Category Archives: Books

Book Review: Company of Liars

Company of Liars, by Karen Maitland, blends elements of The Decameron, The Masque of The Red Death, with And Then There Were None, and a little bit of a darker Canterbury Tales, for a story of friendship, secrets, and betrayal in plague-ridden England. Our … Continue reading

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Ghost Classes

Remember the ghost teacher in Harry Potter? One night he died in his sleep, and then the next morning he got up to teach his classes anyway? Today is my first Monday at home on Covid19 furlough from classes, and … Continue reading

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After Game Of Thrones

We had a dramatic Westeros death pool at my work for the last season of Game of Thrones, where we bet on who’d survive, and counted out each week to see who was ahead. I don’t watch the show, but … Continue reading

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Honolulu, Novel and Reality

I first read Honolulu several years ago, and this is the novel that sparked my interest in Hawaii. Before I read it, my  mental picture of Hawaii was hulu, surfing, mainland American honeymooners, and the last Hawaiian queen (also through reading), I didn’t … Continue reading

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Leaving for Hawaii: The Islands At The End Of The World

I read The Islands At The End of The World on the plane to Honolulu, along with Big Little Lies. I’d been reading a lot about Hawaii before my trip, and I’m always interested in post-apocalyptic stories, so I enjoyed … Continue reading

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白穷美 Reading List

Yeah, so I requested all of the books Corinna Ko-Tung tells Kitty Pong to read (in China Rich Girlfriend) from the library.

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Did You Mean:

I usually check the interlibrary loan for my textbooks before I buy them. This time, I feel like the local public library knows me just a little too well.

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Keep Calm and Brew Up

I’m really enjoying this book overall, and of the most interesting parts of The Taste of Empire is about tea. The book explains that in  the mid to late 1700s, poor British workers often spent a tenth of their annual … Continue reading

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Five Star Billionaire

Rereading Five Star Billionaire, and I found a line I highlighted last time. China was at once lawless and unbending in its rules. Tash Aw, Five Star Billionaire Still so accurate.

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80 Days

Let’s talk about how freaking great 80 Days is. In this iOs game, you play as acrobat-turned-valet Passpartout in a steampunked version of Jules Verne’s Around The World In 80 Days. (I read this novel when I was in middle … Continue reading

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