So Far So Good - 2014 Reading List

[CuriousGeorgette]

Not a month-by-month list but nonetheless what I can remember reading this year LOL

 

The Deeds of the Disturber (Amelia Peabody [5]) · Elizabeth Peters

The Last Camel Died at Noon (Amelia Peabody [6]) · Elizabeth Peters

Assassin's Creed 1: Renaissance (Assassin's Creed [1]) · Oliver Bowden

Assassin's Creed 2: Brotherhood (Assassin's Creed [2]) · Oliver Bowden

Assassin's Creed 3: The Secret Crusade (Assassin's Creed [3]) · Oliver Bowden

Assassin's Creed 4: Revelations (Assassin's Creed [4]) · Oliver Bowden

Assassin's Creed 5: Forsaken (Assassin's Creed [5]) · Oliver Bowden

The Atlantis Gene · A.G.Riddle

Balzac and the little Chinese Seamstress · Dai Sijie

Beyond the Black Stump · Nevil Shute

Blood Of Flowers · Amirrezvani Anita

Body Energy - Discover The Secrets Of The Chinese Body Energy Clock (Healthy Living Techniques: Learn The Secret Of Tai Chi Chuan and Qi Gong Masters) · Matthew Harrigan

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life · Steve Martin

The Botticelli Secret · Marina Fiorato

Brave New World · Aldous Huxley

China Witness · Xinran Xue

Cosmology of Consciousness · Deepak Chopra

Dexter 1 - Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter [1]) · Jeff Lindsay

Dexter 2 - Dearly Devoted Dexter (Dexter [2]) · Jeff Lindsay

Dexter 3 - Dexter in the Dark (Dexter [3]) · Jeff Lindsay

Dexter 4 - Dexter by Design (Dexter [4]) · Jeff Lindsay

Dexter 5 - Dexter Is Delicious (Dexter [5]) · Jeff Lindsay

Dexter 6 - Double Dexter (Dexter [6]) · Jeff Lindsay

The Elegent Universe · Brian Greene

The Elephant Vanishes · Haruki Murakami

The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine Third Edition · Michael Murray

Fahrenheit 451 · Ray Bradbury

Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Book · Meyers, Ric

Five Star Billionaire: A Novel · Tash Aw

The Flower Reader · Elizabeth Loupas

The Golden Mean · Annabel Lyon

Golden Witchbreed (Orthe [1]) · Mary Gentle

The Great Gatsby · F. Scott Fitzgerald

Great Wall · Rojas, Carlos.

The Harem of Aman Akbar · Elizabeth Ann Scatborough

The Harmony Silk Factory · Tash Aw

Healer 01 - Touch of Power (Healer [1]) · Maria V. Snyder

Healer 02 - Scent of Magic (Healer [2]) · Maria V. Snyder

How to Win Friends and Influence People · Dale Carnegie

Life and Death are Wearing Me Out · Mo Yan

The Little Prince · Antoine de Saint Exupry

Lucky Man: A Memoir · Michael J. Fox

The Minimalist Photographer · Johnson, Steve

Moby-Duck · Donovan Hohn

Modesty Blaise · Peter O' Donell

Native Speaker · Chang-rae Lee

Nic Costa 1 - Season for the Dead (Nic Costa [1]) · David Hewson

Nic Costa 2 - The Villa of Mysteries (Nic Costa [2]) · David Hewson

Nic Costa 3 - Sacred Cut (Nic Costa [3]) · David Hewson

Nic Costa 4 - The Lizard's Bite (Nic Costa [4]) · David Hewson

Nic Costa 5 - The Seventh Sacrament (Nic Costa [5]) · David Hewson

Nic Costa 6 - The Garden of Evil (Nic Costa [6]) · David Hewson

An Object of Beauty: A Novel · Steve Martin

Red Sorghum · Mo Yan

Riyria Revelations 1 - Theft of Swords (Riyria Revelations [1]) · Michael J. Sullivan

Riyria Revelations 2 - Rise Of Empire (Riyria Revelations [2]) · Michael J. Sullivan

Riyria Revelations 3 - Heir of Novron (Riyria Revelations [3]) · Michael J. Sullivan

