Everything to do with books! Mostly book reviews, but occasionally, I have the non-review bookish post too.
As part of my research into the world of Genji, I decided to read up about the history of Kimono. Unfortunately, most library books are for reference, so I borrowed the only one that wasn’t – The Kimono: History and Style. This book is a very beautiful book that takes a pictorial look at the… Read More The Kimono: History and Style by Ito Sacico
So this was a pretty fun read (and may mark me rereading more cozy mystery books if I can find them). Dry Bones is the third in the Village series, staring retired Colonel Hugh, who lives in the village of Frog End. By the time the novel starts, he’s already solved two cases and settled… Read More Dry Bones by Margaret Mayhew
After I borrowed this book, I realised that I’ve already read it 6 years ago. But all I know about what I thought then was a four-star rating on Goodreads and the line: “It’s definitely not the kind of mystery I was used to, but it’s interesting in its own way.” I was definitely way… Read More Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey
A little while back, my brother introduced me to the Odd1sOut’s videos. Partly because he wanted me to buy him this book for his Christmas present. Since I ended up enjoying the videos too, I borrowed the book from him when I was done. The Odd1sOut’s book is a collection of comic essays he wrote.… Read More The Odd 1s Out by James Rallison
I have wanted to read this book ever since I heard of it. Although I swing back and forth between reading the Western and Asian histories of tea, that’s because I want to get a sense of the whole picture. A Social History of Tea covers the rise and impact of tea in Britain and… Read More A Social History of Tea by Jane Pettigrew & Bruce Richardson
I heard about this book from The Orangutan Librarian’s Monthly Monkey Mini Review, and it intrigued me enough that I hunted down a copy. And I have got to say, this book broke my heart so many times. I made the mistake of reading it in the mrt and I ended up tearing up for most… Read More A List of Cages by Robin Roe
I’m not sure how this got in my TBR list, but it looked pretty cool and I wanted a quick read so I decided to read it (it was indeed something you can read in one sitting). Come See The Living Dryad is a novella about the murder of a ‘living dryad’, who is basically… Read More Come See The Living Dryad by Theodora Goss
Since I spent last year doing quite a bit of general reading about tea, I thought I’d take it a bit more in-depth this year. That means taking both a wider look at the issues surrounding tea (hopefully there’s a contemporary book or blog I can read!) and going in depth into the history of… Read More Darjeeling by Jeff Koehler
One great thing about this World of Genji research project is that it’s getting me to read all sorts of books I wouldn’t normally pick up, such as this history of Kyoto city. The Tale of Genji is set during the height of the Heian period in Heian-Kyo (premodern Kyoto). Since the World of Shining… Read More Kyoto: An Urban History of Japan’s Premodern Capital by Matthew Stavros
After reading about Nagai Takashi’s – a Japanese Christian – response to the bombing of Nagasaki, I decided to go back in time and continue reading about Christianity in Japan. This time, however, the topic is completely different. Christ’s Samurai is an account of the Shimabara rebellion, which has the dubious honour of being the… Read More Christ’s Samurai by Jonathan Clements