to get into the EU? Does he touch on the fact that they took full advantage of low EU borrowing rates, borrowed to the gills, and partied like there's no tomorrow?

Then interest rates rose, like they inevitably would. And Greece imploded. Well boo hoo. If Varoufakis is trying to blame EU for it in that book, I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face reading it.

29. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O by Neal Stephenson & Nicole Galland

I absolutely adore Neal Stephenson and it pains me to say this but this book was below-average and I blame Nicole Whatsername for it The premise is based on the many-worlds interpretation of Quantum Mechanics and was interesting enough in the beginning: What if all witches do is look for a universe where a desired outcome has already happened and bring that outcome here?

This is exactly the sort of what-if situation that NS is fantastic at bringing to life with intricate detail but he has made only a half-assed attempt to do so in this book. Why? His worldbuilding was incredibly good and detailed in Anathem, which also dealt with "many-worlds" and was brilliantly brainhurty.

I read an interview with NS once where he counted Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell as one of the most amazing books he read in recent years, and said that he would like to write a book about magic, too. And this was the sad result. I'm very disappointed and can only assume that his input into this book was minimal, like with The Mongoliad.

I forgot to say: I can forgive NS almost anything, but NOT page after page after fucking page of pointless bureaucratic work emails between minor characters. Those made me want to scream and stick pins in my eyes.

Also, this was very clearly meant to be the 1st in a series. I won't be reading the sequels.

Have you read the book, Cote? It isn't about the Greek situation, but rather about the history of the EU as a whole and in the context of the creation and then demise of Bretton Woods.

In many ways, (although obviously very important to the Greeks) the Greek situation is a side issue to the fundamental problems of the Euro & indeed the worldwide monetary system.

I've just read Adults in the room by Varoufakis and it's a fascinating read. Yes he acknowledges all those bad decisions made by various Greek governments. For all bad borrowers though, it takes bar lenders to create the chaos that was Greece (is). Faced with a bad situation, what then do you do? Do you exacerbate this by piling on bad decisions, or do you try to break the cycle. He describes the process in detail, it is a chilling read and very relevant now with the brexit negociations. You don't to keep a straight face, but I do think this is an important book. Well worth reading.

Rhu - The Shifts and the Shocks by Martin Wolf is a really interesting read on the same theme - essentially the Euro as a disastrous marriage, but with divorce unthinkable.

Thanks Sadik, I'll check that one out too.

No I haven't read the book. I just know what happened before and during the Greek economic implosion (still ongoing, really) and I know that Varoufakis was a shockingly incompetent fool and failure during his 6 months in office as Greece's Minister of Finance. Who would have guessed it's not a good idea to put a Marxist who doesn't believe in capitalism and financial markets in charge of the country's economy during its worst economic crisis?

He was a sort of Trump-light figure during his brief period as Minister of Finance, giving ill-considered angry speeches about EU, not just lecturing but hectoring, acting ballsy to the Greek audience, and saying cringe-worthy stuff that showed how little he understood the country's predicament. It was pathetic.

Reading the title of his book "And The Weak Suffer What They Must" shows that he takes no responsibility and does not realise that it is fools and liars in Greek government who made the thorny bed in which the country now lies.

"Faced with a bad situation, what then do you do? Do you exacerbate this by piling on bad decisions, or do you try to break the cycle."

Out of curiosity, what does he say in these books would be a good decision? Break the cycle how exactly?

30. Along Came A Spider by James Patterson

This was a pretty OK crime novel about a black detective who is also a psychologist going after a psychopath serial killer & kidnapper. It's hard to say much about it without giving spoilers but I thought it was better than the average crime thriller - some mind games, a few interesting twists etc. Recommended as a beach read for those thus inclined.

Remus (and anyone else interested in mountains) - can you recommend a book about K2? I know next to nothing about it, but there must be some good books out there...

The only K2 book I've read is No Way Down - Life and Death on K2' by Graham Bowley. I liked it.

23. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Armin Four very different women respond to an advertisement in the Times appealing to those who appreciate wisteria and sunshine to rent a small medieval Italian castle for a month. All are in some way dissatisfied with their lives in England, and all find that their beautiful new surroundings begin to change how they feel about themselves and others.

This was a light, warm read. The descriptions of the castle and surroundings are gorgeous. It's gently funny in parts, although the plot is reasonably predictable. I was slightly disappointed that no-one shagged the delicious-sounding gardener, but that's class-obsessed women of the 1920s for you.

www.yanisvaroufakis.eu/2017/07/02/adults-in-the-room-reviewed-by-adam-tooze-columbia-university/ This link gives a pretty comprehensive summary.
The main point of the plan was to default on the bonds the ECB held for the Greek. This, worth E33bn, would avoid a further bailout and the threat of going though with this would make the Troika amenable to debt restructuring. The IMF was key in this as it is against the rules to extend loans to a bankrupt lender. A parallel payment system was part of the plan in case bank were to be closed and a Grexit were to be inevitable, but as we now know Tsipras caved in in the end and Varoufakis resigned.

