When Money Was in Fashion
Henry Goldman, Goldman Sachs and the Founding of Wall Street
by June Breton Fisher (Palgrave McMillan)
This isn’t just another business book on everyone’s favorite whipping boy — the subject of Fisher’s book is her grandfather, Henry (son of founder Marcus Goldman), who ran the financial powerhouse in the early 20th century. How would he react to the firm’s most recent troubles? “He and Samuel Sachs, who was his brother-in-law, headed the partnership at a time when its morality was unblemished and the preservation of its pristine reputation was considered a top priority,” Fisher tells Required Reading. “Theirs was an era when you played hard, but you played by the rules. Both men would have been profoundly shocked by any insinuations of questionable dealings by Goldman Sachs. They never forgot where the buck stopped, or where responsibility lay.”
Island Beneath the Sea
by Isabel Allende (Harper)
In her newest historical fiction — her first book in four years — Allende uses turn-of-the-19th-century Haiti as the canvas for her sprawling story centered on a girl named Tété. Enslaved as a child, she’s the property of Frenchman Valmorian, as well as the surrogate mother to his children. As the slave revolt led by Toussaint L’Ouverture begins, Tété, Valmorian and the children flee to New Orleans.
Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer!
Writings on Bruce Willis, Badass Cinema and Other Important Topics
by Vern (Titan Books)
For the uninitiated, Vern (just Vern) is a critic who takes his films seriously, even if the films aren’t necessarily serious. He focuses on action features and slasher flicks, what he calls “Badass Cinema.” A chapter in which he ruminates on, among others, “The Terminator,” “T2” and “Mission: Impossible 3,” pretty much sums it up with the title “It’s Not Supposed To Be Hamlet.” The last book from Vern, whose work appears on Ain’t It Cool News, took on the Steven Seagal ouvre.
Sweet Dates in Basra
by Jessica Jiji (Avon)
Set in 1940s Iraq, Jiji tells of the friendship between two boys — Shafiq, who is Jewish, and Omar, who is Muslim. Thrown into the mix is Kathmiya, a young Arab girl from the marsh country sent to Basra by her family to work as a servant. As Kathmiya and Shafiq grow close and World War II comes to Iraq, danger looms.
Hook, Line & Sinister
Mysteries to Reel You In
edited by T. Jefferson Parker (Countryman Press)
There have been many great fish stories, and many great mysteries. Now the two finally come together in a collection of literary mashups. Among the 16 original stories here are Ridley Pearson’s tale of bird fishing on China’s Li River, and T. Jefferson Parker’s about dangerous wagering on the trout catch at an upscale Nevada Lodge. The good thing — if you don’t like one of the stories, you can toss it back.