Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Financial Markets and institutions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Budgetary Markets and establishments - Assignment Example Walk 16 saw a far and away more terrible circumstance in which financial information of the US painted a grim viewpoint for the economy. Entire deals costs were seen expanding more than anticipated, while a lower than anticipated interest in the lodging part drove the speculators to the brink and frenzy selling occurred. Financial specialists looked for asylum in US Treasuries rather than the stocks. Another key factor that brought down the stock record was the way that choice costs bounced up by 21% given the circumstance in Japan. In any case, the list spared effortlessness and moved up by practically 2.2% in the accompanying two days, attributable to the way that G& offered their help with assisting with controlling the Japanese disaster. Simultaneously, the US producing part enrolled consistent development figures which helped the S&P file. Another key factor was that speculators showed a somewhat higher hazard hunger and this saw Treasuries going down as yields rose to 3 .26% from 3.19%. The most essential determinant of any record is the monetary standpoint of the locale. S&P was exceptionally affected by the monetary information that was approaching. The debacle in Japan prodded the way that US imports from the district would endure. This could cause creation issues in the US, which relied upon apparatus and crude material from Japan. Moreover, the monetary markers, for example, inflationary weight and feeble interest explained the way that the GDP development would back off. These suppositions set off the ascent in US treasuries which were viewed as a place of refuge. Oil costs brought the vitality costs up in US, yet in addition made a feeling of fear in OMCs’ who were in danger of gracefully stuns. Financial specialists offloaded these stocks, judging that the P/E measures would drop because of lower gaining concerns. Present valuation of future incomes, or rather the capacity to produce future incomes was the significant determinant in the decay and the ascent in the market during this week. As referenced over, the ascent in assembling development recommended that the division would show positive returns, consequently the market bounced up. Universal help for the Japanese supported conclusions that their creation limit would before long standardize. Financial specialists accepting this as a positive sign and the S&P 500 made progress on this. The financial hypothesis separated from present estimation of incomes which applies to the S&P’s vacillation is the swelling advancement. On the off chance that swelling perseveres, at that point money related fixing could happen. Any climb in financing costs would hurt monetary development, and such opinions can cause a decrease in the lists. As referenced before, the greatest determinant of value developments of stock files are the monetary pointers and desires for these markers. On the off chance that desires persuade that there will be a positive change , at that point the costs of these lists will hop up. The other side of the coin is that on the off chance that slants see the market variables to be troublesome, at that point a descending winding can result. Monetary Crisis 2008-11 Introduction The worldwide money related emergency which began in mid 2007 has demonstrated to be maybe the incredible budgetary fiasco ever. In spite of the fact that it follows its underlying foundations back to the beginning of the centuries, the resulting emergency was generally grim in the course of recent years. What started as an emergency of the sub-prime home loan showcase in the United States immediately rose above national fringes and formed into an

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Greek and Roman Architecture

Running Head: Greek and Roman Architecture Greek and Roman Architecture By: Michelle Garrotters Art 101 November second, 2008 Head: Greek and Roman Architecture Compare the qualities and development of every Greek and Roman Architecture. The Greek and Roman engineering is great for their time as well as presently today. The Greek design utilizes the sections in practically the entirety of their sanctuaries. The states of the sections were critical to the Greeks. They utilized three distinct sorts of sections. The â€Å"Doric†, â€Å"Ionic†, and the â€Å"Corinthian†.All of these sections have a focal point that would be for showing their Greek God(s) with what ever enhancements. The Temple of Olympian Zeus is a case of â€Å"Corinthian† sections. The Temple of Poseidon is a case of â€Å"Doric† segments, and Athens is a case of â€Å"Ionic† sections. The Greeks normally worked with either mud, wood, mortar, and additionally stone. A large por tion of their structures have not stood the trial of time. Just sanctuaries made with marble or limestone these were worked as