The Prince

Book Name : The Prince
Author : Niccolo Machiavelli

What is it about : A 14th Century statesman from Florence outlined the strategy, psychology, theory, scenarios, conduct and craft required to rule and govern an empire. The Author peppered his (in)famous book with vivid illustrations from near and afar in both geography and time from Alexander, Roman Caesars, French kings and Italian dukes.

Some thoughts after having read the book : "The end justifies the means" had probably been the first and most famous maxim from Machiavelli's book of statecraft, anyone would have heard of and talked about. Was he simply stating the obvious in human nature, or was he well ahead of his time or perhaps he was the first to simply put down on paper the cunning,  ruthlessness and charm required to be a modern day politician ? At least all of the above would be my answer - present day examples abound with countries taking profit through war mongering, apparent people-elected leaders still ruled by fear or diplomacy had simply been a matter of "truth lies where the shell of a canon would land". I fancied that the long history of China with its many emperors, ministers, premiers, warriors and strategists would be an equally educational arena for would-be rulers.

Would I recommend this book to you : A fascinating book detailing the obvious, darker or the natural side of human behavior. Readers would perhaps gain clearer insights into the field of modern-day politics, diplomacy and the gaming between nation states in our present world of increasingly multi-tiers political theaters. A must-read for would-be students in politics and history.

Fletch

Book Name : Fletch
Author : Gregory Madonald

What is it about : A Californian reporter went undercover as one of the many drifters (Hey Dude...what's up, man...yeh right, whatever, man...), to investigate the drug dealings in the beach areas and found himself being offered a large sum by a wealthy man to commit murder instead.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Clearly a book written in the early seventies, when "real" people were more trusting and "real" readers were less demanding. Basically, this twice-divorced reporter conned, bluffed and drank his way around his subjects and just spun little make-believe stories to gain the inside track and his subjects of interest were just so ignorant and forth-coming with voluntary information that his job of breaking the case was just a walk in the park - never in a million years could that happen, in the present day atmosphere of privacy-consciousness and ID thefts !

Would I recommend this book to you : An easy read to while away a few lazy days; perhaps on the beach, by the pool, plane journeys or over a glass of wine - yeh right, whatever, man...

Anthropology

Book Name : Anthropology
Author : Dan Rhodes

What is it about : A collection of short passages, each no longer than, perhaps a hundred words but all on the subject of Love. Generally written from the a man's or a boyfriend's point of view that love sucks, love hurts, love pains, love kills, love gratifies, love humours, love maddens, love emboldens, love embarrasses, love purifies, love ruins ...

Some thoughts after having read the book : A gem of a little book but big on the ideas of Luv. After reading each passage, I would be left, without exceptions, with a wry smile on my face and a knowing nod in agreeing, understanding and enjoying the different aspects of this "ancient" subject and felt thoroughly entertained and humoured by the author.

Would I recommend this book to you : Try to read a passage each day and think of it like a Far Side (Gary Larson) cartoon in one of those, turn-a-page-each-day calendars, then you would start your day with a wry smile and a humourous mood.

Little Hands Clapping

Book Name : Little Hands Clapping
Author : Dan Rhodes

What is it about : The after-hours happenings in a unique museum where the caretaker participated in a sinister conspiracy with a local doctor. The unraveling of their dark scheme came about when the doctor's beloved hound choked up a massive male organ during a run in the park and both the doctor and the caretaker met their fateful ends.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The plot sounded sinister enough, but the story was written with such emotional detachment, morbid humour, compassion and apathy even, that such sickening subject as cannibalism was made to look "necessary", "understandable" and seemingly no-big-deal. A slice of baby-love gone sour was thrown in with good measures when the girl involved almost ended up on the doctor's dinner plate. The story was peopled by such wonderfully odd characters that would already make interesting reading, a spider crunching museum caretaker to start off with. By the way, the interrogation of a Frau Klopflock by the local policeman produced one the many highlights and laugh-out-loud set-pieces I had ever read; the subsequent scene involving the same policeman chasing after the butt-naked doctor would complete the most hilarious twenty pages of any book !

Would I recommend this book to you : A resounding Yes ! The book ticked all the right boxes - police chase, dark plots, sickening humour, lively conversations from colorful characters and the unique story would be a like a breath of fresh air to any jaded reader.

Simplicity

Book Name : Simplicity
Author : Edward De Bono

What is it about : The expert on Thinking Clearly presented the what, how, why and when on the subject of Simplicity. Philosophy for Life, working manuals for corporations, teaching materials for kindergartens and a DIY self-help course all rolled in one neat book. The details were presented in a simple fashion (or he would have shot himself in the foot), with an all-but-simple message - how many of us make hard work of our simple lives and how to go about simplifying the concepts, targets, processes and results.

