Tag Archives: Asia

Pavilion of Women, by Pearl S. Buck

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Thistle

As Madame Wu reaches her fortieth birthday, she makes a decision that will change the life of everyone in her multi-generational housing complex. She decides that she will retire from being a woman, and bring a concubine to live with … Continue reading →

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Cinder, by Marissa Meyer

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Thistle

Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella, set in future-world China on a background of cyborgs and plague and intergalactic politics. I’ll be short with this review. I wasn’t sure I would like this book. It seemed everyone was reading it, … Continue reading →

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Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Thistle

I have been terrified of Hermann Hesse for years. I’m not sure how I got the impression that he was difficult and dense to read, but I’ve avoided him. Next year, however, my book club is reading Siddhartha, so I … Continue reading →

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Complete Stories, by William Somerset Maugham

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Thistle

I love Maugham and wanted to read his short stories as part of my short story project this year. I’ve since decided to give up the project and just finished reading the stories. There are quite a bit of them … Continue reading →

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Radio Shangri-La, by Lisa Napoli

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Thistle

Lisa Napoli traveled to Bhutan, a small country sandwiched between India and China, after hearing it was “the happiest kingdom on earth.” She was given the opportunity to go without the daily $200 tourist tariff as long as she helped … Continue reading →

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If You Follow Me, by Malena Watrous

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Thistle

Marina and Carolyn, both twenty-two and just out of college, decide to teach English in Japan for a year. Marina is, in a way, running away from her father’s suicide the previous year, and Carolyn simply doesn’t know what to … Continue reading →

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Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert (audio)

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Thistle

After a rough divorce, Elizabeth Gilbert set off on a year’s journey through Italy, India, and Indonesia. This book is her memoir of that year. I’ve considered reading this book for years now, but never really had any motivation to … Continue reading →

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Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Thistle

I had been told that Lahiri was a master of the short story, but I’d never read any of her work. When I picked up Interpreter after that long string of failed collections, I expected nothing more than to flip … Continue reading →

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Sold, by Patricia McCormick

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Thistle

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives in poverty in a small village in Nepal. Her family sends her away to work as a maid in a rich family’s house, but in actuality Lakshmi is sold into prostitution in India. … Continue reading →

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The Painted Veil, by William Somerset Maugham

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Thistle

I’m reviewing this book together with my good friend Karen of Books and Chocolate. Amanda: Hi Karen! Thanks for buddy-reviewing with me! I think I want to start out by talking about William Somerset Maugham. I first read one of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment