What I’ve been reading

1.  Charles Rosen, Freedom and the Arts: Essays on Music and Literature.  Rosen has mastered pianism, writing, and learning.  The best parts, such as on Chopin or Schumann, are stunningly good.

2. Karl E. Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac, Pax Ethnica: Where and How Diversity Succeeds.  Some parts of the world make cross-ethnic collaboration work.  I would prefer more comparative analysis with the regions where diversity does not work so well, but this is an interesting book with historical substance.

3. Navi Radjou, Jaideep Prabhu, and Simone Ahuja, Jugaad Innovation: Think Frugal, Be Flexible, Generate Breakthrough Growth.  Full of cliches, but thoey do not totally drown out the substance.  I have been wanting a book on this topic, namely why the poor are (sometimes) more innovative, illustrated through India.

4. Alonso Cueto, The Blue Hour.  Just translated from Spanish, this book made a big splash in Peru.  It turns on a family story, the history of the Shining Path, and a man’s obsession with a woman.  I have yet to see major reviews (here is one summary), but for my taste it is one of the best novels of the year.  The UK has paper copies, right now US has only Kindle, possibly a paper edition in July.