Five Books Newsletter 5

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Five Books Newsletter

Dear Five Books reader,

I hope you enjoy this Friday's selection of books, chosen from our extensive library of interviews. Also, on our temporary homepage, I have posted all our China interviews, in celebration of the conclusion, this week, of the National People's Congress, the annual meeting of China's parliament. I currently live in Beijing, which means it's been hard to avoid the 24/7 coverage, but in case it hasn't hit your radar screen in quite the same way, Xi Jinping is now, officially, the new president of China -- or, to use the Chinese term, its chairman. We hope for much from him.

Have a lovely weekend!

Sophie Roell

sophie.roell@fivebooks.com (sophie.roell@fivebooks.com)

This Week's Books

http://fivebooks.com/recommended/dreams-my-father-story-race-and-inheritance-by-barack-obama

"The point he makes, and I agree with him, is that corruption is not about personal greed, it’s about compassion"

Michela Wrong on Africa (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/michela-wrong-on-africa)

http://fivebooks.com/recommended/accidental-connoisseur-by-lawrence-osborne

"There is optimism in America. Although our wines might not be as complex as those in Europe, they are brighter and livelier."

Randall Grahm on Wine (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/randall-grahm-on-wine)

http://fivebooks.com/recommended/story-stone-by-cao-xueqin

"This is very much the War and Peace of China."

Chris Livaccari on Five Books every Chinese Language Learner Should Read (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/chris-livaccari-on-language-and-culture-china)

http://fivebooks.com/recommended/eleanor-aquitaine-by-alison-weir

"Eleanor was 30 at the time of her second marriage, and her new husband was only 19."

Nancy Goldstone on Strong Women in Bad Marriages (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/nancy-goldstone-on-strong-women-bad-marriages)

http://fivebooks.com/recommended/worldly-philosophers-by-robert-l-heilbroner

"I am an economist today because of this book."

Daniel Hamermesh on Economics is Fun (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/daniel-hamermesh-on-economics-fun)

http://fivebooks.com/recommended/wikinomics-how-mass-collaboration-changes-everything-by-don-tapscott-and-anthony-d-willi

"This book basically says wikis work and wikis are important and wikis are the way of the future."

Tyler Cowen on Information (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/tyler-cowen-on-information)

Quote of the Week

"We all make bargains with the society we live in, and theirs were just a different set of bargains."
Diarmaid MacCulloch on the History of Christianity (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/diarmaid-macculloch-on-history-christianity)