One of the great advantages of escaping on vacation is the delightfully self-indulgent pleasure of just lying on a beach and reading. (Perhaps it is sadly telling that this is my guilty pleasure)

While I was away, I plowed through 3 books:

• The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine ^[1]: I loved the book — no one can make a financial tale more compelling than Michael Lewis. He is a master story teller, allowing the narrative to unfold via the characters he brings to life. I plan on doing a full review in the future.

• A Genius for Deception ^[2]: Fascinating military history of how the Brits deloyed camoflouge, counter-intelligence and subterfuge to help win WWI and II. (I am on the final chapters)

• Traders, Guns and Money ^[3]: An insider’s view of the derivatives trading business, written with a wicked comic sensibility. I am a little more than halfway through, but this reads like the Liars Poker of the oughts.