objects of workmanship regarding their various divine beings. These have had the option to withstand the harm that time brings.The Roman engineering utilized generally curves in their works. Which held more weight than the segments. Indeed they utilized segments however just as design due to the weight. The Pantheon in Rome is an incredible case of this design. This structure housed two lords and is one of the greatest enduring structure in Rome. Romans utilized indistinguishable materials from the Greeks particularly the Marble and Limestone. Be that as it may, they culminated the utilization of solid, which is the thing that the greater part of their structures are made with. The vast majority of the Romans structures that are as yet safeguarded today are amphitheaters, bathhouses, water channels, and open lodging. Not at all like the Greeks theRomans did their structures with bunches of elaborate on both inside and outside mirroring the â€Å"Pursuit of Pleasure† which is a fundamental piece of the Roman culture. In synopsis, Greek design is progressively rectilinear and of â€Å"post and lintel† development. Greek structures generally rectilinear, comprised off pediment upheld by sections on a plinth for a base. Romans aced the curve and the arch. Concrete made it conceivable to have progressively complex structures. Sections were utilized in both with the Greek preferring the Doric and Ionic for the cleaner lines. While the Romans wanted to utilize the more elaborate Corinthian style segments.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Peek Over Our Shoulders What Rioters Are Reading on February 16, 2017

Peek Over Our Shoulders What Rioters Are Reading on February 16, 2017 In this feature at Book Riot, we give you a glimpse of what we are reading this very moment. Here is what the Rioters are reading today (as in literally today). This is what’s on their bedside table (or the floor, work bag, desk, whatevskis). See a Rioter who is reading your favorite book? I’ve included the link that will take you to their author archives (meaning, that magical place that organizes what they’ve written for the site). Gird your loins â€" this list combined with all of those archived posts will make your TBR list EXPLODE. We’ve shown you ours, now show us yours; let us know what you’re reading (right this very moment) in the comment section below! Liberty Hardy   Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (Sept. 7, Penguin Press): HELL YES. It’s about a woman and her daughter who move to a new town and make friends, but seem to be harboring secrets. So excited for this! (galley) The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland (June 13, William Morrow): This novel claims to offer “history, science, magic, mystery, intrigue, and adventure” is one place! And I love Neal Stephenson. (e-galley) Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones: Somehow I have made it through life without having read this???? And didn’t know there was a movie??? FIXING IT. (paperback) Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag  (Author), Srinath Perur (Translator): So far, this is a marvelous little novel about a family in India whose fortune changes when a family business takes off. (paperback) Steph Auteri   Overwhelmed by Brigid Schulte: Because, as the work-at-home, refuses-to-pay-for-child-care mother of a toddler, I am officially overwhelmed. (Ebook) Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There by Sylvia Boorstein: I’m taking this book (about how to create your own mindfulness retreat) with me on my long weekend trip up to Kripalu. (Paperback) Jessica Woodbury   Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama: Give me a Japanese crime novel any day forever and ever please. (Audiobook) Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz: Agatha-Christie-esque, goes nicely with a cup of tea. (egalley) Casey Stepaniuk   Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson: I was THRILLED to receive a review copy of this book, as Eden Robinson is one of my all-time favourite writers and she hasn’t published any fiction for many years. I am obviously LOVING it. (Hardcover) Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch: A friend recommended this on audio as a great British mystery with magic and interesting content about race. So far it is everything she said it was! (Audiobook) Tracy Shapley   History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera: I really want to love this YA book, which I received in the February My Lit Box, but I just don’t. The dialogue doesn’t read as believable to me at all and the parts of this book that are supposed to be emotionally charged (read: all of them) just aren’t hitting me. (Hardcover) The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue: This book came with the February Thrifty Books box and so far I’m enjoying it. It’s a story that follows a woman’s life / afterlife over a good 150+ years, mostly through sometimes-confusing