Scent of Butterflies · Dora Levy Mossanen

Shifu, You'll Do Anything For a Laugh · Mo Yan

Soul Mountain · Gao Xingjian

Stonehenge · Bernard Cornwell

Stormchild · Bernard Cornwell

The Surrendered · Chang-rae Lee

A Town Like Alice · Nevil Shute

The Universe Inside You · Brian Clegg

The Venetian Contract · Marina Fiorato

The Venice Conspiracy · Jon Trace

War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality · Deepak Chopra

Wildtrack · Bernard Cornwell

[Karsa Orlong]

What did you think of Mary Gentle's Golden Witchbreed?  I started to read Grunts a few months back and didn't get along with it, but I'm quite keen to give Ash: A Secret History a go 

[CuriousGeorgette]

Golden Witchbreed is brilliant. I also had Ash on my list of books to find and read, but somehow it slipped between the cracks. Going to look it up again now. Thanks.

[Karsa Orlong]

It was originally released as four separate books, at least in the US, wasn't it?  It's a beast - 1,100 pages or so.  Think I'll be getting it on Kindle . . .  I'm not sure I'd want to carry it around with me, otherwise 

 

Golden Witchbreed sounds intriguing, too.

 

 

[Athena]

Welcome here!!

 

You've read quite a lot of books so far. What did you think of the two Healer books by Maria V. Snyder? I love her earlier work (the Study series and the Glass series, have you read them?) but I haven't yet read this series. Usually I prefer to wait until I've got all three of the books (if it's a trilogy).

[CuriousGeorgette]

The healer books were as good, if not better than the two previous series. I also prefer to have all the books in a series before I start reading them, but her books stand quite well on their own as books in their own right so I didn't mind that I don't have the whole series. 

 

 

 

It was originally released as four separate books, at least in the US, wasn't it?  It's a beast - 1,100 pages or so.  Think I'll be getting it on Kindle . . .  I'm not sure I'd want to carry it around with me, otherwise 

 

Golden Witchbreed sounds intriguing, too.

 

I don't do tree books at the moment due to circumstances so for me ebook it is. I don't really mind if it is in one volume or 4 although I do find having a series in one volume on an ereader to be a great benefit if you want to start and finish in one go. Not so convenient however for those series that I like to go back and just read one book out of the series now and then. 

[Hayley]

Wow that's a lot of books in 3 months!

 

What did you think of the Assassin's Creed books? I've thought about trying them before

[CuriousGeorgette]

LOL I have time and time enough to read and I have always been one to devour books. Assassins Creed was much  better than I expected. They are based on the computer games of the same name but for all that are a good read. The historical accuracy is pretty good and they crack along at a good pace even if they do muddle a few things up together that weren't really historically concurrent. Often when reading a book from a successful game you have moments when you feel like you are reading a blow-by-blow account of the action in the game, but I only got that feeling once or twice in the whole series. I would give them a 4/5 stars for the kind of book they are. Don't expect more than a good action adventure novel with a reasonable amount of historical accuracy thrown in and a bunch of secret society woohoo stuff to keep the plot moving, but I have definitely read far worse in the genre. On the whole recommended.

Edited March 19, 2014 by CuriousGeorgette

[CuriousGeorgette]

Seeing that I am being asked for opinions I will try to go through my list:

 

 

Amelia Peabody - love them! Victorian suffragette in the making Amelia Peabody and her husband Emerson are Egyptologists and amateur sleuths. They dig up pyramids and solve mysteries at the same time. The writing is delightfully reminiscent of Agatha Christie - in particular the Hercule Poirot books - there is a delightful innocence and slight formality to the writing, with a glorious self-mocking tongue-in-cheek humour. Of course there is an arch-enemy 'The Master Criminal' and an assortment of adventures in far flung locations complete with all kinds of dramatic near escapes from death. All just wonderful fun to read.

 

 

The Atlantis Gene - first in a series, won't read more, too implausible and quite frankly I'm surprised I finished it.

