Current reading...
Currently I am reading on two tracks: the light/amusing and the more serious/informative:
- Light/amusing: various books from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series-really quite good writing full of sly (and not so sly) humor. May the Great Turtle A'Tuin continue sailing through the cosmos with his load of elephants!
- Serious/informative:
- Tim Mackintosh-Smith. Travels with a Tangerine (New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2004). I think of this as a verbal "road movie" starring the author (20th century) and Ibn Battutah (14th century). Somewhat plummy Brit prose style full of interesting historical details and aperçues.
- Alex Kerr. Lost Japan (Melbourne: Lonely Planet Publications, 1996). Fascinating look at Japan's recent cultural situation that recalls my trip there in the 70s.
- Alex Kerr. Dogs and Demons (New York: Hill and Wang, c2001). A fairly depressing analysis of what is happening in contemporary Japan-yes my romantic Japanophile leanings were shocked and saddened by what he describes.
- Tim Mackintosh-Smith. Travels with a Tangerine (New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2004). I think of this as a verbal "road movie" starring the author (20th century) and Ibn Battutah (14th century). Somewhat plummy Brit prose style full of interesting historical details and aperçues.