flashbacks. I wish this book had been organized differently, but for fans of a good love story and lush writing, I’m sure it would be a hit. (paperback) The Voysey Inheritance by Harley Granville-Barker. I’m reading this play for a class I’m taking at the University of Iowa called “Dirty Sexy Money: Class, Commerce, and Desire in Modern British Drama,” which is pretty fantastic, I must say! This play has some of the most interesting stage directions I’ve seen, though I’m not particularly well versed in drama, modern British or otherwise. (paperback) Tiffani Willis   Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Anna Waterhouse I am continuing my Sherlock-themed reading series with a story that focuses on the elder of the Holmes brothers.We know what to expect from Sherlock or a Sherlock like character; it will be interesting to see how Mycroft differs (or doesn’t). (Paperback) Archie Vol. 1: The New Riverdale by Mark Waid, Fiona Staples, Annie Wu, and Veronica Fish Jughead Vol. 1 by Chip Zdarsky and Erica Henderson   I never really read any of the Archie comics growing up (or any comics really) but now I’m watching the new teen soap Riverdale so it seemed like a good time to give it a try. A work colleague raved about Jughead in particular (and is not watching Riverdale because its Jughead is different from the comics) so definitely had to give that one a try. (Trade Paperback) Eric Smith   The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera: I love a good YA contemporary novel about teens feeling out of place, and trying to figure out where they fit in. And that’s what’s happening in Rivera’s debut novel, a really lovely story about a girl forced to work in her family’s supermarket to make up for racking up credit card debt… using her father’s card. She has an image to maintain at her school, and working in the market does NOT gel with it. It feels a bit like Charlotte Huang’s Going Geek, and I’m really adoring it. (ARC, Out February 21st with Simon Schuster) Patricia Elzie   1984 by George Orwell: I’m on a dystopian novel kick right now for obvious reasons. I realized that I’d never actually read 1984 and we have a copy on the shelf so I decided to pick it up. My partner and I are reading at the same time, and will discuss when we each finish. So far, it’s terrifying and I have the feeling that it’s only going to make me more anxious. (Paperback) The Amazon Way: 14 Leadership Principles Behind the World’s Most Disruptive Company by John Rossman: I love business books, especially books on employee culture and management. I have friends who work at Amazon and I know they work very, very hard but I was curious to know more about the company, beyond what I just see when I’m ordering items or watching things via Amazon Prime. I’m almost done with this book and I find it absolutely fascinating. There are principles that I think would be great to apply not only to my current job, but in life in general. (ebook) Sarah Nicolas   The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon: I’m so glad Nicola wrote this story for today’s world. I only wish I would have read it sooner. (Overdrive audiobook) Dealing with People You Can’t Stand by Dr. Rick Brinkman Dr. Rick Kirschner: I saw this in the nonfiction section of Overdrive and the title spoke to me. That’s all I can say without getting into trouble. (Overdrive audiobook) We Are Okay by Nina LaCour: I was so excited the publisher offered me an early review copy of this book! I loved Everything Leads to You so I can’t wait to get started on this one. (audiobook) The Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz: I asked twitter what I should listen to next and Tiffany tweeted at me right away. I have a hard copy of this book, but haven’t got to it yet, so now I’m listening to it! (library audiobook) Karina Glaser   Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance by Simone Biles: As a former gymnast, I love reading first hand accounts of amazing gymnasts. I’m loving this autobiography, a great read for teenagers and older who want to learn more about this incredible woman. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly: I’ve been meaning to read this book for awhile, and when I finally got it from the library I read one chapter and immediately bought it from my indie bookstore. I knew I needed a copy for myself! Now I’m reading the library book and my daughter is reading our copy, and we’re having fun enjoying it together. Priya Sridhar   Certain Dark Things and Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno Garcia: Silvia is one of the best writers to tackle SFF, to discuss living among vampires or exploring the power of music. Certain Dark Things portrays Mexico City as a hub spot for Aztec blood drinkers to get their blood fix while avoiding gang wars. Instead of a male vampire seducing a hapless teenager, a vampire on the lam sucks blood from a garbage kid. Signal to Noise is about how a teenager finds that certain