2021-06-17 11:04
Since the beginning of May it seems I have read four complete novels, all of them existing in very different areas of a large, amorphously defined supergenre that we may call “speculat… Read More
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2021-06-11 05:52
Taiwan: A New History (Expanded Edition)Edited by Murray A. RubinsteinThis is a collection of seventeen articles on the history of Taiwan, from before the Dutch colonial period to the… Read More
2021-05-24 05:39
I am reviving these little book blurbs, because I need something to hold myself accountable to my intention to read more and read faster...Infinite Detailby Tim Maughan, 2019In the near futu… Read More
2020-08-23 06:56
I’ve fallen out of the habit of writing about fiction I’ve recently read. I don’t know why -- there is no coronavirus-related reason. But I’ve decided that it would b… Read More
2020-07-21 05:00
A New Illustrated History of Taiwanby Wan-yao Chou, translated by Carole Plackitt and Tim CaseyLooking for a good, easy-to-read book to provide a general overview of Taiwanese history? … Read More
2019-12-29 05:58
Red Moonby Kim Stanley Robinson, 2018Fred Fredericks is an American engineer who travels to the moon in the year 2047 and soon finds himself entangled in the assassination of a Chinese offic… Read More
2019-11-28 05:46
Too Like the Lightningby Ada Palmer, 2016Lately, I’ve gotten into a weird pattern where I write something about the first novel in a series, and then after I read the following books I… Read More
2019-11-28 05:42
Machineries of EmpireNinefox Gambit (2016), Raven Strategem (2017), Revenant Gun (2018)Yoon Ha LeeAfter I read Ninefox Gambit, the first in Lee’s Machineries of Empire trilogy, I wrote… Read More
2019-10-31 05:16
Those Above & Those Belowby Daniel Polansky, 2016Imagine a series with all of the low-fantasy political intrigue of A Song of Ice and Fire, and it’s two books long and then it&rsqu&hell…Read More
2019-10-31 04:15
I haven’t updated this in several months! It’s a bad habit to let this blog lie fallow. I should read more and write more.Well, I’m going to try to update more regularly, n… Read More
2019-05-01 03:54
A People's Future of the United States2019There’s some great writing in this anthology, covering a range of sub-genres ranging from fantastical allegories to realistic extrapolations f… Read More
2019-04-24 02:46
Ninefox Gambitby Yoon Ha Lee, 2016The line between science fiction and fantasy is exceptionally hazy. This is why we have the useful catch-all term “speculative fiction”.That bei… Read More
2019-04-20 02:39
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrellby Susanna Clarke, 2004I don’t have much to say that is new about this novel. It’s deservedly quite popular, and the fact that it’s been ad… Read More
2019-04-16 07:18
Why Learn History (When It's Already on Your Phone)by Sam Wineburg, 2018I’m a history geek. I like learning about history for its own sake. But I don't expect everyone to share my geek… Read More
2019-03-29 06:09
State Tectonicsby Malka Older, 2018A little after the halfway point of State Tectonics comes a scene that has stuck in my mind precisely because it is not far-fetched.We see a recording of a… Read More
2019-02-28 09:22
Whitby Iain Banks, 1995Ever since I realized that I really liked Iain Banks’ writing style and ought to have read all of his books years ago, I’ve been erratically making my way… Read More
2019-02-22 02:45
Three Moments of an Explosion: Storiesby China Miéville, 2015“Perhaps understanding’s overrated,” says William, a medical student who was assigned to study a cadaver… Read More
2019-01-12 04:00
Before I read the book, I wrote this:I like living in an industrial civilization. I like living indoors and not having to gather, harvest, or hunt my own food. I like having electronic devic… Read More
2018-12-16 13:18
Null Statesby Malka Older, 2017Book two of Malka Older’s Centenal Cycle. It’s the second half of the 21st century, and most people live in centenals: political units of 100,000 p… Read More
2018-12-02 15:51
Note to readers: The following is my own flippant, heavily biased brief introduction to Taiwan party politics for the absolute newcomer. I saw a niche that needed to be filled so I filled it… Read More
2018-12-01 02:28
Oryx and Crakeby Margaret Atwood, 2003Grim end-of-civilization fiction.Our protagonist Jimmy grows up in a world, a few decades hence, where the super-rich live and work in vast corporate-ow… Read More
2018-11-06 05:52
