BANGKOK, THAILAND
Books I've read in the past three weeks:
Land Below the Wind by Agnes Newton Keith: This is the book I gave Chris for his birthday; it's an account of life in northern Borneo (now Sabah) in the 1930s by the American wife of a British official. Basically it's her diary, and skips around from discussing etiquette at diplomatic parties and the quirks of her many servants to her bouts with malaria and trips deep into the jungle among floods, leeches, and actual headhunters. Sadly, from what I've seen, in the 70-odd years since it was written it seems like Borneo may have lost some of the romantic appeal Keith describes. Although I guess that's true of just about everywhere in the world, isn't it?
No Touch Monkey! And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late by Ayun Halliday: A really funny collection of backpacker anecdotes from a fellow grungy world traveler. There's a lot I could relate to in here, especially since she talks about her experiences at many of the places I've visited this year. The title, in fact, refers to the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali, where it turns out we were both accosted by the scary little primates.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: Another book that everyone else seems to have read before me. Given its heavy subject matter (little girl murdered by a serial killer), it manages to evoke emotions without ever seeming overwrought or maudlin, which is no mean feat. I have to say, I can't see how Peter Jackson will be able to adapt this into a decent movie, although I guess I thought the same thing about Lord of the Rings.
The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha, edited by C. A. Burtt: Since I see his guy everywhere I go in Asia, I figured maybe I should read up on what he was on about. Not to mention the fact that it's my heritage: I'm descended from a long line of Japanese Buddhist priests. I have to admit, apart from reading Hesse's Siddhartha, I didn't know much about Buddhism before reading this collection of texts. It's really fascinating stuff, and gives some insight into the culture and history of many of the countries I've been visiting, although I'm not sure it's the religion for me: I just don't think I'm quite ready to forsake all human attachments and the pleasures of the five senses. Maybe next year.
Books I've read in the past three weeks:
Land Below the Wind by Agnes Newton Keith: This is the book I gave Chris for his birthday; it's an account of life in northern Borneo (now Sabah) in the 1930s by the American wife of a British official. Basically it's her diary, and skips around from discussing etiquette at diplomatic parties and the quirks of her many servants to her bouts with malaria and trips deep into the jungle among floods, leeches, and actual headhunters. Sadly, from what I've seen, in the 70-odd years since it was written it seems like Borneo may have lost some of the romantic appeal Keith describes. Although I guess that's true of just about everywhere in the world, isn't it?
No Touch Monkey! And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late by Ayun Halliday: A really funny collection of backpacker anecdotes from a fellow grungy world traveler. There's a lot I could relate to in here, especially since she talks about her experiences at many of the places I've visited this year. The title, in fact, refers to the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali, where it turns out we were both accosted by the scary little primates.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: Another book that everyone else seems to have read before me. Given its heavy subject matter (little girl murdered by a serial killer), it manages to evoke emotions without ever seeming overwrought or maudlin, which is no mean feat. I have to say, I can't see how Peter Jackson will be able to adapt this into a decent movie, although I guess I thought the same thing about Lord of the Rings.
The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha, edited by C. A. Burtt: Since I see his guy everywhere I go in Asia, I figured maybe I should read up on what he was on about. Not to mention the fact that it's my heritage: I'm descended from a long line of Japanese Buddhist priests. I have to admit, apart from reading Hesse's Siddhartha, I didn't know much about Buddhism before reading this collection of texts. It's really fascinating stuff, and gives some insight into the culture and history of many of the countries I've been visiting, although I'm not sure it's the religion for me: I just don't think I'm quite ready to forsake all human attachments and the pleasures of the five senses. Maybe next year.
posted by John Kuge at 10:34 PM
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