Street Freak: A Memoir of Money and Madness at Lehman Brothers

Title: Street Freak: Money and Madness at Lehman Brothers
Author: Jared Dillian
Paperback, September 11, 2012
Genre: memoir

Opening sentences:"The market has its own intelligence. It has a sort of malignant omniscience that dictates that the market will do whatever fucks over the most people at any given moment in time. It knows your positions, and it knows your fears. You are a sinner in the hands of an angry God, and your positions are going to pay."

I am looking up words and acronyms while reading this memoir by Jared Dillian on his life as a trader for Lehman Brothers on Wall Street during the financial crisis starting 2001 through 2007. I have to find the true meaning of "hedge fund," "EFT trader," "volatility," "leverage," "asset classes," "binomial tree," "SPY," "predatory trading techniques," "program trader," and so on.

In the first chapter, Dillian lost $80,000 in a few minutes, but I haven't yet figured out how, though he described it in some detail. I think it will get easier as I read on. Sentences like "I might have been able to save $80,000, but I wasn't going to be able to save Lehman" keep me reading. So does the jacket book description:

"More than $1 trillion in wealth passed through his hands, yet the extreme highs and lows of the trading floor masked and exacerbated the symptoms of Dillian's undiagnosed bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorders, leading to a downward spiral that nearly ended his life."

The paperback of Street Freak was published by Touchstone. A review copy was sent to me by the publisher.

Desert Wives by Betty Webb; How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue

I rarely read eBooks except for a select few, but am glad I found Betty Webb's Desert Wives on Kindle, one of her Lena Jones mystery books set in Arizona.

The novel is about a polygamy sect that defies federal and state laws along the Arizona-Utah border by condoning child brides, underage pregnancies, and forced confinement of women and children. Evidently, this is not an uncommon situation in this area of the country, even today, some 9 years after the book was first published in hardcover.

In this mystery novel, a woman escapes with her young child from the compound when the elderly leader of the sect singles the child out to be his next wife. When his body is found in the desert with a fatal shotgun wound, the mother becomes a suspect.  Lena, a P.I., goes undercover as the new wife of one of the members in order to find the true murderer.

Can't wait to find out the who and the why... Desert Wives by Betty Webb is free on Kindle at the moment. This edition was published June 17, 2011.

I often read several books at a time, unfortunately. I do have to keep the plot lines separate. How to Eat a Cupcake is a different book from the others I'm reading. It's a contemporary YA novel about the relationship between two young women, Annie and Julia, who grew up together though their backgrounds are vastly different.

Annie is the privileged child in a household in which Julia's mother lives and works as a cook, one of the hired help. The two children are raised and schooled together, but conflicts and jealousies mar their relationship. They meet again later as adults and try to renew their friendship.

Don't know where this one is going, as I'm only on chapter 3 of the book, which is told from both Annie's and Julia's points of view. It looks like a promising read and is keeping my attention.

How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue is a paperback published March 13, 2012 by William Morrow. The ARC was sent to me by the publisher.

Mystery Novel: The Body in the Boudoir by Katherine Hall Page

I can't believe I haven't seen any of Katherine Hall Paige's mystery books before. The Body in the Boudoir is the twentieth in the Faith Fairchild award-winning series, which began with The Body in the Belfry, a book that received an Agatha Award for best first mystery.

The Body in the Boudoir was published in May 2012 but is set in 1990 when amateur sleuth Faith Fairchild is still a New Yorker, before she married and went to live in a small village in Massachusetts, the setting of the first book.

I think all the Faith Fairchild mysteries can be read separately from the others, so I'm starting with this latest one.

About the book: In spite of being overwhelmed by her decision to leave her home in the Big Apple and the multitude of tasks involved in "getting" married, Faith has no doubts about being married to her beloved Tom. But someone out there is dead set on making sure that she doesn't reach the altar. Before it's too late, she needs to figure out who is trying to sabotage the wedding--by eliminating the bride.(publisher's description).

The Body in the Boudoir: A Faith Fairchild Mystery by Katherine Hall Page is a hardcover publication of William Morrow, released May 1, 2012. I received a review copy from the publisher.

