Sugar too. The plantations are so awful that not even poor Whites (who will become indentured servants) wanted to do that work.
Read the Bottom Billion by Paul Collier. A sobering cry from the author on how to help the so-called “Bottom Billion” of the world. While the developing countries are progressing with high GDP growth, the Bottom Billion countries are stagnating and/or regressing. Written in an accessible way so it’s not dry to read. The author covered the effects of civil wars, resource curse, globalisation, military intervention, and foreign aid.
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Thanks for the recommendation 
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No problem! Although, Im lazy and I combined two posts into one 
Ah, was that “read” in the past tense?
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Currently reading The Lies of Locke Lamora after hearing so many good things about it, both from Quinns and other on the forums. About 160 pages in so far, and it is quite good. Interesting storytelling style, feels kind of similar to the Ocean’s Eleven films where things happen, then you are told how things really went, although the timing of it is different as so far it seems the author immediately shows you what is really going on, rather than waiting until the very end.
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It’s my fault, but I’ll conveniently blame the English language this time. But hey, if it manage to make you interested on a book, then that’s still a good thing
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(dreams of Book 4 to be released before I die)
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19th of August. It’s up for preorder although I have two more to get through before I need to read 4.
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Yep, probably not a true publication date. Waterstones has the release date as 19th August 2024.
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Lol! Why would google ever lie to me.
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My first thoughts were: is this about ASoIaF or is it Name of the Wind… I had not realized how long it’s been for Locke Lamora as well…
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This is why I love Brandon Sanderson and Michael Sullivan.
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Yes, it is one of those conundrums, I’d rather they take their time and publish a well rounded book they are happy with. But then you have the Bernard Cornwells or Joe Abercrombies or Miles Camerons spoiling you by publishing steadily often and very good quality and you get all entitled.
I must admit, with ASoIaF I am quite disappointed and a bit hopeless. Specially considering how the saga has decreased in quality over the last couple of books (I look at the publication date of Feast for Crows and still shiver) and how the story has been covered by the TV series.
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To be fair to Scott Lynch, he had some severe mental health problems. He HAD submitted a finished draft to the editor tho, unlike GRRM and Patrick Rothfuss.
@COMaestro - the Oceans 11 “backwards reveal” does kind of happen later!
If we’re talking about interesting non-fictions reads, I have recently read and recommend:
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Boomerang by Michael Lewis (although I recommend anything by Michael Lewis)
The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How Its Broken by The Secret Barrister
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World - and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
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I had heard of his troubles, so I feel like every new book from him is a sort of privilege for us, I cannot begin to imagine how hard it can be.
But others, well… are not that committed. Still, I never have felt like I could make any demands. It is their work, not mine. I just benefit from it. Nothing gives me any rights to make any demands at all.
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I think GRRM has just lost all interest in finishing it now the TV series overtook him
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Currently I’m reading volume 1 of Silver Spoon, a manga series about a boy from the city who doesn’t get into a competitive high school and instead goes to an agricultural high school (located, I think, in Hokkaido). It’s by Hiromu Arakawa, better known for Full Metal Alchemist. The online reviews I had looked at made it seem as if Hachiken had decided on his own that a rural boarding school was what he wanted, but what I’ve read so far looks as if his guidance counselor had recommended the school to him, and may be keeping in touch with the rural school’s principal.
There’s a lot of comedy in this series, largely of the “fish out of water” variety, but there’s also what looks to be the start of a romantic subplot (a low-key one, which I find I like), and there’s also an ongoing theme of “the way things work,” which I learned to enjoy from Heinlein and Kipling. In fact it slightly reminds me of Captains Courageous, though Hachiken is much less of a mess than Harvey Cheyne is at the start of that novel. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far; I may put the next volume into next month’s budget.
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Who can blame him it’s a horrible position to be in as an author (although I’m sure the financial rewards help). The broad strokes of his story have been told (and often panned) and everything he does from now on out with the story will be compared to the TV show.
You know how if you read the book after having seen the film or the casting it can be hard to differentiate the actor’s appearance and mannerisms from the written character. I wonder if this becomes an issue for the author. That the characters he created and visualised have been tarnished by Nikolaj Coster Waldau (that handsome rogue).
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My wife and I enjoyed the anime for Silver Spoon, which was on Netflix for the longest time, and may still be, if you are interested in that at some point. No idea how the anime and manga differ, as I have not had the opportunity to read it.
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Unfortunately it seems not to be available currently; at least, putting it into the search box doesn’t turn it up. And I can’t make sense of Crunchyroll’s interface, or figure out their terms of service; I don’t know if they’re offering it currently or not.