 

 

Balzac and the little Chinese Seamstress · Thoroughly enjoyed it. Two youths sent for re-education during the cultural revolution discover a suitcase full of translated classics which they steal. At first they just read the books, and then, in the way of young men the world over, use the books to court a young lady in the next village. Semi-autobiographical based on the author's own experiences it is, unusually, quite a lighthearted look at the cultural revolution and makes you realise that despite everything life still went on, and young men were young men, and young women were young women. 

 

 

 

Beyond the Black Stump and A Town Like Alice - I love Nevil Shute and these were a reread. Beyond the Black Stump was one of his first books and not one of his best, but for all that not a bad read. A Town Like Alice is one of his more well known books and a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed rereading both. Often when many years lie between readings sometimes things are not as good as you remember, these books lived up to my happy memories of them.

 

 

Marina Fiorato Books - I bought a bunch of her books after reading The Glassblowers Daughter. Her books get mixed reviews which I don't really understand. For what they are, they are good and what they are a light historical fiction with a bit of romance thrown in. You aren't getting heavy politics, or a book that is attempting to unfold the actual course of  history going for complete accuracy as some historical fiction does. These are a light read with enough accuracy to be interesting while making the characters entirely human. Her stories keep moving forward sufficiently quickly to be a fairly quick read, while holding your attention. Her characters are sympathetic and interesting. What more praise do you want for what is essentially a light romance?

 

 

Brave New World & Fahrenheit 451 and The Great Gatsby - all quick rereads to refamiliarise myself with the stories. 

 

 

Deepak Chopra - do those actually need any review / opinion? Interesting ideas that I don't wholly agree with. The book on spirituality vs science was truly fascinating. I will be both rereading and referring to that one for many years to come. 

 

 

The Little Prince - another quick reread. One of those profound books like Jonathon Livingstone Seagull that you either think is very profound or very silly. Either a quick hours read or a very long read with lots of pondering inbetween.

 

 

Nic Costa series - love them. Detective series set in Rome with particularly Roman crimes to solve. A bit Dan Brownish in some respects but not overly or badly so. As a fairly prolific reader of detective novels these come down on the good side.

 

 

Riyria Revelations - great fantasy / adventure. swords, mysterious priests, strange powers and murder ... there is even a dragon.

 

 

Scent of Butterflies · Interesting book. Not sure I will reread it, but it was sufficiently intriguing on a first read to get me to the end.

 

 

Steve Martin - always liked his movies and him as an actor and reading these two autobiographical books was interesting. I'm slowly getting into reading more autobiographies and these were a quick and fun read, with the usual amount of pathos thrown in.

 

 

Bernard Cornwall wrote 5 modern adventure/crime books based on the world of sailing. He is a keen sailor and although well known for his historical fiction these books are great and will stand up to any other book of the same kind. 

 

 

Mo Yan - just recently discovered his books. He has an unusual style of writing that is hard to describe, but if you can imagine simultaneously crying with laughter, while crying with genuine sadness at the pain the people are experiencing you might have some idea of how he writes. I wish I could write as vividly as he does with as much humour amidst the tragedy. 

 

 

Soul Mountain · Gao Xingjian - an unusual book, perhaps the most difficult of the Asian books I have listed here as it relates the same events as the first person and with the narrator as a the third person from both perspectives - as participant and onlooker swopping between the two perspectives chapter to chapter. In a way it encapsulates that feeling you get at times in your life when you feel like an onlooker to the events of your own life and you have that peculiar duality of both experiencing the moment and watching it happen at the same time. Parts of this book were very profound.

 

The Universe Inside You · Brian Clegg - an unusual way of looking at science in terms of the human body. Interesting read. Not too technical, suitable for readers with little or no scientific knowledge, but still interesting enough for others.

 

Chang-rae Lee - I first read one of his books many years ago and it made a very deep impression on me. These books had a similar deep impression. He writes very much about the difficulty of being an outsider, being an immigrant and both holding on to your culture and trying to be assimilated into the new.

 

Tash Aw - if you read no other Asian writer read these. 

 

The Venice Conspiracy · Jon Trace - what happens when an author tries to do Dan Brown and fails. Not recommended.