This is Air Canada.This is the website of the IELTS exam.This is an official form on the website of my home state in the USA.Imagine how you would feel if, every time you had to fill out an… Read More
2018-11-04 04:28
As Election day nears in the US (and another Election Day is coming up in three weeks here in Taiwan), I have some thoughts on voting.Some people say you should go out on the street and prot… Read More
2018-10-30 04:32
Look to Windwardby Iain M. Banks, 2000My standard description of Iain M. Banks’s Culture books goes like this: The Culture is an advanced and enlightened interstellar society where eve… Read More
2018-10-21 08:43
The AffinitiesRobert Charles Wilson, 2015Our hero, Adam, is a graphic design student in Toronto. He has an unsettled home life and uncertain finances, but things begin to look up for him whe… Read More
2018-10-14 06:28
www.ielts.org -- screenshot taken on October 14, 2018Last weekend, the UK-based English examinations service IELTS changed its designation for Taiwan to “Taiwan, China”. This has… Read More
2018-10-11 11:00
Apparently this is what a lot of us aspire to be.A lot of people think talking about politics means annoying the other “side”. Not articulating or defending their own beliefs. No… Read More
2018-10-10 05:21
Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal WorldRutger Bregman, 2017Rutger Bregman is a young Dutch writer (uncomfortably younger than me!) who has become prominent in recent years for… Read More
2018-10-04 12:19
Taiwan's Statesman: Lee Teng-hui and Democracy in Asiaby Richard C. Kagan, 2007This slim book (just 163 pages, not counting appendices) is an overview of the life and career of Lee Teng-hui… Read More
2018-09-29 05:36
Inversionsby Iain M. Banks, 1998Readers of “Inversions” may be divided into two groups. Some readers, in their purity and innocence, will be new to the novels of Iain M. Banks. A… Read More
2018-09-08 04:04
The Dictator’s Handbookby Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith, 2011I was impressed with this book. It is very cynical (which I enjoyed), but it argues very strongly in favor of… Read More
2018-08-26 08:03
The Lathe of Heavenby Ursula K. Le Guin, 1971I polished off quite a few novels while we were traveling in June, and I’m still in the process of writing up my impressions. So here&rsquo&hell…Read More
2018-08-22 07:36
I’m not naturally a confrontational person. I’m a consensus builder by nature. Now, my natural inclination is all fine and good in certain situations, but I am fully aware that c… Read More
2018-08-08 04:18
Infomocracyby Malka Older, 2016Infomocracy is one of many books I’ve read in the past few years that could be called near-future political thrillers. However, it’s the one that l… Read More
2018-08-06 16:07
Stonemouthby Iain Banks, 2012Scottish gangsters. That’s not a noun phrase that bounced around my brain before I read Iain Banks’ 2012 novel Stonemouth, but maybe that’s jus… Read More
2018-08-06 00:50
The Kitchens of Cantonby Isham Cook, 2018This novel was so heavy on the sexual body fluids I felt like my Kindle was getting wet and sticky. In all fairness, the book's not just sex. There's… Read More
2018-08-05 08:36
Excessionby Iain M. Banks, 1996Culture Novel Number Four. Just so we’re all caught up, here’s my description of what the series is all about: The Culture is a powerful and immens… Read More
2018-08-03 15:00
Robert Harris’s trilogy Imperium, Lustrum, Dictator takes ancient Roman politics and makes it easily comprehensible for us moderns. His Romans are depicted as dissembling, duplicitous… Read More
2018-06-02 03:18
Beijing’s decision to support the Taiwanese independence movement made perfect sense. In terms of short-term benefits, the abolition of the old Republic of China that had been limping… Read More
2018-05-20 07:26
In his 2005 book Forbidden Nation, Canadian journalist Jonathan Manthorpe tells the history of Taiwan. More a book-length work of journalism than an academic work, Forbidden Nation does not… Read More
2018-04-29 15:57
Democracy in Retreat by Joshua Kurlantzick In the years following the fall of the Soviet Union, democracy appeared triumphant around the world. Yet now, in the second decade of the 21st… Read More
2018-04-18 04:41
My science-fictional reading from the first few months of 2018:China Mountain Zhangby Maureen McHughIt’s the 22nd century and China is the world’s economic, military and cultural… Read More
2018-04-17 03:00