Oh, and added to that the main purpose was to negotiate debt restructuring based on a solid plan on a 1.5% surplus, investments/selling off assets and tackling tax evasion. All calculated and worked through. No restructuring but pushing through the bailout would have meant defaulting on the ECB bonds and the rest but that was not the aim of the operation. The aim was to get out of those bailouts and the austerity programme which could only lead to a prolonged humanitarian crisis with no possibility to pay off the debts. It would appear he has been right on that.

There was no solid plan. Anyone who followed what was going on at the time and looked at the numbers could see that there was no way Greece could pay back that debt. None whatsoever.

"Parallel payment system" was a joke that caused much derision merriment at the time.

He is now writing books and posing as a visionary who holds the key to Western economies' survival, but he was a muppet in office who helped his country not one bit.

I think some gardener shagging would have improved Enchanted April substantially.

Haven't updated since the beginning of June but have kept up with the thread. I just never seem to get around to posting. So a quick update for the sake of brevity:

32. The Revenant, Michael Punke. I really enjoyed this, just my sort of thing - adventures out in the wild, overcoming hardship, etc.

33. The Heroes, Joe Abercrombie. Stand alone novel from his First Law world. Liked this, as I have all his other First Law books. Tried the first of his Shattered Sea trilogy a couple of years ago but it didn't do much for me.

34. The Power, Naomi Alderman. Thought this was pretty good, certainly an interesting premise. I felt that it lost something a little towards the end, but overall I enjoyed it.

35. How to Fall in Love, Cecelia Ahern. I don't read chick lit. A friend who does felt I might like this, and talked me into trying it, citing it as a good example of the genre and covering a topic I might be interested in. She was wrong.

36. Growing Up Amish, Ira Wagler. This was great - a memoir of Amish life, and the author's difficulties in deciding whether or not to stay a part of the Amish community. I knew very little about Amish life, so found this very interesting.

37. Born to Run, Christopher McDougall. I've just taken up running so was drawn to this. It was fantastic! One of my best reads this year and I already want to reread it.

38. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, David Sedaris. A collection of anecdotes about all manner of weird and wonderful things, as per his usual style. Funny, but ultimately a bit forgettable.

39. 3x Pottermore Presents short stories. A bit of light background info from the world of Harry Potter. All short so I've lumped them in together as one.

Currently reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Steig Larsson. All good so far!

Remus

Monty - Andnow you know where Tarahumara got her name from

Not being able to pay back the loans was the whole point. It's not as if he claimed that it could be done which is what you appear to believe? To be honest you don't seem very informed on this and I'm finding your prejudices a bit ehm.. strong.

Indeed cote! It's a very good name choice

63. Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves second in the Vera Stanhope series, another well written page turner. I really like Cleeves' books and so far haven't managed to guess the culprit in four Shetland and two Vera books. I have a few more waiting on my kindle and am sorely tempted to binge read them.
64. The Dry by Jane Harper Very engaging thriller, the author did an excellent job depicting the claustrophobic atmosphere of the small, arid rural town in Australia to which Falk returns after a twenty year absence to attend a funeral. His childhood friend appears to have killed his family and then himself in a horrific murder spree, and Falk is soon drawn into trying to find out if there is room for any doubt and exonerate his friend in what seems to be a straight forward case.
65. See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt Atmospheric, well written historical fiction of the unsolved gruesome murders of Lizzie Borden's parents. I thought this was excellent, it reminded me a little of His Bloody Project.

I'm now enjoying New Boy by Tracy Chevalier.

31. The Outsider: My Life In Intrigue by Frederick Forsyth

I loved this! I started it as I went to bed the other night, thinking it will bore me to sleep in a few pages as most autobiographies do (at least until they get going). Tough luck. I stayed up until 2 AM, totally engaged

I didn't know much about FF except that he wrote The Day Of the Jackal and a few other spy books. It turns out that he is a RAF pilot, Reuters reporter out of East Berlin before the Wall came down, journalist who brought to light the starving children in Nigeria, and part-time spy for the MI6.

This isn't an autobiography as much as it is a testimonial to the places, pivotal events, and sometimes tragedies that the author has been witness to. There are huge sections on East Berlin and Germany under Communism, Middle East, and various places in Africa including a comprehensive guide to Nigeria's civil war.

And the writing is exactly how I like it - smart, lucid, witty, and with no cheap heartstring-tugging gimmicks.

I highly recommend this book to everyone here.