I teach an anthropology course to final year students at IFT the hospitality school in Macao and this book is a real gem full of anecdotal stories, more so than hard history facts which gives leeway for making your own conclusions to certain things. Ian Croftan’s Curious History of Food & Drink is a really fun […]

I think I first discovered Douglas Coupland’s books in university when I was borrowing books from the National Library in Singapore really often. I’ve read quite a few of them and revisited his books when I was living in Beijing and craving for English fiction. His writing style is simple and fluid and the narratives […]

I’ve almost gone through the collection of Wendy Holden’s books, I discovered her fiction over 10 years ago at the Singapore library and I am quickly devouring all of her books. I think my first book I read was Pastures Nouveau, one of those chick lit that keeps you up at night so you’d finish […]

I love India, one of my first experiences with the craziness was landing in Delhi airport from Beijing six years ago and going home with someone else’s suitcase! More on those posts. A good friend of mine, Miss Anabeem made Delhi her home for a couple of years, you can read her delightful blog on Delhi , I […]

I haven’t been so glued to a book like The Mysterious Benedict Society since I can’t remember! Reviews compare Trenton Lee Stewart’s book to Harry Potter books and Charlie and the chocolate factory. It’s got this wild and mad childlike wonder and brilliance, and an exciting plot that runs along quickly. All the characters are […]

I picked up Rainbow Rowell’s book based on the review at the back of the book, but it was a pretty boring read and too literally about a landline that connected the protagonist between past and present and went no where. I had thought it’d be interesting rewinding dating pre mobile era and present day with […]

I was hooked on her other novel In the Company of The Courtesan set in the 14th century Italy with its plot unfolding mainly in Venezia, a place close to my heart having lived in the Veneto. However, I am sad to report that Sacred Heart was so slow and was missing a denouement, ending abruptly […]

I stayed up all night reading Time of my Life. It’s one of those chick lit books that keep flowing in a simple and easy narrative like your friend’s talking and it’s got all the juicy bits, so you can’t put the book down. I’m not familiar with her works, but everyone’s probably heard of […]

Summer season and travelling means more time to finish books! I picked this up by chance at the library and really enjoyed it. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it gave such a real insight into schizophrenia, I was sitting tight swaying between ghost, demons and everything spiritual and the science and evidence of […]

If I were to judge a book by its cover, I wouldn’t have picked it up. However,, the title and synopsis was interesting. This suspense novel is peppered with rich historical facts of 16th century Italy, in the same genre as Donna Tartt’s novels peppered with exciting historical recreation of that era like a Ken […]