We’ve let our shelf of Taiwan-themed fiction at home grow and grow and I have yet to read most of it. The image above doesn't even show half of it. Apart from “Bu San Bu Si&rdquo&hell…Read More
2017-10-18 10:54
The Grace of Kingsby Ken LiuEpic fantasy. I’m just going to get it over with and say that I’m going to be making some Game of Thrones comparisons here. It’s not because it… Read More
2017-08-06 14:10
Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countrysideby Quincy CarrollI live in Asia and I teach English. This colored my reactions to Quincy Carroll’s novel Up to the Mountains and Down to… Read More
2017-07-23 05:51
I rewatched the six half-hour episodes of the old 1981 Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy BBC TV show, inspired by this article. I hadn’t seen it in 20 years or so. It was better t… Read More
2017-07-18 10:41
We visited Armenia and Georgia this year. Prior to our trip, I didn’t have too many preconceived notions of life on the ground there, except for stereotypes about post-Soviet states. T… Read More
2017-07-09 07:43
I read a bunch of books in May and June while traveling outside of Taiwan. I dipped a bit into non-fiction, including two by Bill Bryson. (Summary: Bill Bryson travels around and does a fair… Read More
2017-03-13 09:57
Taiwan: A Political Historyby Denny RoyI'm trying to read more books about Taiwan, alternating between fiction and non-fiction. Denny Roy’s history is the latest one I've completed. I… Read More
2017-03-03 03:28
There will be nothing about Taiwan here. But that's OK.Sevenevesby Neal StephensonSuddenly, the moon blows up, which is never really explained. But that’s okay, because we’re mor… Read More
2017-02-27 06:34
A Pail of Oystersby Vern Sneider In 1953, Vern Sneider published A Pail of Oysters, with the aim of acquainting Western readers with the actual political situation in Taiwan. The ROC/KMT (th… Read More
2016-10-05 05:51
Party MembersBy Arthur Meursault This is a satirical novel about a lowly Chinese bureaucrat whose penis starts talking one day and begins telling him how to live his life. Your reaction to t… Read More
2016-10-01 04:10
History of Rome Volume I: The Republicby Mike Duncan For me, this book was a review of material already covered. Practically all the important stuff i know about Ancient Rome, I learned thro… Read More
2016-07-13 02:55
Welcome Home, Master: Covering East Asia in the Twilight of Old Media By J. D. Adams J. D. Adams’ memoir of his years as a Taiwan-based reporter actually opens with a reporting trip to… Read More
2016-07-02 07:07
Black Island By J. Michael Cole Black Island describes how the pivotal years 2013 and 2014 exposed the pitiful inadequacies in both the two-party structure of Taiwanese politics and the narr… Read More
2016-06-06 04:49
So I’ve been practicing Mandarin listening comprehension and building my vocabulary with FluentU. The site comes in Mandarin, Spanish, French, Japanese, and German-learning flavors as… Read More
2016-06-05 04:30
Officially Unofficial by J. Michael ColeJ. Michael Cole is one of the best-known Western journalists based in Taiwan. His 2014 book Officially Unofficial details his first several years in t… Read More
2016-06-03 04:51
I’ve decided to start updating this blog again. I really have very little excuse not to, as I’m not snowed under with work. It’s really a matter of getting around to writin… Read More
2013-06-28 03:08
THE GOOD:Sooooo, did anyone else catch the episode where Edmure Tully married Roslin Frey?Well, it generated the most online buzz that the show's had since the first season, and it took the… Read More
2013-06-26 04:43
The Bookseller of Kabulby Asne SeierstadPublished in 2003Published by Back Bay BooksIn November 2001, journalist Asne Seierstad arrived in Kabul, and soon made the acquaintance of a booksell… Read More
2013-06-25 06:32
The Man from Primrose Laneby David RennerPublished in 2012Published by Sarah Crichton BooksThe Man from Primrose Lane, an eccentric mitten-wearing man who lived a solitary existence in subur… Read More
2013-06-18 07:45
Pretty Monstersby Kelly LinkThis collection of Kelly Link short stories entertained me marvelously. Link's an SF (speculative fiction, the big-tent genre) writer, mostly fantasy with forays… Read More
2013-06-16 04:47
Say you see a guy named Bob. Bob is doing something that is really harmful and unfair to other people. Or maybe he's just making an ass of himself in public and doesn't seem to realize it.Yo… Read More
2013-06-13 07:27