vinyl records have magic. She may get busted for skipping class, but Meche soon finds that she can wield power over her destiny, to help her friends and family get better lives. Alison Doherty   The Presidents Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity by Nancy Gibbs: It’s been fun to learn more about history and the government without engaging in the current political situation. (Audiobook) History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera: I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read a book with such a sad premise right now, but the overwhelmingly positive buzz I’ve heard about this story won me over. I’m glad. It’s sad, but that’s not all. I think I’m feeling all the emotions while reading this one. (Hardcover) March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell: I’ve been wanting to read this since the National Book Awards and have been on the waiting list since at my local library. I’m relatively inexperienced when it comes to graphic novels but am very excited to be reading this one! (Paperback) Katie McGuire   The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill: I received this galley in the mail the other day and, quite simply, I couldn’t resist the cover, the title, or the description. (Galley) Queen of Spies by Paddy Hayes: I’ve had this in my pile for almost a year now and I feel awful that I didn’t get to read it before it was published. But I’ve decided to try to read more nonfiction this year (and, specifically, more nonfiction about spies), so Paddy Hayes’s recounting of the life and career of Daphne Park, a British SIS officer who served in various capacities through World War II and the Cold War, fits the bill perfectly. (Galley) Rolling Blackouts by Sarah Glidden: In 2010, Glidden set out on a trip to the Middle East with three friendsâ€"two independent journalists and an Iraq War vetâ€"in order to connect with the people living there. Along the way, the group spoke to travelers, locals, government officials, and refugees, and Glidden found herself pondering enormous questions, from America’s involvement in the Middle East to ethics in journalism and how best to present a news story. Rolling Blackouts is teaching me some thingsâ€"but more importantly, it’s making me think. (Hardcover) Jan Rosenberg   The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin: I have heard such wonderful things about this book. It won the Hugo Award for best novel, there are aliens in it, and Obama gave it a shout-out. I really enjoy books in translation, and am big on Science Fiction and/or Speculative Fiction. I say and/or because nothing feels Speculative anymore… I’m about forty pages in and am already enchanted. (Paperback) Jessica Yang   The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher: I admit that Im very, very late to the Carrie Fisher appreciation party, but after her passing, I learned a lot about her and wanted to learn even more. Ive finally got ahold of her book, and am really looking forward to it! (hardcover) Derek Attig   Exit West by Mohsin Hamid: This seemed like a particularly good time to read a beautiful, humane, strange book about refugees. (egalley) Schadenfreude: A Love Story by Rebecca Schuman: A comic memoir from one of the funniest, sharpest writers around? And it’s about Germany and love and coming of age as a great big awkward nerd? Sign me up. (galley) Ilana Masad   Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel: I got several copies of the first book in the Themis Files series from a publicist. I finally decided to read it when I got the second (or maybe third) copy of the book, and boy am I glad I did. I gobbled up Sleeping Giants in a day and a half, and was lucky enough to have the ARC of the second book, Waking Gods with me as well. Excellent read, fast-paced, fascinating, stay-up-all-night kind of book.  (Advanced Reader Copy) Grace by Natashia Deon: I bought this book when I heard the author read at University of California-Northridge in Los Angeles in November, 2016. The author signed it, and is an absolute sweetheart, and I am so excited to finally get to read this book, which has been sitting by my bed since then, aching to be opened.  (Hardcover) Erin Burba   The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X: So excited to finally be reading this for the social justice book club (ebook) Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin by Sabrina Fulton and Tracy Martin. I just started this and I’m simultaneously looking forward to and dreading this book. I can’t imagine the pain that Trayvon’s parents have experienced. I’m amazed by their ability to channel their deep love for their son into action. (audio) Tasha Brandstatter   Born a Crime by Trevor Noah: For a readalong I’m hosting at Book Bloggers International. (hardcover) A Crown of Bitter Orange by Laura Florand: New Laura Florand novel! (ebook) Katie McLain A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson: I’m not usually a travel memoir sort of reader, but this book has been recommended so many times that I finally decided to give it a go.  