MIND YOUR BUSINESS! I'M FEELING BULLISH...

 NOW THAT I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION  (That's ONSLOW, the Bulldog)

We are solidly into 2012 and it's time to stop dreaming and start doing. Novels are a great escape but my guest reviewer, GHS has  suggested two chilling business books that will definitly serve as a reality check.
GHS is Senior Vice President of a brokerage firm and a registered investment advisor.  He has an extensive background in the regulatory side of the business serving  on the NASD Quality of Markets Committee and as an Arbitrator for industry sponsored forums for dispute resolutions.
(He was very well brought up too..from a nice family..)

GHS SAYS....

To better understand the financial crisis and its origins, here are two books that provide a very exciting contrast. One is about the crisis as it unfolded while the other is about its origins over 20 years ago. Both provide unique insight into human behavior and the motivation for profit in a male dominated world of high finance.  

TOO BIG TO FAIL BY ANDREW ROSS SORKIN

To better understand one of the most tumultuous periods in American financial history I recommend reading ‘Too Big to Fail' by Andrew Ross Sorkin. Written in 2010, the book is a behind the scenes look at the key players and events leading up to and during the biggest U.S. financial crisis since the Great Depression. You will go inside the boardroom at Lehman, to secret meetings in Korea, the White House and Treasury. Sorkin, a columnist for the New York Times and TV co-host of Squawk-Box on CNBC writes a real life thriller with a ‘fly on the wall’ perspective. Too Big to Fail re-creates all the drama and turmoil as it unfolds and provides an educational experience into the depths of the crisis.

LIAR'S POKER BY MICHAEL LEWIS

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to be young and rich on Wall Street in the 1980’s—I recommend reading Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis. Written in 1989, It’s the story of the author’s two year rise through the training program at Salomon Brothers, eventually becoming a hot shot bond salesman. When the book was written, many on Wall Street saw it as a textbook for success. However, reading it now, it shows us that our current financial challenges originated over 30 years ago in trading rooms that operated like a frat house.

Michael Lewis is the author of  The Blindside, The Money Culture, Moneyball, The Big Short
among other works.

BLOG READER'S RECOMMENDATION     (1/29/2011)
 LS from Lexington, Massachusetts gave high praise for OLD FILTH by JANE GARDEM.
This novel outlines the life of a British barrister known as "Old Filth." The narrative moves from past to present following his life, hinting at a terrible event that occured when he was eight. JANE GARDEM paints a portrait of a man whose fate it was "to be left and forgotten."

OLD FILTH was nominated for the prestigious Orange Prize and LS called it a "must read."
Reviewers labeled it " a compelling, vivid and defiantly funny novel"

AM I TOO OLD FOR YOUNG ADULT FICTION?

First of all, what is Young Adult Fiction? I do have an inkling, but since I am a "person of a certain age" I have no recent experience with Young Adult Fiction or with young adults for that matter.  
The genre (and yes it is a genre) focuses on the reader between the ages of twelve and eighteen. It has its own moniker (YA) and a huge following.

This Was My House First by Jennifer Clements Stockdale is a prime example of Young Adult fiction at its best. Read on and you'll see why...

Jenifer Clements Stockdale is one of ten children and an author formerly from Martha's Vineyard. This Was My House First gives a rare glimpse into the inner works of a foster home from the perspective of someone not emmeshed in the foster care system.

The poignant story is part truth and part fiction and the children's conversations that contribute to the story are based on the author's family

What about the biological kids in a foster care home?  How do they interact with the foster children? Do they feel replaced?

Jenifer was faced with these questions when she  began training as a foster parent and wanted to prepare her family. The story unfolds easily and will educate and enlighten any young reader (or older reader as well.) I found THIS WAS MY HOUSE FIRST  to be sad but uplifting and told in an honest, frank, and clear voice.

Jenifer Clement Stockdale is a Special Education Teacher and has been a foster parent for ten years.  Currently she is participating in a foster care training program with her daughter who is preparing to open her own foster care home.

THIS WAS MY HOUSE FIRST is an entrant in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. It can be purchased from lulu.com in paperback or as a Kindle edition. Click on the book image below to purchase from Amazon.