I picked up this book on the basis of its subtitle “Journey through the dark ages”. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m currently listening to two history-related podcasts; one on the history of Britain and one on the history of the English language. The podcasts do go into the Middle Ages (I’m there right now) and… Read More In the Land of Giants by Max Adams
As you might have guessed, this is a book I borrowed in preparation for the upcoming family trip. I haven’t been to Scotland before and it’s not a country I know a lot about so I thought I’d start by reading about their national dress. Scottish Tartan and Highland Dress is a pretty tiny book… Read More Scottish Tartan and Highland Dress by Fiona MacDonald
The previous time we went to England, my dad (and bro and I) fell in love with the cheeses in their sandwiches, so much so that when we came back, he asked me to help him find the cheddar cheese that he ate. With all that cheese on the mind, it’s no wonder that I… Read More Cheddar Gorge by John Squire
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
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 an abridged copy of The Tale of Genji (the unabridged, library copy is proving rather elusive), I decided to read more about Heian Japan, in the hopes of knowing more about the world and hence being able to appreciate the unabridged novel more when I finally find it. The World of the Shining… Read More The World of the Shining Prince by Ivan Morris
I love getting book recommendations, so when an email from Santiago arrived recommending a couple of books – A Song for Nagasaki among them – I knew that I had to check them out. The library had A Song for Nagasaki so I borrowed it as one of my year-end reads. A Song for Nagasaki… Read More A Song for Nagasaki by Paul Glynn
After reading about how teas used to be adulterated, the synopsis of The Poison Squad caught my eye. And, I have to admit, the book shocked me – I didn’t think that deception in food could be that bad! The Poison Squad is the story of Harvey Wiley, the father of the Pure Food and… Read More The Poison Squad by Deborah Blum
This post is mostly pictures, I would think. But since I take a lot of photos I don’t really look at (something I realised when my family was talking about how we take holiday photos but don’t really look at them), I’m jumping at the chance to post them. Not going to Stonehenge while he… Read More Stonehenge