Quickly realized that this was EXACTLY the type of book I needed to read funny, compelling, and it even prompted me to start researching outdoor-style weekend getaways for my boyfriend and me! Plus it fulfills a Read Harder challenge!  (audio) Elizabeth Allen   Circling the Sun by Paula McLain. I did not read The Paris Wife and this is not normally the type of book I’d pick up on my own… but I’d do anything for my beloved bookgroup. And so far, I’m realizing that my distaste for the cover and my subsequent judging of the book was premature and completely incorrect. This is the perfect book to read after Elizabeth Warren “nevertheless (she) persisted.” Books about bad ass ladies is exactly what I need right now. (paperback) Nicole Brinkley Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo: It’s Leigh Bardugo’s new YA novel about Wonder Woman. When somebody hands you an advance reader’s copy of Leigh Bardugo writing Wonder Woman, you stop what you’re doing and read it. It’s law, or something. (galley) Sophia Khan   Final Girls by Riley Sager (Dutton, 7/11/17): I saw that Stephen King praised this story about sole survivors of “horror-story scale massacres” and was instantly sold. It’s allowing me to indulge in my love of 80’s slasher films with a modern spin. (e-gally) Emma Nichols   Shaking a Leg: Collected Journalism and Writing by Angela Carter: I stumbled on this at Powell’s during my last visit. I had no idea Carter was such a prolific non-fiction writer. Now I read one essay or so a night before bed; it’s a thick book, but her topics vary wildly so I don’t mind if it takes all year to finish. (paperback) Tara Olivero A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab: Because A Darker Shade of Magic emotionally wrecked me and I’m trying to prepare myself for the third book’s release on Friday. (Hardcover) Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay: Because I finally found the copy I bought last year but lost so I didn’t have a chance to finish reading it. (Paperback) Jaime Herndon   All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg: A unique spin on the girl-in-the-city stories; a smart, insightful book about family, finding oneself, and growing up. (galley) Negroland by Margo Jefferson: Margo was one of my professors, and I’ve been meaning to read this forever. (paperback) What We Do Now: Standing up for Your Values in Trump’s America by various authors: self-explanatory. This Close to Happy: A Reckoning with Depression by Daphne Merkin: I’m a sucker for a good memoir, especially about subjects that hit close to home. (hardback) Sonja Palmer   Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in 15 Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi: I picked this up because I love Adiche’s work (egalley) One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenburg: I keep hearing amazing things about it, and hey, everyone was right! (hardback) The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco: Girl discovers she is a necromancer when she accidentally raises her brother from the dead. I mean, that sounds amazing. (egalley) Kristen McQuinn   Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. It just came out this week and of course Id preordered it. I also teach mythology so Im likely going to use this as a secondary text or alternative suggestion for some students, if it holds up well. (Hardcover) Im also reading Black Man in a White Coat by Damon Tweedy. Its for a book club. Im only on chapter one but am liking it well enough so far. (Audio book). Kareem Shaheen   As the Red Carnation Fades by Feyza Hepçilingirler. This is a feminist book set in 1980s Turkey, when in the aftermath of a military coup and a crackdown on leftist thought, a mother of two and university lecturer finds herself suspended from work and exiled to a Black Sea coastal city for her teachings. There she struggles to figure out a way to negotiate what a patriarchal society expects from her as a mother and her desire to be an independent free thinker with ambitions of her own. I’ve been trying to read more books by women from the Middle East and Turkey as part of my own education and as part of familiarizing myself with Turkish society, as I’m now based in Istanbul as a correspondent. Teresa Preston   Cruel, Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt. I’m trying to read books on my lunch breaks instead of falling down internet rabbit holes, and reading books on my phone means not having to carry heavy books to work, so I’m using the time to catch up on e-galleys I never got around to. This one is pretty absorbing so far! Who We Be: The Colorization of America by Jeff Chang. I’m trying to educate myself by reading more books about race in America, and several people recommended this to me. It focuses on the post-Civil Rights era, which means a lot of it took place in my lifetime, and I’m finding it interesting to revisit some of these events with a different lens. