Books

Have you ever had a friend who always ask you for advice but never take any of your advice? I have such a friend. So why does she ask then? … Continue reading Advise Her, Please →

In the summer of 1830, Russia was experiencing one of its worst pandemics. Cholera spread far and wide. A sip of contaminated water or a little unwitting touch of sewage … Continue reading Past, Present And Future →

Plans are made to be changed; reading lists are drawn to be unfinished. That’s my motto for May. When I don’t have to be ashamed of my own “grand” plan, … Continue reading Merry Month Of May →

In 1231 AD, the Mongolians–my ancestors–invaded Korea. The mighty Mongolian army, which at the time occupied a big region stretching from Middle East to East Asia, met with a resounding … Continue reading Conflict →

She was one of those people who enjoy poor health and she was always threatening to die, though in fact she lived onto her nineties. With time on her hand, … Continue reading Quote And Review →

Once I did a book review for a friend who published a Jane Austen fan novel. I sent my review to her, but she ended up deleting most of what … Continue reading March Reading →

Food is the star of the family drama; kitchen is where the star is born and worked on. Most of the family actions happen there–the rinsing, chopping, stir-frying. Most of … Continue reading Kitchen Drama →

“Using someone else’s map.” I’ve been doing that 99% of the time. No wonder I see inexplicable landmarks and confusing sites. Mammals have mournful eyes, even if when they are … Continue reading Quotes Of The Day #2 →

This is what you do when you aspire to read a lot but in reality you are a slow reader–make an ambitious plan to make yourself feel good and then … Continue reading March TBR →

Read before you think. Somebody said this, but I don’t remember who. I don’t think it is achievable. For many of us, we think and make decisions long before we … Continue reading Before You Think →

Dawn starts from 6AM to a little before 7AM–a wonderful period of twilight that I usually miss except when attacked by insomnia, like today. I like dusk better, which stretches … Continue reading Long Twilight →

of Virginia Woolf? I really like that movie, but I don’t really like Virginia Woolf’s writing. Long time ago, when I was young and fervent, torturing myself through reading something … Continue reading Who’s Afraid →

I dislike writing reviews, but I also dislike not saying anything after reading a book. So what to do? Which one I dislike more? Those people trained in writing workshops … Continue reading Something In Between →

There should be a complete idiot’s guide to commonly used terms and slang. The book “Black Rednecks and White Liberals” by Thomas Sowell really makes this guide more necessary than … Continue reading Clueless →

“Aria Da Capo” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I somehow suspect that this one act play with an incomprehensible title is based on the infamous Stanford psychology experiment. Once people … Continue reading January 2021 Book List →

“Aria Da Capo” is a very short play by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I somehow suspect that this one act play with an incomprehensible title is based on the infamous … Continue reading Misbehavior →

There are no good books about Asia in English. I just can’t find any good books. If anybody read a good one, please let me know. I am so desperate … Continue reading Good, Bad And Things In Between →

“The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An Introduction” By Michel Foucault. The first two chapters are exhilarating, but for the rest I just can’t understand. Maybe philosophy is just not … Continue reading Finished And Unfinished In December →

Click Here For Wrap Up 1 What’s the point of making a to-be-read plan, but leaving most of the list unread in the end. I knew I was not going … Continue reading November Reading Wrap-up 2 →

“Pangs of Love” by David Wong LouieI suffered a lot while reading “The Barbarians Are Coming”, but as soon as I finish it, I take on this book. Do I … Continue reading November Reading Wrap-up 1 →

I am completely and probably irreversibly blocked right now after reading a book about blogging, which says what one wants to write is not what others want to read. It … Continue reading Blocked And Unblocked →

“Nine Horses” by Billy CollinsEven his complaints are delightful to read. I wonder why? “Forgotten Wars: Freedom and Revolution in Southeast Asia” by C.A. Bayly, Tim HarperThe end of WWII … Continue reading I Know I Won’t Finish These In November →

It’s different from what I planned a month ago, but several lovable books have made it all worthwhile. “If I Had Your Face” by Frances Cha– This is the first … Continue reading Unfinished October Reading →

Reading often goes hand in hand with misreading. Being an immigrant and reading English as a second language have taught me this fact. At first this made me rather uncomfortable–the … Continue reading Read And Misread In October →