Some thoughts after having read the book : I had been a great admirer of the Author since reading his book : Lateral Thinking. The Author's style of presentation and clarity of thoughts and objectives gave the readers meaningful handle bars to latch on, to easily turn words into practice. The book was peppered with numerous day to day examples on how to make your life, company and thinking processes simpler. His humour in quoting these examples and his turn of phrases always hit the mark, to enlighten the readers by illuminating blind corners in our daily lives.

Would I recommend this book to you : Overwhelmingly Yes ! We all should keep this book on our book shelves under the category "Books to turn to for solving problems quickly". I would particularly recommend turning to this book whenever fork roads or confusion arose and you needed a clear voice. Read the book every other month to become better organised and comb out the cobwebs in your muddy thinking.

The Outsider

Book Name : The Outsider
Author : Albert Camus

What is it about : A middle-age man received the news of the death of his mother from the nursing home but felt and showed no sadness at her funeral. Life went on for Meursault thereafter as normal as before until a weekend of drama turned his life into a nightmare. The story climaxed as he sat in his prison cell and contemplated life as the "outsider".

Some thoughts after having read the book : It was gut-wrenching to read the ending of the story where the court passed judgement not on Meursault 's crime (per se) but on his character and how he behaved. One could not help but realised that everyone had, on his/her day been an "outsider" - one who refused to conform to social norms, not paying attention to cultural traditions, not putting on the appropriate emotional mask for the occasion or simply, one could be "an outsider" for being brought up in an "outsider" family. I felt totally sympathetic towards the plight of Meursault as the prosecutor won over the jury for his depiction of Meursault as a heartless son who "went swimming in the sea and watched a funny movie the day after his mother's funeral ..." and successfully turned the trial into one of morality and not about the actual murder. Infamous cases in point kept popping up in my mind as I read, think of the trials of O.J. Simpson, and you would get the gist of the idea. 

Would I recommend this book to you : Yes ! A book written with a clear story line and build-up and the writing style was under-stated in tone and texture - no big statements, no heroic actions. The reader would be taking a ride along side the days of Meursault during the course of a year or so, and you would be rewarded with thumping climax at the end !

No One Writes To The Colonel

Book Name : No One Writes To The Colonel
Author : Gabriel Garcia Marquez

What is it about : A "novella" set in a South American township/island, about the daily life of a retired colonel - edgy exchanges with his asthmatic wife, finding scrapes of foods to feed his treasured bird before the next cock-fighting season, figuring out where the next Pesos would be coming from and most eager of all, waiting hopefully at the dock every Friday (for the past fifteen years) for the news of his delayed pension money.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Despite the book being the length of a short essay, the author showed his masterful pen strokes and painted an intense and colorful story packed with interesting characters together with a taut plot. The readers would feel that they too lived in a shanty town where nothing much ever happened other than placing a tin can under a leaky roof, watching the Friday boat-docking, the wait of the start of the cock-fighting season or a very un-appetizing lunch of mush corn. I would guess the author managed to conjure up such intense imagery in such a short space, by focusing each character into just "doing" or "performing" just one task - the colonel "being optimistic", the wife "being worried", the postman "being un-caring", the cock "just surviving" and the rich land-owner "not being bothered". A good method of writing a short novel.

Would I recommend this book to you : Yes ! If you have a few hours to spare, or wanting to immerse as a bystander in a dream-like South American township or you would like to learn how a "Pro" applied his writing methodology - go get this book out !

Orient Express

Book Name : Orient Express
Author : Graham Greene

What is it about : Not the Agatha version with a detective on board, but a slightly more real life drama with a Jew hoping to close a deal on his business, a chorus girl wanting a part in an Istanbul show, a dogmatic political exile returning to his roots, a fugitive running away from his crimes and a dogged journalist determined to grab the headlines. Their stories, ideals and passion all inter-played out along the different legs of the famous train journey with high dramas culminating towards the end of the book.

Some thoughts after having read the book : On my train journeys, I would never have guessed that there would be a murderer in the midst or a committed socialist on his death tour, or even a fine-figure performance artist romanced by a wealthy Jew making out in the compartment next door; well, it's all happening here in this book. Between these characters on this journey "of a life time", they went through harrowing car chases, fired and dodged bullets, were interrogated by dubious army generals in a make-shift court and amazingly a few of them made it to Istanbul alive. But yes, under the pen of the masterful story teller, everything and anything was possible and all came to life.