[chesilbeach]

You've convinced me - I've just bought the omnibus edition of the first four Amelia Peabody books, as they sound right up my street.

[CuriousGeorgette]

You've convinced me - I've just bought the omnibus edition of the first four Amelia Peabody books, as they sound right up my street.

 

I am sure you won't regret it - Amelia Peabody is a character and a half, but she is madly in love with Emerson and he is of course tall, dark and handsome and comes to her rescue in the nick of time with suitable dashing splendour, although to be fair she seldom actually needs rescuing, or is in dire need of rescuing depending on whose version you believe Enjoy them!

[pontalba]

Oh, you've got some great books on your list!! Not to mention a great start for the year.  lol

 

I have only read two of Nevil Shute's......A Town Like Alice and just recently, On the Beach.  The latter, btw, is the April Reading Circle discussion book, so look out for it April 1st (no foolin'!).  I've a review over on my book thread as well.

 

I love, love, love Chang-rae Lee...only read one so far, but have several more on the shelf here, waiting patiently.  Glad to hear your opinions!

 

BTW, welcome to here. 

[Angury]

What did you think of Dale Carnegie's book on "How to Win Friends and Influence People?"

At the time I thought it was a good read and believed it would even help my personality. But after reading Susan Cain's "Quiet" book on introversion, I've taken a bit of an opposite view on it.

 

Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the book. Perhaps the reader's reaction is based on whether they see themselves as more extroverted or introverted?

[CuriousGeorgette]

What did you think of Dale Carnegie's book on "How to Win Friends and Influence People?"

At the time I thought it was a good read and believed it would even help my personality. But after reading Susan Cain's "Quiet" book on introversion, I've taken a bit of an opposite view on it.

 

Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the book. Perhaps the reader's reaction is based on whether they see themselves as more extroverted or introverted?

 

To be honest with you I zapped through it in about an hour - deep it is not. I think there were some things that he said that were valid to any personality type, namely there is a right way and a wrong way to approach people with your ideas. I think it is more aimed at people who truly have no clue at how to get along with others rather than some one who has some understanding of how to interact successfully. You can sum up his thoughts quite simply - find common ground, talk to people with respect, listen more than you speak, and convince people gently rather than with a hammer, which is where the listening comes in. Present what you are selling (yourself, thoughts or item) as being the solution to what they want / need, but you have to listen to them to know what that is. 

Edited March 23, 2014 by CuriousGeorgette

[CuriousGeorgette]

Oh, you've got some great books on your list!! Not to mention a great start for the year.  lol

 

I have only read two of Nevil Shute's......A Town Like Alice and just recently, On the Beach.  The latter, btw, is the April Reading Circle discussion book, so look out for it April 1st (no foolin'!).  I've a review over on my book thread as well.

 

I love, love, love Chang-rae Lee...only read one so far, but have several more on the shelf here, waiting patiently.  Glad to hear your opinions!

 

BTW, welcome to here. 

 

 

Thanks for the welcome. LOL ok I will look out for the discussion. Just having reread it, the timing couldn't be more perfect. 

 

Get thee to those books immediately LOL - I love his writing. If you like his books can I suggest Ha Jin, in particular A Free Life, which is also about the immigrant experience. His other books are all set in China, although equally excellent. Waiting in particular is a good read. Nanjing Requiem was just recently made into a movie The Flowers of War which was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike the book.

[pontalba]

LOL  I actually have a couple by Ha Jin in my stacks, here.  Also Nanjing Requiem.    Didn't realize there was a film. 

[Angury]

To be honest with you I zapped through it in about an hour - deep it is not. I think there were some things that he said that were valid to any personality type, namely there is a right way and a wrong way to approach people with your ideas. I think it is more aimed at people who truly have no clue at how to get along with others rather than some one who has some understanding of how to interact successfully. You can sum up his thoughts quite simply - find common ground, talk to people with respect, listen more than you speak, and convince people gently rather than with a hammer, which is where the listening comes in. Present what you are selling (yourself, thoughts or item) as being the solution to what they want / need, but you have to listen to them to know what that is.