I shouldn’t read this book, “We Wanted to Be Writers: Life, Love, and Literature at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop” by Eric Olsen. I knew I shouldn’t but I still did. … Continue reading Finished With A Sigh →

For about half a year or so, I wrote book reviews devotedly for books I read, but then I felt that I didn’t really enjoy doing that. I guess the … Continue reading The October Book Plan →

It’s the peril of persistence. I was brought up on the principle of finishing what you started and now I am suffering the consequence. I can’t go on with this … Continue reading The Peril Of Persistence →

This is not for me. I mean the book, “Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue”. It’s obviously for those native speakers. The magnificence described by the book must be felt by a … Continue reading Magnificent In Different Ways →

is a word that I cannot handle. No matter how many times I’ve encountered it and looked it up, I have to look it up again for the next encounter. … Continue reading Foist →

There’s always this table, on which books pile up high, in one of the local grocery stores, the ShopRite of Edison township. Sometimes one or two precariously perched books on … Continue reading The Cauldron →

At first I thought it means awning and then I realize it is not spelled canopy, but rather canape, for which Firefox’s quick search shows it means those little bite … Continue reading Canopy And Canape →

I can’t believe how good this book is, “Writing With Intent”. I’ve bought this book for a year and haven’t gone around to read it until now. I think it’s … Continue reading Memories of Girlfriends →

“Understanding Japan” starts slow but getting more interesting as it progresses towards the modern era. I have always been interested in Japan but haven’t read books about it–so much for … Continue reading Another Misunderstanding →

I am finishing up this book #2 in the Bridget Jones series. The best parts of the book are those conversations between the girls, which can be even more biting … Continue reading Finishing Up →

I feel groggy and listless today, most likely due to the fact that I finished the book “Bridget Jones Diary” yesterday. For many years, I’ve tried to refrain from reading … Continue reading Catnip →

Isn’t it strange that there will be a new film “Martin Eden” made by an Italian-French team? The reason “Martin Eden” is very important to me is because it is … Continue reading The New Film →

I stayed up until 4AM last night to finish “A Girl With Seven Names” and I’ve been groggy the whole day today, even when I was out grocery shopping. What … Continue reading Sleepless →

I only finished five of the lectures of “The Great Trials Of World History”, but already I feel that most of these trials are bad trials, not great trials. I … Continue reading Great Trials Or Bad Trials →

Just to follow the trend, I got one book by Mary Trump and two by Ta-Nahisi Coates. Which one to read first? Coates’ books are obviously better written and I … Continue reading Following The Trend →

I can’t go through “Crashes and Crises: Lessons from a History of Financial Disasters” without thinking what I would do if I were involved in any of the disasters listed … Continue reading Cries and Crises →

Who is Mencken and why haven’t I heard of him before? One of Mencken’s fans claims online. Same here. I want to make the same claim, but I know why … Continue reading Why Haven’t I Heard Of Him →

I can’t believe I’ve read “The Descent Of Man And Other Stories” before. This was the first impression I had when I read the “Quicksand” and “The Mission of Jane”. … Continue reading Memory →

Amazon recommends me something at least once a day in my email; it sends me advertisements disguised as login screen on my Kindle Fire. But I’ve never bought anything through … Continue reading Amazon Recommends →

There’s always at least one alternative interpretation to events and stories of a philosophy book or a psychology book. I mean a book like “Emotional Intelligence”. I wonder what will … Continue reading Alternative Interpretation →

I am completely lost. I don’t know what “Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained” is talking about. Is there even a plot for this long endless poem? I bought this book … Continue reading Incomprehensible Paradise →

“The Philanderer” is the best play from Shaw that I’ve ever read, as good as “Man of Destiny”, better than “Mrs Warren’s Profession”, Arms and The Man, You Never Can … Continue reading My Favorite →

I like “The Happiness Hypothesis” a lot although I don’t always agree with the author. His elephant metaphor is very apt and I too have often felt that I am … Continue reading Happy and Happier →

I thought it would be more suitably titled “Crucial Exploration” rather than “Crucial Instances”. I like everything Wharton wrote, almost indiscriminately, even if when she’s exploring different possibilities with her … Continue reading Crucial Exploration →