(B)logging Off for a Couple of Weeks
I am sure it will be difficult for me to disconnect entirely from the blogosphere but this is nevertheless what I am going to do for the most part of August. I want to thank all my readers and commentators for staying put. I always enjoy the comments and for those who can't muster the energy to comment; don't worry, I know the feeling. I hope however that you enjoy my entries as much as I enjoy writing them. I will be back at the end of August resuming my writings and work here at Alpha.Sources. In September I will begin the final stages of my studies with a MSc degree (graduate) in Applied Economics and Finance from the Copenhagen Business School; I am looking forward to begin and I will be sure to report on my experiences.
However, for the next couple of weeks it is all about relaxing and holiday and on that note, where am I going then? Well, myself and my family suffer from a fair bit of French fetishism so we will be spending the next three weeks near Bordeaux in France in a house borrowed from some friends. In terms of activities the region clearly offers endless opportunities for some pretty hefty tours des dégustations around the impressive wine chateaus and caves as well as the mighty Atlantic ocean looms nearby. Other than that I expect to read two books and one academic article which sort of pressed itself onto my reading list today during my final RSS feed scan. Regarding books I am a sucker for historical novels and as such my weapons of choice are ...
The first book is one which I started to read some time ago but then put it away again not because it was not interesting but because school suddenly demanded all my reading attention. The book is called Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia and is written by Orlando Figes; it is widely blurbed and reviewed so I expect to be well entertained. I have already covered some of the initial passages about the founding of Skt. Petersburg which have been very interesting. If you want to know more there is an synopsis of the book here; which I, of course, have not read as it would spoil the fun.
The second book I hope to read during my break is actually a historical novel about the construction of the transatlantic telegraph cable in the 19th century. The book is Signal and Noise by John Griesmer and it looks very interesting. The reviews however are mixed but I will give it a chance I think if I get to finish Natasha's Dance.
And for the one lucky academic article to make it into my reading collection this summer I just had to include the recent paper by New York Fed’s Andrea Ferrero which investigates the long-run determinants of U.S. external imbalances (hat rip; RGE's Economonitor). At this point I could of course post the abstract and comment on it but I won't because I am, after all, on holiday :).
Looking forward to see you all again in three weeks and have an excellent August.
Best Wishes
Claus