 

Yeah, I found it a bit simple as well. It just surprised me how popular it is, and how much it is raved about in the media. Then again, self-help books seem to be gaining popularity, and perhaps I just had high expectations from the beginning.

 

Best of luck with your reading.

[CuriousGeorgette]

Yeah, I found it a bit simple as well. It just surprised me how popular it is, and how much it is raved about in the media. Then again, self-help books seem to be gaining popularity, and perhaps I just had high expectations from the beginning.

 

Best of luck with your reading.

 

I think it must be judged against the time in which it was written. The entire concept of having anything other than a very authoritarian approach in the 1950's was revolutionary, so if you view it in that context you can understand why it was so impactful. I think though, that apart from anything else, there has been a great deal more awareness, education, training etc particularly in sales (which is primarily who he was writing about and for) on how to be engaging, believable and convincing. 

[CuriousGeorgette]

LOL  I actually have a couple by Ha Jin in my stacks, here.  Also Nanjing Requiem.    Didn't realize there was a film. 

 

Yup starring Christian Bale - not a bad movie - just not entirely quite like the book (as usual)

[CuriousGeorgette]

New acquisitions - 

 

First History - The Stone Golem and The Lion's Eye - Mary Gentle

 

Set in the same alternate medieval world as Gentle's Ash: A Secret History sequence, Ilario, A Story of the First History is more limited in scope. The protagonist, Ilario, is an intersex person seeking to serve as apprentice to a master painter, a path that takes Ilario from Iberia to Carthage, Rome, Venice and Constantinople. Described as "part picaresque, part travelogue, part prose chanson de geste", the story serves to examine issues of gender, sexuality, and power.

 

 

Ash - A Secret History - Mary Gentle

 

Ash: A Secret History is a fantasy novel by author Mary Gentle. Set in the 15th century, the novel blends elements of fantasy, alternate history, and secret history

 

A Sundial In A Grave - 1610 - Mary Gentle

 

 

"It's about sex, and cruelty, and forgiveness."

Thus begins a sweeping historical adventure about two dueling swordsmen and the plot to kill a king in the grand tradition of Dorothy Dunnett and Alexander Dumas.

 

The Palace of Illusions and One Amazing Thing - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

 

 

The Palace of Illusions:

 

A reimagining of the world-famous Indian epic, the Mahabharat—told from the point of view of an amazing woman.

Relevant to today’s war-torn world, The Palace of Illusions takes us back to a time that is half history, half myth, and wholly magical. Narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the legendary Pandavas brothers in the Mahabharat, the novel gives us a new interpretation of this ancient tale.

 

One Amazing Thing:

 

Late afternoon sun sneaks through the windows of a passport and visa office in an unnamed American city. Most customers and even most office workers have come and gone, but nine people remain. A punky teenager with an unexpected gift. An upper-class Caucasian couple whose relationship is disintegrating. A young Muslim-American man struggling with the fallout of 9/11. A graduate student haunted by a question about love. An African-American ex-soldier searching for redemption. A Chinese grandmother with a secret past. And two visa office workers on the verge of an adulterous affair. When an earthquake rips through the afternoon lull, trapping these nine characters together, their focus first jolts to their collective struggle to survive. There's little food. The office begins to flood. Then, at a moment when the psychological and emotional stress seems nearly too much for them to bear, the young graduate student suggests that each tell a personal tale, "one amazing thing" from their lives, which they have never told anyone before. And as their surprising stories of romance, marriage, family, political upheaval, and self-discovery unfold against the urgency of their life-or-death circumstances, the novel proves the transcendent power of stories and the meaningfulness of human expression itself. From Chitra Divakaruni, author of such finely wrought, bestselling novels as Sister of My Heart, The Palace of Illusions, and The Mistress of Spices, comes her most compelling and transporting story to date. One Amazing Thing is a passionate creation about survival--and about the reasons to survive.

 

Origin, Crescent, and Birds of Paradise - Diana Abu-Jaber

 

 

Origin:

 

 

Lena is a fingerprint expert at a crime lab in the small city of Syracuse, New York, where winters are cold and deep. Suddenly, a series of crib deaths—indistinguishable from SIDS except for the fevered testimony of one distraught mother with connections in high places—draws the attention of the police and the national media and raises the possibility of the inconceivable: could there be a serial infant murderer on the loose?