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. I’m trying to read as many competitors in the Morning News Tournament of Books as I can. Once I finish this one (which I’ve barely started), I’ll only have four to go! Christine Hoxmeier   Unbound by Ann E. Burg: I picked up this book at the fabulous Books of Wonder during a trip to NYC last year, because although I was on a book buying fast in 2016, everyone knows books bought on vacation DO NOT count. Thank goodness for that loophole, because although I’ve just started to dive into this novel in verse, I am already thoroughly engrossed by the voice of Grace, a slave girl who has just started working in the Big House. (Hardcover) Octopus Pie Volume 1 by Meredith Gran: I don’t know about you, but I am in deep need of some simple, slice of life comics to read. I can’t remember where I first heard about Octopus Pie, but it was probably an employee recommendation from my local comic book store. I was browsing the library comic shelves this week and noticed volume one sitting there, just waiting for me to check it out. I’m looking forward to meeting these characters and winding down with some simple humor in the evenings after work. (Paperback) Sarah S. Davis The Fortunes by Peter Ho Davies: Im always down for interconnected stories, and Davies’ novel ties together the Chinese American experience through four different storylines. History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund: Bleak Minnesota landscapes and hypnotic narration characterize this captivating debut novel driven by an impending sense of doom. About A Boy by Nick Hornby: Sometimes, when the world is bleak, you just need a reliably witty and warm novel by Nick Hornby. Beth O’Brien My (Not So) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella:  This is exactly what I needed. I’m not really a series person so I’ve only read a few of the Shopaholic books, but I love Kinsella’s standalones. So far, this one does not disappoint! It’s the perfect thing to cheer me up this dreary, wintery week. (Hardcover) Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey:  Because my Jesus is one radical dude; my Jesus is a feminist. So far loving how Bessey tackles commonly held misconceptions and misunderstandings of the intended role of women. (Paperback) Ashley Bowen-Murphy   What Do You Do With An Idea by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Mae Besom: I’m putting together a care package for a friend’s kid that’s all social justice and radical history kids books. Although this is a more conceptual part, I picked this up and loved how it gets kids (and adults) to think about what they know even before they know it. The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker: Complicated female friendships? Dark imagery? Artists being their worst and best selves? Sign me up. Which is what I literally did in this case because it was my Book of the Month pick. Black Reconstruction in America, 1860-1880 by W.E.B. DuBois: I’ve been reading a few pages of this a day, a kind of a daily devotional to American history (in content and practice). Megan Cavitt   The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, volumes 1-3 by Ryan North (story) and Erica Henderson (art): I used to be a gritty superheroes kind of gal (I started reading capes and tights comics because of Batman), but lately I’ve been suffering from grimdark fatigue. If you’re looking for a whimsical, self-aware, and meme-worthy superhero, this book is positively perfect in every way. (library paperbacks) Jamie Canaves   The Secret History of Las Vegas by Chris Abani: I’ve been wanting to read this for a while so I moved it up on my list because I’m in the mood for anything labeled “gritty.” Eight chapters in and super glad I finally started reading it. (audiobook) If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio: I read two fantastic mystery debuts recently from Flatiron so this was a must read. (ARC) Lucky (A Detective Jack Yu Investigation #5) by Henry Chang: Chinese detective in Chinatown, yes please! (egalley) My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris: Set in the ‘60s, with a murder mystery, and B-movie iconographyâ€"this sounds amazing and I had to have it! (egalley) Claire Handscombe   The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan. I’ve been paying more attention to British books this year, and this one seemed right up my street. It is! If you like Downton Abbey and/or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, you’ll likely love it. It’s great. And out this week in the US! (digital galley) Ines Bellina     The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead: I snagged tickets to see Colson Whitehead speak in Chicago, but had yet to pick up his award-winning book. Events like these are so much better when you’re an informed reader. I can’t wait!    (hardcover)