Book Review: Gold by Chris Cleave

Title: Gold by Chris Cleave
Hardcover, July 3, 2012; Simon and Schuster
Genre: fiction
Source: publisher

Just finished reading Gold and appreciated the author's intent to show what could drive Olympic athletes to win, both their healthy and unhealthy reasons.

Zoe has unhealthy reasons to win at all costs. Kate has more compassion for other people and her drive comes from her love of the sport. Jack's involvement in cycling for gold came from a push by his father when he was a young man. The novel takes you from their young selves - Zoe and Kate as nineteen-year-old rivals in the sport and as rivals over Jack - to their developing friendship and final time to fight for Olympic gold at age thirty-two.

I was disappointed in the twist in the plot half way into the book. I felt it was too contrived - it tied these three cyclists into a tighter knot than I was comfortable with. But it did make it easy for the book to achieve a neat ending.

Planes, Trains and Auto Rickshaws by Laura Pederson

Title: Planes, Train, and Auto-Rickshaws: A Journey Through Modern India by Laura Pedersen
Published May 29, 2012; paperback, 224 pages
Genre: travel memoir
Source: Authors on the Web

"If you're looking to experience ancient mystical India, then the holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the famous Ganges (aka Ganga) River is the place to go. Located five hundred miles southeast of Delhi, there are daily one-hour flights, or the Shiv Ganga Express train leaves every evening at 6:45 p.m. and arrives at 7:30 a.m. the following morning." ( p. 57)

About: India today is a nation caught between the rich heritage of its past and the great economic potential of its future. Journalist and author Laura Pedersen reveals the tensions and contradictions facing the emerging world power. In particular, Pedersen explores the roles of women and children in India today . Part travelogue, part history, and part cultural reflection, Planes, Trains, and Auto-Rickshaws provides an intimate glimpse of a nation at its turning point. (book description)

Laura Pedersen has written for The New York Times and is the author of several books. In 1994 President Clinton honored her as one of Ten Outstanding Young Americans. She writes for several well-known comedians and lives in New York City.

Book Giveaway: The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

Title: The Shoemaker's Wife: A Novel
Author: Adriana Trigiani
Harper's Paperbacks; August 21, 2012
Genre: historical novel

GIVEAWAY: The publisher is offering a newly released paperback of The Shoemaker's Wife: A Novel to a U.S. reader in a giveaway, now through Sept. 28. To enter, leave a comment with an email address so we can reach you. The winner will be chosen by random number and will have 48 hours to respond to an email notification. No P.O. addresses, please.

Visit my Review of The Shoemaker's Wife.

UPDATE: Deb Nance was chosen the winner by a random number generator. Thanks to everyone for entering the contest.

The Twelve Rooms of the Nile: A Novel by Enid Shomer

Title: The Twelve Rooms of the Nile: A Novel 
Author: Enid Shomer
August 21, 2012; Simon & Schuster
Genre: historical fiction

"My dear Rossignol, I sensed I would be your friend from the moment we met. Fate has brought us together in Egypt for a purpose."  ( ch. 12)

About the book: Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert traveled up the Nile at the same time in the mid 1800s. In reality, they never met. But in The Twelve Rooms of the Nile, they ignite a friendship marked by intelligence, humor, and a tenderness that will alter their destinies

Nightingale and Flaubert seem to have little in common. She is a woman with radical ideas about society and God, naive in the ways of men. He is a notorious womanizer, involved with innumerable prostitutes. But both are at crossroads in their lives with unfulfilled ambition. The two unlikely soulmates share their darkest torments and hopes, all against the opulent tapestry of mid-nineteenth century Egypt. (based on publisher's description)

GIVEAWAY: The publisher is offering a copy of The Twelve Rooms of the Nile to a U.S. reader in a giveaway, now through Sept. 22. To enter, leave a comment with an email address so we can reach you. The winner will be chosen by random number and will have 48 hours to respond to an email notification. No P.O. addresses, please.

UPDATE: The winner chosen by random number generator was Beverly S. Congrats!