Category Archives: books

Review: The Emperor of All Maladies

Posted on January 26, 2012 by

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee My rating: 5 of 5 stars By chronicling the efforts of individuals and organisations to defeat and understand cancer, the book to me is a mirror of our biological and psychological natures: … Continue reading →

Posted in books | Leave a comment

Subhas Anandan, “The Best I Could”

Posted on December 31, 2008 by

The Best I Could by Subhas Anandan My review rating: 3 of 5 starsIt’s clear that Subhas Anandan wants to be seen as someone who values family ties, friendships and loyalty above all. What may surprise some people are his … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Singapore | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Lewis Buzbee, “The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop”

Posted on December 29, 2008 by

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History by Lewis Buzbee My review rating: 2 of 5 starsBuzbee’s heart is in the right place, but his writing skills and treatment of history do not quite match his love of bookshops. In … Continue reading →

Posted in 80's, books | Leave a comment

Writing and its tactile essence

Posted on September 16, 2008 by

Writing can be as much a physical activity as a mental one. Eventually the distinction between physical and mental can break down, and it seems like sentences simply flow from mind to page. I was intrigued by this section from … Continue reading →

Posted in books | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Literary vs the Martial

Posted on July 18, 2008 by

Using examples from recent movies, this post in The China Beat makes an interesting observation about the kungfu genre, and why Kung Fu Panda really relies more on American cultural tropes than Chinese ones: The assumption is that writing encodes … Continue reading →

Posted in books, China, film | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“When (people) get hold of a good book, they get intoxicated, they get high”

Posted on July 7, 2008 by

Which I’ve always sort of felt, though not as strongly as others I’m sure. Living in Singapore, with its small population and even smaller reading population, the world of street booksellers described in Bookwars is especially fascinating. Trailer: Review on … Continue reading →

Posted in books | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Reading without rhythm – 24/4/08

Posted on April 24, 2008 by

() Thanks TokyoMango! – Vom leisen Inferno der Depression und von der Unheimlichkeit des Glücks. – Vantan gets a sneak preview of the Peranakan Museum. The museum occupies the old Tao Nan school building at Armenian Street, next to The … Continue reading →

Posted in books, film, random, Singapore, YouTube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Salman Rushdie

Posted on April 16, 2008 by

From The Independent: Everyone, fan or foe, invokes their own imaginary Rushdie. We dream him up, and he duly takes shape: as blaspheming apostate for many still-outraged Muslims; as cocky subcontinental pseud for old-school British racists; as martyr to free … Continue reading →

Posted in books, inspiration | Tagged , | Leave a comment

BooksActually reopens!

Posted on April 2, 2008 by

As of yesterday at No.5 Ann Siang Road. And they’re throwing a little cupcake party this Saturday too. The cupcakes start sprouting from 3pm till they run out, while the tea fountain flows all day. There will be a 10% … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Singapore | Tagged | 1 Comment

“…the anatomical blueprint of some alien and crab-like creature.”

Posted on November 15, 2007 by

I came across these alien geometrical graphics via Bibliodyssey (oh how I can wander that blog for days and days): They’re plans for fortresses. Such complexes of fortifications, said Austerlitz, concluding his remarks that day in the Antwerp Glove Market … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, books, literature, architecture, ideas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment