It’s always a bit scary to read something by someone that has earned multiple awards for their writing, because what if you don’t like it?? That was my experience with Exhalation, a collection of science-fiction short stories by Ted Chiang. I’m not super familiar with science-fiction short stories, so I don’t know if it’s a… Read More Book Review: Exhalation by Ted Chiang
In summer the sun slants across the garden, but the drawing-room smells of rose and of potpourri and is always cool. In the drawing-room you do not forget about the sea. From Chapter 1 of The People of the Sea by David Thomson This book was not written recently and it shows (in a good… Read More Book Review: The People of the Sea by David Thomson
I have been dealing with some stomach problems, which means that I haven’t been able to drink as much tea as I’d like. So, looking at my teacups is a substitute (of sorts) and got me to actually work on this post instead of sighing at the thought of how much I’ve purchased. I hope… Read More 2021 Teacup Collection Update (Part 2)
With ‘So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed’ fresh in my mind, I started on ‘The Perils of Privilege’ by Phoebe Maltz Bovy, only to find… the book opening with a shaming of someone whose privilege has been called out. But despite the close connection that the privilege call-out has with shaming, ‘The Perils of Privilege’ doesn’t… Read More Two Books, One Review Part 2: The Perils of Privilege by Phoebe Maltz Bovy
A few years back, I read So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson and The Perils of Privilege by Phoebe Maltz Bovy, but each at separate times. Since I bought myself copies of each book, I thought it would be interesting to read them one after another and think about how their ideas might… Read More Two Books, One Review Part 1: So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
I saw this as I was walking out of the library and couldn’t resist adding it to the borrowed pile. I’ve read a few Merlin-based books when I was younger (T.A Barron’s Merlins series, basically) so the idea of reading about the history and many incarnations of Merlin throughout history was very appealing. The Book… Read More Book Review: The Book of Merlin by John Matthews
So I’ve been putting this post off because I know that I bought quite a few teacups in 2021 and didn’t want to face the consequences of my impulsive buying habits. Even the thought of tackling all the new teacups at one go was too much, so I thought I’d split the post into two… Read More 2021 Teacup Collection Update (Part 1)
After a really long time, we’re back in my ‘World of Genji’ series, where I attempt to learn more about Heian Japan and not have my head explode as I read academic texts about the time period. This book, Chinese Literary Forms in Heian Japan, was really interesting as it explored Sinitic verse (aka when… Read More Book Review: Chinese Literary Forms in Heian Japan by Brian Steininger
Since I have a few Afternoon Tea reviews in this blog, I thought I’d make a master post of ALL the afternoon teas that I’ve tried in Singapore so that it’s easier to compare them/I can send this post to people who ask me which I preferred. This post will be periodically updated, so please… Read More A Roundup of Afternoon Teas in Singapore
It seems like I’m exhausting my local library’s supply of Wooster and Jeeve books, because it took me quite a while to find something I haven’t read. While I could always venture into a new series (if you have a non-Ukridge favourite, please let me know!), I wanted something I knew I would enjoy. In… Read More Book Review: Aunt’s Aren’t Gentlemen by P.G. Wodehouse
