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120. Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan. Jake Adelstein.
This is interesting as a first hand account of a foreigner in Japan who, being a Japanese speaking Jewish American, can play both the Gaijin card and the 'Japanese' card given his background and education. Without these, I don't think anyone else could have brought us such an interesting angle on being a reporter in Japan. I enjoyed the writing style and dry sense of humor from Jake Adelstein. Expect the usual topics covered about Japan: organized crime, prostitution, planned suicides, etc., but presented from a new and starkly honest angle.
119. Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle. Saul Singer.
A good book for the uninitiated about Israel's start-up scene. I found the comparisons to Singapore's start-up scene interesting.
118. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Steig Larsson.
Not as good as the second book; but still good. It is a real pity that there will be no more of these outstanding novels.
117. The Girl Who Played with Fire. Steig Larsson.
The best book of the trilogy. Here we learn that the author seems to have been influenced by a few different books by Simon Singh.
116. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Steig Larsson.
Fantastic story. While it might be a bit far fetched (and ridiculous) to call this 'Sweden's War and Peace,' as some have done, it does however go up there with some of the most enthralling novels to have ever been written. This is a living 'page turner.'
I was only planning to read the first of this trilogy, but ended up reading all three books.
115. Sex Slaves. Louise Brown.
While enlightening, well researched and arranged; this book is a dismal look at the hidden and the not so hidden sectors of the sex industry in South East Asia; and the surprising tales of the people who fund it.
114. Enriching the Earth: Fritz Haber, Carl Bosch, and the Transformation of World Food Production. Vaclav Smil.
Interesting accounts about how our purpose is solely to eat nitrogen and break it down into fixed nitrogen to feed the earth. There's some good writing in here about how many wars broke out over Guano poop.
113. Microtrends. Mark Penn; E. Kinney Zalesne.
An insightful book of microtrends happening across America. Most of them you might already know by now; but it does go to show how statistics can be on your side if you are the first one to gather the information.
112. Tabloid Tokyo II.
More of the same stories of soaplands, men who wear bras, male karaoke hosts, mothers who have sex with their teenage sons to help them 'study better' etc. Only in Tokyo.
111. The Prince. Niccolo Machiavelli.
An old text, but a very relevant one, on leadership and how leadership cannot be bought. Amongst several other vital lessons. Read more here.
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