The Big Short – Inside the Doomsday Machine

For anyone with even the vaguest interest in the stockmarket, daytrading or financial markets the new Michael Lewis book is apparently an absolute MUST HAVE!

Lewis is regarded as probably the finest financial journalist in the world at the moment and his books - including Liars Poker and Panic - have been absolute hits through the global financial crisis.

This is his latest offering and I can tell you now that I'm going to be reading this one. The synopsis reads:

"The Big Short" tells a story of spectacular, epic folly. It has taken the world's greatest financial meltdown to bring Michael Lewis back to the subject that made him famous. His international bestseller "Liar's Poker" exposed the greed and carnage of the City and Wall Street in the 1980s; he wrote it as a cautionary tale, but people seem to have read it as a how-to guide. Now, he wants to settle accounts. In this visceral tour to the heart of the financial system, Michael Lewis takes us around the globe and back decades to trace the origins of the current crisis. He meets the people who saw it coming, the people who were asleep at the wheel and the people who were actively driving us all of cliff. How could we have all been so deluded for quite so long? Where did it all start? Was it systemic? Was it avoidable? And who the hell can we blame? Michael Lewis has the answers. No one is better qualified to get to the heart of this labyrinthine story. And no one can make it such an enjoyable ride along the way.

It looks like an absolutely awesome read!

You can buy it from online retailer Loot in hardcover for R316

Tell no-one - Harlan Coben

This is a cracking little read from Harlan Coben.

If you like fast-paced crime fiction then this will definately tickle your fancy and it has a nifty little twist at the end of the tale!

The story line is good and reads a little something like this:

8 years ago David Beck and his wife were having a romantic getaway at a cabin in the woods when they were brutally assaulted. His wife’s body was discovered a few days after the assault, battered beyond recognition.

Fast forward 8 years and Beck is still battling to get on with his life and it isn’t helped when he receives a link to a street-cam which mysteriously features an image of his presumed dead wife. Suddenly Becks’ life is turned upside down as he begins to investigate the case again. However the deeper he digs the more people wind up dead or threatened.

The book rollicks along at a great pace and I’d finished reading it inside of two days – a real page turner (if you can use that term when you are reading something on the Kindle?)

Title: Tell no one

Author: Harlan Coben

ISBN: 978-0-440-24590-2

This is a cracking little read and I rated it a 4 out of 5 while my wife threw in her 2c and rated it 3 and a half.

You can buy the book online at Loot for R81 as a paperback. It is definately worth it!

Popular Video Games - 2010/03/14

And the popular video games are.... listed below.

One really interesting title which I saw there was Outrun 2006 which was listed for R27.95 under Kalahari. Geez

dunno if any of you remember the ORIGINAL Outrun MANY years ago... wow that takes me back to my youth.


Take2.co.za
1. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition - PC
2. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat PC
3. Final Fantasy XIII PS3
4. Heavy Rain - PS3
5. Street Fighter - PS3
6. Assassin's Creed II - PC
7. Street Fighter IV Collector's Edition PS3
8. Street Fighter IV Collector's Edition - Xbox360
9. THQ Ultimate Box Set (9 Game Pack) PC
Titan Quest, TQ:Immortal Throne, Company Of Heroes, COH: Opposing Fronts, STALKER.: Shadow of Chernoby, Frontlines:Fuel of War, Supreme Commander, SC: Forged Alliance, Warhammer: 40K: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade 10. World of Warcraft 60 Day Pre-paid Game Card European Server Version (PC)

Kalahari.Net
1. Final Fantasy XIII - PS3
2. God of War 3 Ultimate Edition - PS3
3. God of War 3 - PS3
4. Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Limited Edition - PC
5. Battlefield Bad Company 2 Limited Edition - PS3
6. Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast - PC
7. Street Fighter IV - PC
8. Need for Speed Undercover - PC
9. Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight - PC
10. Virtua Tennis 2009 - Nintendo Wii

Amazon.com
1. God of War III - PS3
2. Pokemon SoulSilver Version Software Only - Nintendo DS
3. Pokemon HeartGold Version Software Only - Nintendo DS
4. Final Fantasy XIII - PS3
5. Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City - Xbox360
6. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board - Nintendo Wii
7. Just Dance - Nintendo Wii
8. New Super Mario Bros - Nintendo Wii
9. Final Fantasy XIII - Xbox360
10. Wii Sports Resort - Nintendo Wii

Hot books - 2010/03/14

Is it just me or are the Americans obsessed with food and politics titles?!

Sunday is here and once again we take a look at what books are proving popular with the various online retailers.

It looks like LJ Smith is still dominating the local scene and I am still very tempted to get my hands on that Flash Forward book!

Take2.co.za
1. Vampire Diaries, Vol. 1, Books 1 & 2 - Smith, L. J.
2. Vampire Diaries, Vol. 2, Books 3 & 4 - Smith, L. J.
3. Pleasure of a Dark Prince - Cole, Kresley
4. The Return: Nightfall - Smith, L. J.
5. Black Jack - Leigh, Lora
6. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Larsson, Stieg
7. Girl Who Played with Fire - Larsson, Stieg
8. Hot Rocks - Roberts, Nora
9. Born to Be Wild - Warren, Christine
10. Flash Forward - Sawyer, Robert J.

