One thing I hate about going on vacation is the fierce hangover I feel once it’s over; that and the work that piles up on my desk while I’m away. Being away on New Year’s, I didn’t really feel the transition from 2012 to 2013, and because of that, I didn’t feel the need to …
A Perfect Spy, published in 1986, has been lauded by fans and critics alike as John Le Carre‘s magnum opus. The plot centers around the life of the main character, Magnus Pym, a British intelligence agent. The novel covers much of his life, from early childhood, and a little before that; to his adolescent days … Continue reading »
There’s nothing like a good spy novel to take you out of your reading slump, and nobody does spy novels quite like John Le Carre. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold was the very first spy novel I’ve ever read, as well as my first John Le Carre novel. It’s a short novel … Continue reading »
Looks like I’m still in a reading slump, so I chose a book that is short, and supposedly funny. Douglas Adams‘ Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and its sequel, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is probably not as famous as his The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy, but I heard that it … Continue reading »
When I hear the name Michael Ondaatje, the first thing that comes to mind is The English Patient, which won the Booker Prize back in 1992. In 1996 it was made into a film which won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. I really liked the film version of The English Patient. Strangely, I did … Continue reading »
Revenge, by Yoko Ogawa, is a collection of 11 disturbing short stories about seemingly ordinary people with ordinary lives. Though each story seems mundane, there lies beneath the surface the deeper, darker side of the human mind filled with strange desires and unspeakable emotions. The 11 short stories, though each one distinct and independent, are … Continue reading »
Slim pickings in February: 1. Night (Elie Wiesel) – I haven’t seen this in bookstores for a while. I think they published a new edition with some corrections… 2. Revenge (Yoko Ogawa) – I ordered this book from The Book Depository and I got it in less than a month! This book piqued my interest … Continue reading »
“He wasn’t talking. He was looking from the window of the car all the way…” Ever since Kafka on the Shore, I’ve been in a kind of a reading slump. I’ve had some life-changing things happen to me since too, so I guess Murakami is not completely to blame. The last 2 novels I read … Continue reading »
I finished reading Kafka on the Shore 3 days ago, but even now, I still can’t find the right words to describe it, let alone “review” it. If’ you are familiar with Haruki Murakami’s other novels, Kafka on the Shore will not be too much of a surprise – having chosen it because it’s by Murakami, … Continue reading »
I know, this book is so 5 years ago…ok, more like 8 years ago, but I’m only getting around to reading it now. Kafka on the Shore is only my second Murakami book, 1Q84 being the first. I’m thinking I probably should have read this before 1Q84. Then again, if I read this first and … Continue reading »
Mo Yan was the Nobel Laureate for Literature in 2012, beating a host of literary giants including Milan Kundera, Salman Rushdie, Haruki Murakami, Thomas Pynchon, Philip Roth, just to name a few. Mo Yan, which means “don’t speak,” is the pen name of Chinese writer, Guan Moye, born in the ‘mid 50′s in Gaomi Province, … Continue reading »