Sea of Poppiesby Amitav GhoshPublished in 2008Published by John MurrayHere we have a full-fledged action-adventure novel, full of fighting and danger and valiant last-minute escapes and bad… Read More
2013-05-30 09:31
The Forty Days of Musa Daghby Franz WerfelEnglish translation by Geoffrey Dunlop and James ReidelPublished in 1933In 1915, during World War I, the government of the Ottoman Empire took measu… Read More
2013-05-30 08:55
The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott FitzgeraldPublished in 1925I admit it. I never read this in high school. Clearly I missed out on a key piece of cultural literacy.I also admit this: A key reason… Read More
2013-05-28 02:37
Now that I've seen the 4th, 5th and 6th episodes of season 3 of Game of Thrones, I can say that this season is good enough that my opinion of the second season has substantially dimini… Read More
2013-05-14 07:29
Today we have been wonderfully reminded that:If the latest XKCD cartoon doesn't blow your mind, here's another fun science fact.We all know that monkeys are quite a diverse group of critters… Read More
2013-05-08 08:21
βehemothby Peter WattsPublished in 2004Published by TorFive years have passed since the events of Maelstrom. The βehemoth life-form -- yes, it's spelled with a beta -- has ravaged… Read More
2013-04-30 06:03
Back when I was a student in the USA, I liked to go to performances of traditional music and dance from foreign countries. We always thought it was desirable to get an 'authentic' experience… Read More
2013-04-30 01:35
Heart-Shaped Boxby Joe HillPublished by William MorrowPublished in 2007Judas Coyne is a middle-aged rock star who lives with his twentysomething Goth girlfriend Georgia in an upstate New Yor… Read More
2013-04-26 02:54
Sometime in the year 2012, David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, and George R. R. Martin sit around a table mapping out how season 3 of Game of Thrones will unfold GRRM: Okay guys, there's one sc… Read More
2013-04-24 03:17
I've been reading BoingBoing for years, but this is the first time they've posted about an individual whom I have met in real life. Xeni Jardin reports:Above: Misha, the manager of Fernando'… Read More
2013-04-22 05:18
Maelstromby Peter WattsPublished in 2001Published by TorWhen I read Peter Watts' Starfish a couple of weeks ago, I wrote the following:This is not happy, optimistic science fiction. This is… Read More
2013-04-17 06:53
The other day this article by Rolf Dobelli in The Guardian floated around my Facebook feed.In the past few decades, the fortunate among us have recognised the hazards of living wit… Read More
2013-03-31 02:56
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Townby Cory DoctorowPublished in 2005Published by TorThis is the third Cory Doctorow novel I've read (after Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom and L… Read More
2013-03-29 05:08
Actual un-ironic comment I saw appended to a Facebook post yesterday: 'The government can legalize same-sex marriage but I don't think the church should marry gays.' (This was on one of thos… Read More
2013-03-27 14:50
New Game of Thrones episodes resume next week. It's the only TV drama I watch nowadays (I know there are other good shows on, but it's a free time issue) and, having read all 5 of GRRM'… Read More
2013-03-24 07:26
I enjoy reading the Captain Awkward blog. It's become my favorite practical, down-to-earth advice column, and it's one of those rare blogs with comment sections that are almost uniformly wel… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
I've posted close to nothing for several months, as I've been focusing my mental energies on work and study. On December 4, Jenna and I both took the Delta Module 1 Exam, following a several… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
Good Omensby Neil Gaiman and Terry PratchettPublished in 1990Published by Harper TorchThe Plot: Six thousand years after the world is created, it's time for it all to end. The Antichrist ass… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
In which Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving fight to free Londoners from a tyrannical dictatorship. At least I assume that's Hugo Weaving, which is something that must be taken on trust.The Pl… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
The Prague Cemeteryby Umberto EcoTranslated by Richard DixonPublished in 2012Published by VintageThe Plot: Simone Simonini is a forger and spy in 1890s Paris. He is our protagonist -- o… Read More
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