Kalahari.Net
1. The Return: Nightfall - LJ Smith
2. Vampire Diaries: Bks. 3 & 4 - LJ Smith
3. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson
4. Vampire Diaries: v. 1 & 2 - LJ Smith
5. The Struggle: Bks. 1 & 2 - LJ Smith
6. The Gabriel Method: The Revolutionary Diet-Free Way to Totally Transform Your Body - Jon Gabriel
7. The Metabolism Miracle: 3 Easy Steps to Regain Control of Your Weight...Permanently - Dianne Kress
8. Captain in the Cauldron - Mike Greenaway
9. Pleisters Vir Die Siel: Soos Uitgesaai in Brekfis Met Derrich Op RSG - Riekert Botha
10. Introduction to business management - J. Strydom; G. du Toit; B Erasmus

Amazon.com
1. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual - Michael Pollan
2. The Five Thousand Year Leap: 30 Year Anniversary Edition with Glenn Beck Foreword - W. Cleon Skousen
3. A Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror - Larry Schweikart
4. World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony - Will Tuttle
5. Change Your Brain, Change Your Body: Use Your Brain to Get and Keep the Body You Have Always Wanted - Daniel G. Amen
6. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
7. The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet - Alicia Silverstone
8. Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight - Karl Rove
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
10. Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang - Chelsea Handler

Blindman’s Bluff – Faye Kellerman

I just wrapped up reading this latest offering from Faye Kellerman and it very rarely takes me a week to wrap up a fiction novel which I guess says something about how gripping the story was.

The intro was slow, but it did pick up a bit of pace in the middle of the story and wrapped up nicely enough.

The book was again focuses on Peter Decker and his police crew who have been called to the scene of a masasacre at a ranch owned by a rich property developer. What initially looks like a robbery gone wrong, quickly unwinds into a potential family feud which appears to involve a violent local gang.

The pace is measured and there were no real “twists” in the story and couldn’t say it grabbed me.

Title: Blindmans Bluff

Author: Faye Kellerman

ISBN: 978-0-00-734646-2

Rated the book an uninspiring 3 out of 5.

You can buy this book online from Loot for R96 in paperback.

Popular video games - 10 March 2010

And here is the list of the bestselling video games. It looks like Battlefield Bad Company, God of War and Street Fighter IV are all the rage this week!

Kalahari.Net
1. Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Limited Edition - PC
2. Final Fantasy XIII - PS3
3. God of War 3 - PS3
4. God of War 3 Ultimate Edition - PS3
5. Battlefield Bad Company 2 Limited Edition - Xbox360
6. Battlefield Bad Company 2 Limited Edition - PS3
7. Street Fighter IV - PS3
8. Assassin's Creed 2 - PC
9. Virtua Tennis 2009 - Nintendo Wii
10. Rome Total War: Barbarian Invasion - PC

Take2
1. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition (PC DVD-ROM) -
2. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (PC DVD-ROM)
3. Heavy Rain (PS3)
4. Street Fighter IV (PS3)
5. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
6. Assassin's Creed II (PC DVD-ROM)
7. THQ Ultimate Box Set (9 Game Pack) (PC DVD-ROM)
Titan Quest, TQ:Immortal Throne, Company Of Heroes, COH: Opposing Fronts, STALKER.: Shadow of Chernoby, Frontlines:Fuel of War, Supreme Commander, SC: Forged Alliance, Warhammer: 40K: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade
8. World of Warcraft 60 Day Pre-paid Game Card European Server Version (PC)
9. Street Fighter IV Collector's Edition (PS3)
10. Street Fighter IV Collector's Edition (Xbox 360)

Amazon.com
1. God of War III - PS3
2. Final Fantasy XIII - PS3
3. Final Fantasy XIII - Xbox360
4. Mass Effect 2 - Xbox360
5. Just Dance - Nintendo Wii
6. Pokemon SoulSilver Version Software Only - Nintendo DS
7. Xbox 360 12 Month Live Gold Card - Xbox360
8. Heavy Rain - PS3
9. Nintendo Wii - Nintendo Wii
10. New Super Mario Bros - Nintendo Wii

Bestselling books - 10 March 2010

We have not done a bestsellers list in a while so let's take a look what books are proving popular with the online retailers and see if there are any inspirational purchases in there.

It looks like the Kalahari.net and Take2 listings are heavily skewed toward the various LJ Smith books and I am very keen to get my hands on the Flash Forward book... I'm just worried it might ruin the TV series for me! Here is the list:

Kalahari.Net
1. Vampire Diaries: Bks. 3 & 4 - LJ Smith
2. The Struggle: Bks. 1 & 2 - LJ Smith
3. Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons in Life - Richard Branson
4. Vampire Diaries: v. 1 & 2 - LJ Smith
5. The Return: Nightfall - LJ Smith
6. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
7. The Metabolism Miracle: 3 Easy Steps to Regain Control of Your Weight...Permanently - Dianne Kress
8. SAICA Handbook 2009/2010 - SAICA
9. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
10. The Reunion: v. 3 & 4 - LJ Smith.

Take2
1. Vampire Diaries, Vol. 1, Books 1 & 2 - Smith, L. J.
2. Vampire Diaries, Vol. 2, Books 3 & 4 - Smith, L. J.
3. Pleasure of a Dark Prince - Cole, Kresley
4. The Return: Nightfall - Smith, L. J.
5. Girl Who Played with Fire - Larsson, Stieg
6. Black Jack - Leigh, Lora
7. Born to Be Wild - Warren, Christine
8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Larsson, Stieg
9. Hot Rocks - Roberts, Nora
10. Flash Forward - Sawyer, Robert J.

Amazon.com
1. Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight - Karl Rove
2. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
3. Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang - Chelsea Handler
4. Change Your Brain, Change Your Body: Use Your Brain to Get and Keep the Body You Have Always Wanted - Daniel G. Amen
5. Final Fantasy XIII: The Complete Official Guide - Piggyback
6. Rework - Jason Fried
7. Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College - Doug Lemov
8. Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic - Mark Starr
9. American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies that the Government Tells Us - Jesse Ventura
10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson