Books
I don't usually read mystery novels, but I've recently read two foreign mysteries that I really enjoyed.
Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. A fast-paced mystery novel set in Sweden. My criticism is that the novel veers off in too many directions, but the author's evident warmth, big-heartedness, and sensitivity to moral conflicts more than makes up for it. I couldn't put this book down until I finished it, but unlike so many "page-turners," this one didn't leave me feeling manipulated or disappointed.
Tom Rob Smith, Child 44. Another fast-paced mystery novel, this one is set in the Soviet Union during the end of the Stalinist regime. This book's strength is in the way the author brings you inside the paranoia of life in Moscow during the height of Stalinism, where one wrong word could land you in the Gulag and everyone was a potential informer. My criticisms of the book are that the resolution is a bit too contrived, the main character is a bit too naive to be believable, and the end is a bit too transparently set up to allow for sequels. This is a terrific one-off book, but I fear that sequels will not have the freshness and originality that helped Child 44 overcome its weaknesses.
News
I think we've all realized that we need a crash course in global financial markets to even begin to understand today's news headlines. That's why I think the writers at the New York Times, particularly Joe Nocera and Gretchen Morgensen, should win some sort of public service award. No other publication I read has done such a good job of reporting the financial news so it can be understood by ordinary readers.
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