Saturday Morning WSJ Links

Wow, great book reviews.

A woman of some importance, Constance, Franny Moyle, the story of Oscar Wilde's wife (and two sons).

You are what you read, M. Proust's Library, Anka Muhlstein.

Before Plymouth Rock, and after, The Barbarous Years, Bernard Bailyn.

From Sicily to Dachau, The Liberator, Alex  Kershaw.

Where the myths began, The Patriarch, David Nasaw, about the Kennedys, specifically Joseph.

Lego and me, A Million Little Bricks, Sarah Herman.

 And that's just a sampling. A whole lot more.

A bookman's guide to E-book readers: the reviewer got a lot of it right, but blew it when he suggested the Kindle Paperwhite for "your teenage son, to keep him reading." Getting the Kindle in lieu of an iPad or iPad mini would be a fail. Of course, he would prefer an Android, but this article was talking tablets only. I also question the Nook recommendation for "your sibling, the occasional reader." I wouldn't buy a tablet that was only an e-book for an occasional reader. Again, it would be the iPad mini. But the essay is light reading; introduces folks to the tablets as book readers.

There's an interesting essay on whether to sell assets now before taxes increase next year. Of course, this only applies to the top 2% of Americans. Hardly worth reading, but a quick scan puts a different light on the subject.  It won't be mentioned in the article, but I don't know how many times I've been told not to base buying/selling decisions based on tax consequences. We're seeing how the upper 2% of Americans follow this advice this year.

Finally, an article on life-insurance policies that are draining away due to low interest rates, and some options.  I haven't read the article, but 10 - 1 I will wager: one option was not discussed.

Biggest chuckle of the day, the graph accompanying the story, why Microsoft beats Apple. Wow, I've been hearing that mantra for ten years. Even the writer is skeptical, starting with "Microsoft COULD be the better value." Wow, that's a strong endorsement, considering the headline. Is this just another blog?

Might be an interesting read: fuel rationing is hard to gauge; analysis of actions taken after Sandy.

No links but Petraeus and Twinkies pretty much get equal play in today's Journal.

Peggy Noonan again. Always good. But fell a rung or two after her article just before the election.  I haven't read this article yet but a quick scan suggests it's a "dog bites man" story. Stating the obvious.If she doesn't mention the internet / social networking, she reveals a blind spot.

The Twinkie, a Suicide. I no longer care but it was one of the most-read posts on the blog this week.

And a whole lot more, but that should get you started.