I remember the first few weeks that I was in China I felt quite isolated - there was little that I could read. As an avid reader of magazines, newspapers and books I found there was nothing much in English for me to read.
The second time I went to Hangzhou that I was introduced to the Foreign Language Bookstore - and later in Shanghai I found a big bookshop there that had many books in English. How exciting. Each time I would buy another book.
The last few weeks of term I spent most of my time working on exam papers etc, so did little reading and was pleased to get to Shanghai and then Singapore to add to my collection of books.
I have decided to read a few books to help me understand more about the Chinese culture, and have read some great ones, which I will report on.
I'm not really good at "book reviews" as such - but here goes. Not in any particular order.
One book that I really enjoyed was a Memoir "The Thorn of Lion City" by Lucy Lum.
Lucy was born in Singapore in 1933, and this is the story of her extra ordinary life with a dictatorial grandmother, and the invasion of the Japanese during World War II.
I couldn't put the book down - it was a great read, and gave me a little more insight into Chinese culture, and the horrific life that people endured during the occupation by the Japanese. It was especially interesting for me, as I recognised some of the street names and places that Lucy wrote about.
What an excellent book! I recommend it.
"The Thorn of Lion City" by Lucy Lum. Published by Harper Perennial.
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