Would I recommend this book to you : The reviewer stated in the Introduction of the book that Orient Express was classified as an "entertainment" by the original author. Indeed, the book was entertaining in the sense that it read like a black and white Bogart, Hepburn and Cary Grant matinee. So if that's your thing, this would be an ideal book for your Christmas and New Year indolent days and nights, all curled up warm with a mug of hot cocoa and having a jolly good read.

透過錢眼看中國歷史

Book Name : 透過錢眼看中國歷史
Author : 波音

What is it about : The rise and fall of Chinese dynasties through the lens of monetary matters were described and analysed in this book. Monetary matters included such resources like silver, silk, salt, porcelain, land and much more; the book aimed to show for instance, the scarcity or abundance of these resources affected the fortunes of emperors past, more than any political intrigues or the allegedly "wisdom", "greatness" or "stubbornness" of those famous emperors or ministers.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The author successfully illustrated that the bigger picture or background of "money" which dictated the actions, limitations and strategies which the dynastic emperors/officials could deploy when it came to war, trade and keeping the citizens generally happy.  Take for example, the building of the Great Wall - the objective was to be able to keep some form of peace with the northern neighbors (The Huns); the solutions could be (i) build more walls; (ii) attack and destroy; (iii) pay The Huns off with money, deer skins, beautiful Chinese women; or (iv) set up trade centers to mutually benefit each area's residents. Some clever dudes (Emperors) decided that all (i) to (iv) took time and money, but the last choice (iv) would involve the least expenditure in terms of loss of lives and loss of resources but with the longest possible period of peace. A case in point that the emperors had to balance the books.

Would I recommend this book to you : I found the book to be most rewarding and easy to read and I had gained major insights into the inner workings of the money minds of dynasties past. I would highly recommend this book to readers of any background, to take this book out and look at history from a totally new and fresh perspective.

The Extended Phenotype

Book Name : The Extended Phenotype
Author : Richard Dawkins

What is it about : The ideas that genes could act beyond the boundaries and vicinity of the organism in which they resided, were explored and illustrated with numerous examples from cuckoo and snails to bees and beavers. The effects and manifestations of one' organism's genes to influence and modify other organisms and the environments at a distance covered a range of activities including behavior, hormone excretion, re-structuring the environment such as dam building by beavers etc.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The author painstakingly set the scene in the first three-quarters of the book, in my opinion, to build the case for a water-tight argument and to avoid any misunderstandings from his peers and experts in the field. As such, the book took some tough reading, as the first three-quarters of the book had few direct relevance to Extended Phenotype and it was a drag to plough through pages after pages of fully-versed arguments about such topics as "Fitness", Group Selection and detailed Genetics. I would be far happier to read more about illustrations on examples of Extended Phenotype.

Would I recommend this book to you : Tough going and by no means a lay person's book to get acquainted with the interesting topics of Evolution. Unlike the author's many other books which were less technical, cumbersome and scholarly and written more for the general public, this book was really written for those in the field. I was just thankful that a lay reader such as myself had the opportunities to read his many other mega-interesting books before gaining a bit of a foundation to also cover this book.

Orlando

Book Name : Orlando
Author : Virginia Woolf

What is it about : Set in the 18-19th Century, this story followed the fantastical journey of love and adventure of a "person", as he traveled from London to Istanbul and back and on his way, transformed himself to a woman who experienced altered and warped viewpoints on society and peoples around her.

Some thoughts after having read the book : My attempt in having a go at reading a "Modernist"'s production and for all intents and purposes, I was far from succeeding in gaining an inch of ground. In a nutshell, way beyond me in terms of literary standards and my own interests; it was just good to make an effort. that's all.

Would I recommend this book to you : This book could not have been my "lonely island" book for pleasure and leisure; the book could only be one for intense Literature classes where the reader had to do homework and preferably a good teacher should be nearby to explain the ideas and guide the discussions.

外交十記

Book Name : 外交十記
Author : 錢其琛

What is it about : The official journals of the one of the top diplomats in China - 錢其琛 , detailing his years of service and the dramatic upheavals he witnessed and took part, during the Cold War, the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Handover of Hong Kong and Macau as well as his dealings with political giants such as Mandela and Castro. The journals covered his career over a span of almost forty years as well as containing a few lectures he presented after he retired, covering topics which were of importance then and still very much the flavor even today - globalization, wars in the Middle East and China's role in the world.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Having read the book, one would immediately and without doubt, be awed by the size of task, the un-predictability, the re-occurrence of strikingly similar events taking on new forms, patterns and players, the patience, wisdom and vision required to solve historical tight knots, the clarity of objectives to be achieved, of international diplomacy at the highest levels. It was of much interest in gaining a view from the top (the book) and relate to those people who were in the position to guide the (mis)fortunes of international relationships with the actual events that happened. One thing for sure, it was no easy job to travel over a hundred countries and still be in command of one's brief each time a diplomat faced another President, another Prime Minister, another Foreign Secretary; considering in those days, it took 4 changes of flight just to get from Beijing to Cairo !

