Two books

I just received two books in the mail:

"This Time Is Different - Eight Centuries of Financial Folly" by Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff. Ken Rogoff is an economist at Harvard, and I ordered the book after hearing him speak at a recent Nieman Foundation event. I've just begun reading it -- I'm struck by its clarity and accessibility. It's very timely despite its long look back.

"Financial Shenanigans - How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks an& Fraud in Financial Reports" by Howard M. Schilit. I heard the author speak earlier this year at a workshop in Boston and found his presentation useful. This book offers good examples of the tricks companies employ to pretty up their financials. It's a good book for business reporters and business-reporting students.