books
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One great book I picked up and read recently was ‘Ponti’ by Sharlene Teo. The author went to primary and high school in Singapore but then went to university in England. The fictional story is done from the perspective of an actress Amisa, the actress’s daughter Szu, and the actress’s daughter’s friend Circe. The title… Read more
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An excellent little book that I picked up in my charity shop was that of Wilbur Smith’s Cry Wolf. An elderly American man was chatting to me one day (while his wife was trying on clothes). He asked me if I had ever read Edgar Allen Poe or Wilbur Smith? I replied I hadn’t heard… Read more
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I originally read ‘Kingdom by the Sea’ by Mr Theroux and reviewed it on this blog site. That book is especially funny and probably the book I enjoyed the most. However Mr Theroux does have some other interesting books especially his Dark Star Safari. This is the book where he travels from Cairo to Cape… Read more
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It’s a very warm Friday here in Inverness and I am sitting inside in the cool shade of my bedroom on my laptop. Recently I have been reading the classic books of the brilliant Charles Dickens. I mostly read them when I am sitting around in the shop where I work. I have read the… Read more
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A book I very much enjoyed reading was Dodie Smith’s ‘I Capture the Castle.’ The book is set in pre WW2 England (1930s) although there is no mention of the war in the novel. The story starts with the narrator who is the daughter, Cassandra, and who belongs to an impoverished but well educated and… Read more
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*contains spoilers* Another book that I enjoyed immensely was Graham Greene’s first published novel ‘The Man Within.’ Like Brighton Rock but unlike The Quiet American or unlike The Power and the Glory it is set in England where Graham Greene is from. The story starts with Andrews on the run having betrayed his smuggling gang… Read more
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This excellent book I also picked up in my charity shop Carr Gomm. Having read the title and read the synopsis on the back cover I was intrigued having spent a year living in the city state of Singapore. I had not heard of Terry Tan but according to the book he is a big… Read more
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By Kapka Kassabova Another book I picked up in the last few months sort of randomly and enjoyed was ‘Twelve Minutes of Love’ by Kapka Kassabove. I think I picked it up in one of Inverness’s charity shops like Highland Hospice or Carr Gomm (where I work). I have a real love of music nowadays… Read more
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When I was in Budapest recently, in a cafe, drinking my coffee, I saw a man with a sort of cart full of second hand books outside. I asked him if he had any English books and he pointed me to a section. I purchased Paul Theroux’s Kingdom by the Sea for a bit over… Read more
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One of my favourite books since I discovered it in a library is Graham Greene’s Quiet American. I first read Brighton Rock after I found it by my Dad’s bedside when I was a teenager. My father often influenced my reading growing up. I was intrigued about Quiet American when I read the synopsis on… Read more
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An exceptional book I just finished reading yesterday is ‘hard boiled wonderland and the end of the world’ by Murakami. Murakami also wrote Norwegian Wood which I also loved when I read it. This book was recommended to me by my favourite Waterstones employee in Inverness. ‘Hard boiled wonderland and the End of the world’… Read more
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I’ve just finished reading ‘Under the Skin’ by Michel Faber. The book is exceptionally well written which is what I wanted when I approached my local Waterstones staff member about a book recommendation for the Christmas holidays. The story however is quite horrifying. I’ll not bother trying to hide spoiler details. The book is about… Read more
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