Orphaned as a child, out of place as an adult, gifted with delicate and terrifying powers of intuition, Lena finds herself playing a critical role in the case. But then there is the mystery of her own childhood to solve....Could the improbable deaths of a half-dozen babies be somehow connected to her own improbable survival?


The beauty and originality of Diana Abu-Jaber's writing are here accompanied by deft, page-turning narrative tension and atmosphere, tugging the reader to an unforgettable conclusion.

 

Crescent:

 

 

Sirine is thirty-nine and a breathtaking golden-haired beauty. Half-Iraqi and half-American, she was raised in Los Angeles by her Iraqi-born uncle -- a professor at the local university and an endless source of fabulous tales of jinns, sheiks and Bedouins -- after her aid-worker parents were killed in Africa. An exquisitely gifted cook at Cafe Nadia, where homesick Middle Eastern ex-pats collect to drink coffee and savour her perfectly spiced food, Sirine is loved by all. She has, however, never been in love herself, and it is her uncle's dearest wish that she will fall for dashing new college professor, Hanif Al Eyad, a political exile from Baghdad. The two meet at Cafe Nadia and from the start their relationship is steeped in the scents, flavours and textures of Sirine's cooking. But Sirine is not convinced that they have the right ingredients for a life of happy-ever-after; in particular, she worries that she is too American for Hanif.

In this rich, poignant and tender novel, Diana Abu-Jaber has created unforgettable characters and a compelling story of what it means to be an Iraqi living -- and loving -- in America.

 

Birds of Paradise:

 

 

A multilayered, beautifully textured novel about family and self, self-indulgence and generosity, against the vivid backdrop of contemporary Miami.

In the tropical paradise that is Miami, Avis and Brian Muir are still haunted by the disappearance of their ineffably beautiful daughter, Felice, who ran away when she was thirteen. Now, after five years of modeling tattoos, skateboarding, clubbing, and sleeping in a squat house or on the beach, Felice is about to turn eighteen. Her family—Avis, an exquisitely talented pastry chef; Brian, a corporate real estate attorney; and her brother, Stanley, the proprietor of Freshly Grown, a trendy food market—will each be forced to confront their anguish, loss, and sense of betrayal. Meanwhile, Felice must reckon with the guilty secret that drove her away, and must face her fear of losing her family and her sense of self forever.

This multilayered novel about a family that comes apart at the seams—and finds its way together again—is totally involving and deeply satisfying, a glorious feast of a book.

 

 

On the 'want to get' list - Alan Dean Foster. 

Edited March 24, 2014 by CuriousGeorgette

[Athena]

I have some of Mary Gentle's books on my TBR, specifically:

 

Golden Witchbreed 1-2: Orthe: Chronicles Of Carrick V

A Story Of The First History 1: Ilario: The Lion's Eye

1610 - A Sundial In A Grave

The Book of Ash 1: A Secret History

The Book Of Ash 2: Carthage Ascendant

 

I hope you enjoy your new books !

[CuriousGeorgette]

I have some of Mary Gentle's books on my TBR, specifically:

 

Golden Witchbreed 1-2: Orthe: Chronicles Of Carrick V

A Story Of The First History 1: Ilario: The Lion's Eye

1610 - A Sundial In A Grave

The Book of Ash 1: A Secret History

The Book Of Ash 2: Carthage Ascendant

 

I hope you enjoy your new books !

 

I'm sure I will thanks. Enjoy your reading too

[CuriousGeorgette]

My Asian books - now don't argue with me - these are books that are about Asia, an Asian experience, by Asians, fiction and non-fiction - anything I deem to be 'Asian' in some way ie its broad, broad, broad.