Would I recommend this book to you : Do not take this book to the beach or ride the Metro, the book required seriousness, focus and insight while still being very readable. Recommended to anyone interested in international relationships or wishing to embark on a career as a diplomat.

The Beach

Book Name : The Beach
Author : Alex Garland

What is it about : The story of a bunch of curious backpackers receiving by chance, "The Map" to a legendary beach (turquoise lagoon, endless supply of dope and Sunday football came as standard) in Thailand which had been folklore in their realm. "The Map" turned out to be authentic and they found themselves living amongst a community of similarly young-ish no-where men/women whose sole purpose on the beach was to protect its secrecy, live a life on fish, rice and vegetables, smoke dope and basically enjoy life in paradise all day. Such idealistic lives took a complete turn, when fellow "beachers" were attacked by a shark and the local drug lords became nasty, leading to a climatic escape.

Some thoughts after having read the book : A superb backpacker's version of "paradise found and paradise lost". The tension just steadily built up as to when the secret of "paradise" would become instead a "paragraph" in Lonely Planet Thailand, completed with map and route instructions and so on. The looming sinister shadows of the drug lords and their guns and dope added to the tension as to when they would be fed up with this "farang" community in their vicinity; all this came to a boil when the three Swedes were attacked by a shark, resulting in death, fatal injuries and insanity. The reactions from the community gave a vivid demonstration of human fragility, cruelty, selfishness and in the end a wake-up call to what's right and wrong.

Would I recommend this book to you : Take this book with you when you next visit Southeast Asia and let your imagination go wild and live out the fantasy, even though you last saw your backpack all those years ago. Don't know about you, but I would probably last a maximum of three weeks, may be a month in such an environment and in such company, before I would be crying out for clean clothes, a different diet, a change of scene and head homeward-bound.

The Black Tulip

Book Name : The Black Tulip
Author : Alexandre Dumas

What is it about : The story was set in the days of the Dutch "Tulip-Mania" when tulips of all colors, shapes and sizes, exchanged hands at huge sums of monies and assets, without even leaving the soil they were planted in. In one instance, a farmer bought a much sorted-after tulip with "2 carts of wheat, 4 of rye, 8 fat pigs, 4 oxen, a dozen sheep, 4 tons of butter, 1000 pounds of cheese, some furniture and clothes and a silver beaker...". So a tulip in the color of black velvet took centre stage in this classic of love, greed, mayhem, political intrigue and finally justice served.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The story read like a play where you could imagine the theater curtains rising and falling after each set-piece. The style was light and breezy, the story line was entertaining, each scene was purposefully set; so as such, however much pain, betrayal, hardship and injustice the heroine experienced along the way, you could feel it was gonna be alright at the end. The great author was well-known in the way that he filtered out the dull bits of history and liberally embellished an epic based on the remaining colorful bits of historical facts (or otherwise), thus achieving the effects of pace, entertainment and drama.

Would I recommend this book to you : When I took out the book from the local library, I initially approached this Classic with a little bit of apprehension, thinking that major concentration and a big effort was gonna be required here, assuming it to be another formidable read like "War And Peace" or something. But as it turned out, I was like attending a play or musical (think Les Mes) and I was totally amused and the time spent on reading just flew by. I would put it down to the skills of this great author in the way he structured the plot and the witty dialogues he peppered throughout the book. Highly recommended.

And Thereby Hangs A Tale

Book Name : And Thereby Hangs A Tale
Author : Jeffrey Archer

What is it about : Another collection of short stories by one of my favourite authors; geez, he must have known a lot of people or attended many dinner parties to bag all these tales. In this case, fifteen intrigues for the readers to savour.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Up to the author's usual superb standard, these stories delighted a dull afternoon, invited a smile to your day and at times, caused the reader to plainly laugh out loud. If I had just one tiny negative comment to make, it would be the fact that the author was so good at his work, that the endings seemed a bit abrupt at times (a short story writing technique, I'm sure), when a bit of lingering sentiments and melancholy would go a long way to make that story more memorable.

Would I recommend this book to you : Please see my other comments on this author. In this instance, I would recommend the following books which I had enjoyed in the past by the same author. First Among Equals, A Matter Of Honour, A Quiver Full Of Arrows, A Twist In The Tale, Twelve Red Herrings, To Cut A Long Story Short and Cat O'None Tales.