book recommendations

elle · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 334 Location: Nottingham, UK

Yes most are available at www.amazon.co.uk a good place to shop. Spend more than £15 and you get the books delivered "post Free", but make sure you tick that preference or you will be charged, before you click "Place Order".

crab · Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Posts: 34

thanks Elle, Murakami and Xinran and very good - try them both out!

tenpence · Joined: 24 Feb 2003 Posts: 173

has anyone tried this? readitswapit.co.uk

You can swap your old books with other people when you have finished with them, works out cheaper than amazon, and you can swap your books again if you don't like them!

catz · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 42 Location: London

i have read 'sky burial' and 'the good women of china', these were books i had to read to the end, and couldn't put down, i'm glad to hear there is a new book out.

one book i read my old english teacher recommended was 'ten thousand sorrows' by elizabeth kim, this book is a book i will remember forever, it makes me cry every time i read it. it is the life story of ellizabeth kim, she was the illegitimate daughter of a korean peasant and american gi, and her grandfather murdered her mother for bringing dishonour upon the family. it then tells of her american parents who adopted her.

i enjoy anything written by joanne harris, 'chocolat', 'five quarters of the orange' are my favourites though.

Mei-Yin · Joined: 25 Jul 2004 Posts: 10 Location: Cumbria

Hi all

Thanks Catz for starting this thread about books. I enjoyed reading everyone's postings of their recommendations.

With respect to Amy Tan and Adeline Yen Mah, I found their books depressing and soon sought other authors to brighten my reading thoughts.

I found the following good reads:

Eating Chinese Food Naked by Mei Ng
Shanghai Baby by Wei Hui
Lili by Annie Wang
Any books by Ha Jin
Any books by Chiang Yee

It's difficult to find Chinese authors who can write with a sense of humour so if anyone has any more ideas, please share them here :)

catz · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 42 Location: London

i've got quite a list of books and authors to try out now :-)

i also read 'shanghai baby' by wei hui, but i preferred her second book 'marrying buddha' which follows on from shanghai baby, and i found i could empathise with the charactors more.

i've just finished 'the historian' by elizabeth kostova which was quite slow to take off but worth reading. it was about a modern day search for dracula - not my usual type of book, but i enjoyed reading it. i've just started reading 'dracula' by bram stoker, as it was mentionned in 'the historian'

another author i enjoy is isaac asimov, i read a couple of his books a few years ago, and have been trying to get around to re-reading them. 'i robot' is probably the best book to read to introduce yourself to the author

PingPing · Joined: 20 Aug 2006 Posts: 59 Location: KENT

Hi All,
I'm 2/3 through Frankenstain (reading).

Bought a book this morning, by Chinese writer, Chatherine Lim, book title : Following the Wrong God Home. Read 1/5 of it on the train, I am interest to read about the lifestyle in Singapore, I've never been, the culture is different from Hong Kong and England, the 'frog' is seeing the world (that's me :wink: ).

Can't comment the story yet as I have not finish, one thing is certain.

Anyone wants the book when I finish, PM me.
PP
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The struggle, first to survive, and next, to make sense of one's survival .....

elle · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 334 Location: Nottingham, UK

Pingping, we have missed you. We expect a short summary of "Following the Wrong God Home" when you have finished. Hope all will be OK soon for you.

elle · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 334 Location: Nottingham, UK

Inst4ead of reading in bed tonight, stay up and watch Jane Eyre on BBC 1 9:00 pm tonight, 24th September the first of 4 episodes. Should be worth watching.

elle · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 334 Location: Nottingham, UK

Even the critics were disappointed with last nigths portrayal. I will try to stick with it, even though i did not find the acting nor the directing that gripping. such a pity.

elle · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 334 Location: Nottingham, UK

Noel Barber's books are a good read. If you want to read about the clash of cultures of the last generation (east/west), you must read "Tanamera". It is not new but it is very descriptive of conditions and prejudices of inter-racial relationships.

Available at www.amazon.co.uk

sunnyoyk · Joined: 18 Nov 2006 Posts: 163 Location: London

Adeline Yen Mah's " Falling Leaves " is a book I would recommend. The book is about her life in China, Hong Kong, UK and the USA; her relationship with her father, step-mother and siblings. The title of the book is taken from a Chinese proverb which means ' falling leaves returning to its roots '.
After reading her book, I told myself that one day I would go to China and seek out my roots. I did it in October 1999. I was warmly welcomed and I was very moved to discover for the very first time that there were five generations of my relatives still living in my great grand father house (our ancestral home) in Hainan Island. So, I became a great grand uncle over-night! I was told my great grand father was a chief in our village and a great sea man. He died in his ship in a heavy storm one night I was told and his body was never found. Poor soul!
I went back to Hainan Island again this year and I took along with me my brother (from Sydney) and my two sisters from Malaysia. What a re-union gathering, a truly memorable one for all of us and our blood relatives as well. All because of the book ' Falling Leaves ' by Adeline Yen Mah.
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sunnyoy

assis104s · Joined: 31 Mar 2003 Posts: 144

branching out slightly, has anyone read this?
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers

It's a compelling personal account of a young Cambodian girl's experiences of life under the Brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. It's written in a diary form and very accessible. Talk about hardship!

sunnyoyk · Joined: 18 Nov 2006 Posts: 163 Location: London

Xin Ran's book " Sky Burial "...some one ought to make a movie based on the story of this book. An epic love with a Tibetan setting and perhaps get Gong Li to play the lead role here, and maybe Ang Lee to direct. It would truly make a lovely movie, I think.
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sunnyoy

slcheang · Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 21

Wow, nice to be aquainted with so many book lovers. It's been a while since I read The Davinci Code, intrigued by all the symbolism talk and Opus Dei etc, read the Angels and Demons since then. Don't think I'll bother with the rest as the plots kinda similar in a way. My friend gave me the Digital Fortress, I'll probably read it only if I've got nothing else to do.
My most recent read is The Time Traveller's Wife, will definitely recommend that. Very touching and refreshing story. I've also read Shanghai Baby quite some time ago, thought it felt like as if it was written in chinese first then translated, never bothered to find out. Am I right? Didn't realise there's a sequel, will give that a go if I can find it in a 3for2 offer.
The books that some of you guys read sounds so deep. Am I the only one to admit that I enjoy Harry Potter? (I'm 30 and male). Tried reading lord of the rings, only managed the first one as all the singing and elfen talk made my eyes heavy.
One of my best reads is Jeffrey Archer's Kane and Abel. He may be a bit of a twat being in prison/perjury and all that but he does know quite alot about how the city works. My interest in the corporate world may be why I liked it, he's provided me with my first insight into the financial world.
One of my biggest regret is not knowing how to read chinese. Feels I'm missing out big time in the chinese literacy world. My sister's a big fan of Jing Yung (is that pronounced right?) and his stories about fantasy swordmen in ancient china. I know some of the main characters through hong kong TVB series but it's always great to hear her explaining the plots as the writer does a good job of mixing fiction with ancient chinese history.

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