things and stuf

Of course, as a grad school student in public policy, I have a crap load of reading to do throughout the semester. So far, all of the reading I’ve done has been straight up boring. I hate having to buy books that I don’t enjoy. Especially when those are the books that no one enjoys, so I’ll probably have a hard time selling them at the end of the semester.

Despite the fact that the first half of my semester readings have been dull, I’m looking forward to a few books.

1. And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out): Wall Street, the IMF and the Bankrupting of Argentina by Paul Blustein

In the amazon.com review, they compare this book to a thriller and a detective’s tale. Wow. I don’t think the book is written as a story, but I need it to be an interesting read. The IMF and how it screwed over Argentina… sounds like a good time.

2. The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists’ Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics by William Easterly

I think half of my professors are bffs with this author. I’ve read a ton of his works. Generally, I like the way this dude thinks. This book should be another insightful read about not relying on economic growth to pull nations away from their problems.

3. The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It by Paul Collier

More possible solutions to extreme poverty? Why not. I enjoy reading others’ ideas. I like people who think outside of the box with this kind of stuff.

I do have other assigned readings, but I probably won’t read them. Partially because I’m not interested, partially because I hate wasting my time on dull books, and partially because I won’t have time with all the papers I will be writing. Grad school is all about prioritizing, right? Well, I’m making time for what’s important: the above 3 books and my writing assignments.

53 days until this grad school insanity is over. I won’t miss it.