 

Red = Read - get it?? LOL

 

 

A

 

Diana Abu-Jaber

Birds of Paradise

Crescent

Origin

 

 

Alcock, Rutherford & Tamenaga, Shunsui & Murdoch, James & Mitford, A. B. & Titsingh, Isaac

47 Ronin

 

 

Anita Amirrezvani

Blood Of Flowers

 

 

Tash Aw

Five Star Billionaire: A Novel

The Harmony Silk Factory

Map of the Invisible World: A Novel

 

B

 

Steve Berry

Cotton Malone 6 - The Emperor's Tomb

 

Johan Bjorksten

Learn To Write Chinese Characters

 

Jeff Bridges & Bernie Glassman

The Dude and the Zen Master

 

Ole Bruun

Precious Steppe

 

Pearl S. Buck

The Big Wave: A Novel

A Bridge for Passing

Come, My Beloved

The Eternal Wonder

God's Men

The Goddess Abides

Imperial Woman

Kinfolk

Letter From Peking

The Mother: A Novel

The Patriot

Peony: A Novel of China

The Promise: A Novel of China and Burma

 

A. S. Byatt

Possession: A Romance

 

C

 

Jung Chang

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

 

Wu Cheng-en

Journey to the West

 

Mantak Chia

Simple Chi Kung

Chi Nei Tsang

 

Deepak Chopra

Cosmology of Consciousness

War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality

 

Wayson Choy

The Jade Peony

 

 

James Clavell

Shogun

Tai-Pan

Gai-Jin

King Rat

Noble House

 

Li Cunxin

Mao's Last Dancer

 

D

 

Kiran Desai

The Inheritance of Loss

 

 

 

Anita Diamant

The Red Tent

 

Edwin Dingle

Across China on Foot

 

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

The Mistress of Spices

One Amazing Thing

The Palace of Illusions

 

E

 

Tan Twan Eng

The Garden of Evening Mists

The Gift of Rain

 

F

 

Pai Kit Fai

The Concubine's Daughter

 

J. G. Farrell

The Empire Trilogy (Singapore Sling)

 

Daniel Fox

Books of Stone and Water 1 - Dragon in Chains

Books of Stone and Water 2 - Jade Man's Skin

Books of Stone and Water 3 - Hidden Cities

 

G

 

Bernie Glassman & Jeff Bridges

The Dude and the Zen Master

 

Alison Goodman

Eon - The Rise of the Dragon Eye

Eona - The Last Dragon Eye

 

H

 

Matthew Harrigan

Body Energy - Discover The Secrets Of The Chinese Body Energy Clock

 

 

Chanrithy Him

When Broken Glass Floats

 

Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner

A thousand splendid suns

 

Hsia, R. Po-chia

A Jesuit in The Forbidden City

 

Hu Wenzhong

Encountering the Chinese

 

 

I

 

Kazuo Ishiguro

Never Let Me Go

The Remains of the Day

‎When We Were Orphans

 

J

 

Ha Jin

The Bridegroom

A Free Life

A Good Fall

Nanjing Requiem

Waiting

War Trash

The Writer as Migrant

 

K

 

Mitsuyo Kakuta

Women On the Other Shore

 

Eugenia Kim

The Calligrapher's Daughter

 

Jean Kwok

Girl in Translation

 

L

 

Chang-rae Lee

A Gesture Life

Native Speaker

On Such a Full Sea: A Novel

 

 

William Lee

5-Minute Chi Boost - Five Pressure Points for Reviving Life Energy and Healing Fast (Chi Powers for Modern Age)

 

Yiyun Li

Gold Boy, Emerald Girl

The Vagrants

 

Princess Der Ling

Two Years in The Forbidden City

 

Michael David Lukas

The Oracle of Stamboul

 

Eric Van Lustbader

Dai-San

The Miko

White Ninja

The Kaisho

Floating City

The Ninja

Second Skin

 

M

 

Amit Majmudar

The Abundance

 

Rani Manicka

The Rice Mother

 

Yann Martel

Life of Pi

 

Chang Fu Mei

Speak Mandarin in 500 Words (and my vocab still can't be more than 100 words SIGH)

 

Ric Meyers

Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Book

 

Anchee Min

Becoming Madame Mao

Empress Orchid

Red Azalea

Wild Ginger

 

Deborah Moggach

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

 

Dora Levy Mossanen

Scent of Butterflies

 

Haruki Murakami

The Elephant Vanishes

A Wild Sheep Chase

 

O

 

Tea Obreht

The Tiger's Wife

 

Julie Orringer

The Invisible Bridge

 

Julie Otsuka

The Buddha in the Attic

When the Emperor Was Divine

 

P

 

Yip Po-Ching & Don Rimmington

Basic Chinese: A Grammar and Workbook, 2nd Edition

 

R

Francesca Rhydderch

The Rice Paper Diaries

 

Rojas, Carlos.

