Alright, I'm overdue on my book reports to ya and I know you've been waited on the edge of your ergonomic computer chairs. I'm afraid I'm going to be a bit terse though, especially since my memory has faded by now, but here they are:

John Hood, of the terrific John Locke foundation, has recently written a volume entitled Investor Politics. Mr Hood is an occasional contributor to NR(ODT) and occasional guest host on WPTF here in the triangle. Somehow before I began reading I had developed the impression that this book was about the rising "investor class" and how they would be a "force to reckon with" in the future of amreican politics. Fortunately I was wrong and the book is much better than that. It is in fact an analytical history of the relationship between the US govt. policy and investing.

Mr Hood, in fact, attempts to start at the beginning (or before the beginning if you are a creationist) with some hypotheses about pre-historic man's discovery of trade and saving. The majority of the book dwells on US political history though. I won't attempt to summarize his outline, but I will say I was impressed with his thorough and fair analysis of such subjects as social security and the home mortgage interest deduction. Hood's strongest point, though, is carefully argued policy prescriptions. While his viewpoint is certainly that of a free-marketeer, he always argues inductively, citing study after study when proposing policy changes. Such a careful balance between history, political thought, and policy suggestions is rare in my readings.

My other review for you is of a novel. David Mitchell was born in Lancashire in 1969 (my year of birth as well), but has been living and teaching in Japan for some time. His 1999 novel, Ghostwritten, certainly has an oriental flavor to it. Each chapter in the book is from the perspective of a different character, all in different places in the world. The range of writing he used to accomplish this simply astounded me. I would strogly advise that you find a copy in yor local bookstore and read the first chapter, written from the viewpoint of a Japanese terrorist cult member. Quite disturbing, yet quite believable. Anyway, none of the characters in the book actually know any of the others, but their lives are all inter-connected in strange and suprising ways. Hard to adequately describe without giving away important plot points. There is a bit of rough language in some parts, so I won't recommend this to the squeemish. I was just hooked though. I might have to read it again to pick up some more deatils (and I NEVER read a book twice).