12.Apr.2011 East of Eden by John Steinbeck
East of Eden is an epic novel of the oldest topic in the history of mankind, or “the only story we have” according to Steinbeck: good vs. evil. Set in early 1900s US, we follow the life of family threads for generations. It’s the era of settlement. People migrate, look for a place to stay, [...]
03.Apr.2011 The Red Tree by Shaun Tan
I actually read The Red Tree last year and has re-read it a few more times since then. It is largely a picture book, with the most beautiful whole page or 2-page illustrations featuring a melancholy red-headed little girl. “sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to” is how it’s started. “The Red [...]
06.Mar.2011 Nothing to Envy: Love, Life and Death in North Korea by Barbara Demick
In my non-fiction binge period in year transition, I jumped at this book when I heard it from JoV. Since I visited South and North Korean border back in 2008 I had been looking for books on North Korea. This country who has cut itself from the outside world and seems to be in perpetual [...]
13.Feb.2011 Oishinbo: Vegetables by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
In this volume of Oishinbo the topic of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizer is very prevalent throughout. Organic grown vegetables is the way to go. Which is all nice and everything, but I’m not sure if it’d change my grocery shopping habit. I find it hard to justify the double or triple price of organic food [...]
22.Jan.2011 Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks (1994)
“My interest in Islam had everything to do with being a women and zero to do with being a Jew,” thought Geraldine when asked by a Muslim Gaza woman why every time someone comes to research about Islam, they turn out to be Jewish. My interest in Islam has everything to do with growing up [...]
26.Dec.2010 Oishinbo: Japanese Cuisine by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
Oishinbo (美味しんぼ, lit. “The Gourmet”) is a long-running cooking manga published between 1983 and 2008, but only in 2009 it is published in English in thematic compilation volumes (7 volumes so far), which means they contain “best of the best” and do not follow the original manga chronological order. There are a few minor storylines [...]
19.Dec.2010 Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus
As a person who wishes to contribute something to the world in her small ways, I’m always on the lookout for a good cause to support. I heard of Muhammad Yunus many years ago from a friend who shared about a website called Kiva, in which upon a quick browse I first heard about micro-lending. [...]
12.Dec.2010 The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan
A few months ago after knowing about The Lost Thing made into a short film and meeting Shaun Tan himself, I determined to read all his books. The Lost Thing and The Red Tree came to the top of my list. Ordered both from Book Depo and read both soon after (I’ll save The Red [...]
04.Dec.2010 The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
As I entered the novel, a sense of familiarity quickly came to me: the distinctively British language, eloquence and subtlety. I knew I was in good hands, of someone who really knows what he’s doing. My first Ishiguro was When We Were Orphans (ridiculous plot, but again, delicious British style), my second being Never Let [...]
27.Nov.2010 Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
Equal Rites is the third Discworld novel and my first Terry Pratchett. Normally I would never ever read a book out of series order, but after hearing over and over from people that The Colour of Magic, the first Discworld novel, is not the ideal place to start since it’s not by all means the [...]