Since the lack of Morrissey news, this has become my favourite thread.
I'm working my way through "The Return: Russia's Journey From Gorbachev To Medvedev" by Daniel Treisman. I've been to Russia twice and really enjoyed the country, the people and the food. When you live in New Zealand, politics and international relations are very tame, polite and nice. Russian politics are so much more interesting. Treisman gives quite a favourable assessment of Yeltsin, saying that he was on the right track with his reforms. Putin and Medvedev are not given such a favourable assessment, with the author claiming both are very corrupt. I've read as much as I can about Putin and it seems no one can really sum him up. He remains elusive and never giving too much away. I have friends in Russia and they know even less about the life of Putin than I do.
The book is good. Flows well. Must move onto fiction afterwards.