Summertime

Two long summer weekends and two short weeks every year at the end of June. (Unique to Québec?) Followed by the so-called "construction holiday" where almost everyone leaves for the last two weeks of July. Hard to be productive with clients or any other business partners during this period.

Should be a good time for blogging, but other summer attractions have more appeal. All of which is to admit I don't have much new to say.

Some more progress on summer reading and my reviews for your consideration:

• Crime and Punishment, by Dostoevsky. A classic on my "must read" list. Written in the Russia of the 186o's and considered the original psychological murder mystery. Intriguing and very different from the modern murder mystery as it is told primarily from the point of view of the murderer.
• How to Win Friends & Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. One of the originals (consider also Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill.) written in the 1930's and still worth a read. Not so serious or so slick as the current crop of self-help books that are so effectively mass marketed. Adds some perspective to the basic skills required to be effective in working with other people.

I've also agreed to teach two summer courses in Financial Management at Concordia so I'm reviewing the current textbook, "Principles of Corporate Finance" by Gitman and Hennessey. The principles haven't changed in the thirty years since my MBA and the first time I taught the course, but the text is well done and covers the elementary to the advanced topics.

Happy summer reading on your own list.