Great Wall

 

Salman Rushdie

The Enchantress of Florence

Fury

Imaginary Homelands

The Jaguar Smile

Midnight's children

Moor's Last Sigh

The Satanic Verses

Shalimar the Clown

 

S

 

Elizabeth Ann Scatborough

The Harem of Aman Akbar

 

Lisa See

On Gold Mountain

Peony in Love

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Shanghai Girls

 

Nevil Shute

A Town Like Alice

 

Dai Sijie

Balzac and the little Chinese Seamstress

 

Neal Stephenson

The Mongoliad: Book One

The Mongoliad: Book Two

 

Indu Sundaresan

Splendor Of Silence

 

Szeto, Kin-Yan

The Martial Arts Cinema of the Chinese Diaspora

 

T

 

Amy Tan

The Bonesetter's Daughter

The Hundred Secret Senses

The Joy Luck Club

The Kitchen God's Wife

The Opposite of Fate

Rules for Virgins

Saving Fish From Drowning

 

Trevanian

Shibumi

 

W

 

Simon Winchester

Korea

The Man Who Loved China

The River at the Centre of the World

 

David Wingrove

Chung Kuo 01 - Son of Heaven

Chung Kuo 02 - Daylight on Iron Mountain

Chung Kuo 03 - The Middle Kingdom

Chung Kuo 04 - Ice and Fire

 

X

 

Qiu Xiaolong

Death of a Red Heroine

A Loyal Character Dancer

When Red is Black

A Case of Two

Red Mandarin Dress

The Mao Case

Don't Cry Tai Lake

 

Gao Xingjian

Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather

One Man’s Bible

Soul Mountain

 

Xinran Xue

China Witness

Sky Burial, An Epic Love Story of Tibet

 

Y

 

Mo Yan

Big Breasts & Wipe Hips: A Novel

The Garlic Ballads

Life and Death are Wearing Me Out

Red Sorghum

The Republic of Wine

Shifu, You'll Do Anything For a Laugh

 

Chan Ling Yap

Bitter Sweet Harvest

 

Mingmei Yip

Petals from the Sky

 

Jin Yong

The Book and The Sword

Smiling Proud Wanderer

Sword Of The Yueh Maiden

 

Banana Yoshimoto

The Lake

Edited March 24, 2014 by CuriousGeorgette

[Angury]

What did you think of Deepak Chopra's book? I have a bit of an inherent dislike for him.

 

I didn't know you were interested in Asian books! I don't know if you've heard about the book Train to Pakistan by Kushwant Singh? His death was on the news recently. His name has only been familiar to me since his death, but I have since become interested in his work.

 

Have you thought about reading more of Haruki Murakami's books btw? I was a bit surprised how similar his writing was to a lot of western novels I'd written, but then I read somewhere that he was influenced a lot by western authors so I guess that makes sense.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Angury

[CuriousGeorgette]

Nope have not heard of Kushwant Singh sorry. 

 

Yes am interested in more of Murakami's books, but haven't gotten around to getting any yet. Have more than enough on TBR list at the moment Hmm not sure about similarities, certainly not particularly to anything I read anyway - or I just didn't notice. 

 

Wild Sheep chase was delightfully off-beat.

 

Deepak Chopra - well the less said about the man himself the better - HOWEVER ... his books are interesting. I don't necessarily agree with him, its more like I cherry pick ideas / concepts that add depth to other concepts I do agree with. 

 

The book on Spirituality vs Science however was totally fascinating. Put into words many things I feel but haven't got around to expressing yet so that saved me the time and effort - now I can just say - read that. 

Edited March 24, 2014 by CuriousGeorgette