When I'm writing well I don't read much and so for the past year I have a stack of books waiting to be started or finished. And because I write late into the night and get up very early, I don't have a night-table; in fact I don't often use a bed. I unroll a sleeping bag on the floor of my office with the cats so my wife can sleep through the night. A lot of books get read not at home, but in various places as I travel.

I like to read far above my weight. It shows me what writing can be when its done right.

more...

"For the last 20 years, Wall Street has been increasingly taken over by a breed of math and science whizzes known as quants. By applying math to markets, they were able to predict and price risk, down to the penny. Or so they said. This is the story of their rise and fall, of how they turbocharged finance, and then drove it off a cliff to the detriment of the entire world.
What's the big deal? Well, for starters, the global financial crisis. Along with subprime mortgages and overleveraged banks, these quants are the folks we can thank for it. They're a notoriously reclusive bunch, but author Scott Patterson gets extraordinary access to their lives, complete with the luxury cars, the private jets, and the high-stakes poker in their hotel suites. Wonder why all the big news these days is about what banks and hedge funds should and shouldn't be able to do? Read this book."- Matthew Philips, Newsday, March 8, 2010.

more...

To HBO, at least. Fans of A Song of Ice and Fire who are eagerly awaiting the fifth book in George R.R. Martin's popular fantasy series, will have to continue to wait for A Dance with Dragons.

Martin announced the news recently, that HBO has greenlighted A Game of Thrones for a full ten episode first season, due to air next spring. The plan is to adapt one book in the series per season. The cast includes Lord of the Rings alumni, Sean Bean in the role of Eddard (Ned) Stark, Lord of Winterfell and the King's new Hand.

more...