Listed below are the books and their blurbs (or short descriptions) that I recently bough. I’ll be adding to the list, in reverse chronological order, as I purchase more books but, as I still have hundreds of books on my bookshelves that I haven’t read yet, I don’t think that I’ll buy more than a couple of books monthly.
6. The Logos Story by Elaine Rhoton
At 11:55 p.m. on January 4, 1988, all those aboard the Logos were jolted by the impact. The sound of the ship scraping the rock struck fear in the hearts of the ship’s crew. Captain Jonathan Stewart wished he were somewhere else. But this was reality. The Logos had run aground off the coast of Chile. Despite all efforts of the crew and the Chilean navy, the ship began to sink badly. For the Logos it was the beginning of the end.
In The Logos Story you will learn about the ministry of Operation Mobilization’s Logos – a vessel that for 18 years made more than 400 ports visits to 258 different ports in 103 countries. Because of the various outreach programs of the Logos, millions of people were helped with books and medical and spiritual assistance.
5. After the Wave – Short Stories of Post Tsunami on the Thai Andaman Coast by Tew Bunnag
When the wave vented its destruction on 26th December 2004 it did not discriminate between skin colour, religious creed, political ideology, economic status or any of those factors that normally divide us. In that sense a natural disaster of such massive proportions as the tsunami is a leveler and a unifier. Loss and grief have no boundaries.
It was an extraordinary phenomenon that changed the lives of everyone in the whole affected region. It has left much sadness in its wake as well as puzzlement, and many difficulties and problems. I have told these stories to honour those who were killed, those who still grieve, and those who carry on courageously in their efforts to reestablish their livelihood.
4. Japanese by Spring by Ishmael Reed
Since the publication of his first novel, The Free-Lance Pallberers, and through works such as Mumbo jumbo and The Last Days of Louisiana Red, Ishmael Reed has forged a reputation as “the brightest contributor to American satire since Mark Twain” (The Nation). In this boisterous and irreverent novel, Reed turns the full force of his satiric wit on the American university.
Benjamin “Chappie” Puttbutt, a black junior professor at overwhelmingly white Jack London College, lusts after tenure and its glorious perks, which include a house in Oakland Hills. Puttbutt spends most of his time trying to divine the ideological climate at the school and obligingly adapting his beliefs to it.
He’s a dismal failure, though, and is due to be replaced by a snappy radical feminist poet from back East (who collects causes like alley cats, and whose demands include a police escort and a chauffeured limousine). But then Puttbutt’s serene yet mysterious tutor, Dr. Yamato, who promises to teach him Japanese by spring, suddenly becomes the school’s new president when the Japanese buy Jack London College. Puttbutt finds himself the boss of his once supercilious department and, drunk with power, sets out to stir things up and settle old scores. More twists of fate await him, and before long he is unwittingly embroiled in a plot to assassinate the Japanese emperor.
Racial strife, Japanophobia and political correctness get a radically comic treatment in this satiric romp through academic life, making Japanese by Spring one of Reed’s most topical and wittiest novels yet.
3. Top 10 Bangkok by Ron Emmons
Whether you are travelling first class or on a limited budget, this Everything Top 10 guide will lead you straight to the very best Bangkok has to offer.
Dozens of Top 10 lists – from Buddhist temples, festivals and markets to bars, clubs, and entertainment venues – provide the insider knowledge every visitor needs. And to save you time and money, there’s even a list of the Top 10 things to avoid.
2. The Hero with a Thousand Eyes by Karma Uma
This historical novel is set in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan in the recent past. Nevertheless, it reflects an age and a set of manners – mostly about the court and the central administration – which is now almost completely changed. It is a book about a courtier, who represented a mode of life and living which had vanished overnight, and not about the Kings he served, but the read will find rich details on all aspects of life in Bhutan.
The plot is a relatively simple one: a reincarnation is born in central Bhutan with prospects of a quiet and uneventful religious life in a small but lively rural community. By happenstance, he is allowed to serve first at the court of the second king, and later in the wider administration of the country. He achieves a high position. By the time of his voluntary retirement, Bhutan is already caught up in increasingly rapid economic, social, political, and cultural changes.
1. Phnom Penh Noir by Christopher G. Moore (ed.)
The stories, lyrics, and cover photograph of this anthology of noir short stories have joined legendary and creative talents like Roland Joffe, James Grady and John Burdett along with a young generation of Cambodians. The noir tales unfold through multiple points of view and enrich the reading experience. Truth, mortality, regret, betrayal, and loss play out in these stories, poetry and lyrics.
