Review: My Life on a Plate by India Knight

4 stars for My Life on a Plate by India Knight.

This is a long overdue post. I am pretty sure I finish reading this book at least four months ago. It seems such a long time that I can hardly recall what I want to say.

Well, not all is lost... I do remember this story being lighthearted and entertaining. I will say I have a relaxing time reading it and laughing over some of the hilarious conversations embedded in the story.

Review: The White Dawn: An Eskimo Saga by James A. Houston

4 stars for The White Dawn: An Eskimo Saga by James A. Houston.

The White Dawn is a thought-provoking and insightful novel that explores the complexities of cultural clashes and the devastating consequences of increasing foreign influences.

The story takes place in 1896 in the Canadian Arctic where three shipwrecked whalers are rescued by an Eskimo tribe, and nursed back to health by the Inuit community who share their food and way of life. As the three outsiders integrate into the community, they cause disturbances to the delicate social fabric of the tribe, leading to a downward spiral of cultural destruction. To quote "From the first day we brought the strangers to the village, everything started to change for us. We began to look at our own lives through their eyes. For the first time we started to see ourselves."

Told in first person by Avinga, the Eskimo leader's half son who is half cripple and a half slave to his household, the narrative offers a unique insider's perspective on the tribe's values, traditions and way of life. The author's vivid descriptions of the Arctic landscape and his thoughtful portrayal of the Eskimo people demonstrates his deep respect and understanding of their culture. Through this story, the author sheds light on the destructive nature of increasing foreign influences and the importance of preserving cultural identities.

The White Dawn is a captivating and educational read that will resonate with readers who are interested in cultural heritage, historical fiction and the Arctic region.

Review: The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

4 stars for The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell.

It has taken me long enough to say this - I finish reading my first book of the year.

2023 was a difficult year. I am still trying to find back pieces of myself. It is not easy, but it helps with time. It is getting better now but I think it will be a long time before I can find back the balance that used to give me the strength and motivation to read. And I suspect, there may be a part of me, that is lost forever. Gone with the wind. I might never get it back.

I bought this book from a secondhand bookstore in Edinburgh, Scotland last November. I knew this book was meant for me the moment I entered Main Point Books, located just a stone's throw from Edinburgh Books, another secondhand bookstore and a big one too. This book was placed on top of a low shelf, obvious to anyone walking in. I was surprised that no one else had taken a fancy to it as the book is in an amazingly good condition considering a secondhand. So, I like to think it is meant for me as I have had this book on my reading list since August 2019.

The Diary of a Bookseller is the real life account of a year in the life of Shaun Bythell, owner and manager of a secondhand bookstore called The Book Shop, in a quaint Scottish town - Wigtown. He takes us with him on buying trips to old estates, auction houses and books deals. We also get to see the down side on the business of secondhand book trade such as internet downtime and grappling with a poor system that goes inoperable like a quarter of the time. I have been curious about this but the author never truly reveals about his stock acquiring - what factors determine the books he buys and the amount he offers to book sellers. He put it down simply as having no rules and that he makes his own. So, I gather it is all about experience and gut feel.

One thing that I certainly have not expected about secondhand book trade is the amount of time spent on the road - as many as thirteen hours of driving - to meet with booksellers. That and the amount of time and energy spent on carrying and moving boxes of book collections. To quote "... books dealers spend a good deal of time lifting boxes of books in and out of vehicles and off the floor in uncomfortable, awkward spaces. I calculated that I lift about fifteen tons of books every year, and those fifteen tons will be moved a minimum of three times."

This memoir is not just about the book deal business and interaction with customers, readers are also offered snippets of the author's life such as his hill-walking, sailing and mountain-biking trips with close friend Callum or his love for fishing. Though lighthearted and humorous, the book touches on a topic that I have never really given much consideration before, and that is, what happens to the books we own when we die. Some of the stories the author shares are sad in the sense that "One man's treasure is another man's trash". When the owner passed on, the books are also passed on as family members do not want to keep them.

I try listing down the books mentioned in this book to the best of my ability, but there are some, which I may have missed out or deliberately omitted due to one reason or another.

Bookshop Memories by George Orwell (essay)
Black Books by Dylan Moran (sitcom)
Three Fevers by Leo Walmsley (thriller fiction)
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon (history non-fiction)
Keep The Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell (literary fiction)
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell (non fiction)
The Bankrupt Bookseller Speaks Again by William Young Darling (non fiction)
Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing? by Leszek Kolakowski (Philosophy non fiction)
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (scientific non fiction)
Gay Agony by H. A. Manhood
Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets: A Real-Life Scottish Fairy Tale by Jessica A. Fox
Talk Dirty Yiddish: Beyond Drek: the Curses, Slang, and Street Lingo You Need to Know When You Speak Yiddish by Ilene Schneider (language non fiction)
Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich by James Yannes (historical non fiction)
Pebble Mill Good Meat Guide by Ken Hutchings (non fiction)
Other passports by Clive James (poetry)
Prospero's Cell by Lawrence Durrell (autobiography non fiction)
Sartre: Romantic Rationalist by Iris Murdoch (non fiction)
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute Norway (romance fiction)
100+ Principles of Genetics by Anthony J.F. Griffiths and Joan McPherson (non fiction)
The Ascent of Rum Doodle by William Ernest Bowman (humor fiction)
Any Human Heart by William Boyd (literary fiction)*
Waverley by Sir Walter Scott (historical fiction)
Scott-Land: The Man Who Invented a Nation by Stuart Kelly (biography non fiction)
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol (literary fiction)
A Book of Silence by Sara Maitland (autobiography non fiction)
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (science fiction)
Orient Express: A Personal Journey by Ivan Fallon and James Sherwood (autobiography non fiction)
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg (mystery fiction)
The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne (children's fiction)
The Complete Guide to Starting and Running a Bookshopby Malcolm Gibson (reference non fiction)
The Hobbit by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (fantasy fiction)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (literary fiction)
Sexing Day-Old Chicks by William Percy Blount (reference non fiction)
Antiquities of Scotland by Francis Grose (historical non fiction)
Tam O 'Shanter by Robert Burns (poetry)
The First Statistical Account of Scotland by Sir John Sinclair (reference non fiction)
Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (commonly known as the Kilmarnock Edition) by Robert Burns (poetry)
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin (philosophy non fiction)
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith (philosophy nonfiction)
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence (romance fiction)
Ulysses by James Joyce (literary fiction)
Where No Man Cries by Emma Blair (literary fiction)
Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore (biography non fiction)
Vamping Made Easy - For All Who Wish to Play by Julius Berne (music non fiction)
The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell (humor non fiction)
Ethics by Baruch Spinoza (philosophy non fiction)
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (historical fiction)
The Places in Between by Rory Stewart (memoir non fiction)
Angry White Pyjamas by Robert Twigger (memoir non fiction)
A History of Orgies by Burgo Partridge (history non fiction)
Laughter: A Scientific Investigation by Robert R. Provine (psychology non fiction)
The dieter's guide to weight loss during sex by Richard Smith (humor non fiction)
The Busconductor Hines by James Kelman (general fiction)
Feersum Endjinn by Iain M. Banks (science fiction)
The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien (literary fiction)
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio (historical fiction, short stories)
A Gambling Man: Charles II and the Restoration by Jenny Uglow (biography non fiction)
The Observer's book of Observer's books by Peter Marren (reference non fiction)
E. D. Morel, the Man and His Work by Seymour Cocks (biography non fiction)
The Surnames of Scotland by George F. Black (history non fiction)
The Kilmarnock Edition by Robert Burns (poetry)
The Diary of Samuel Pepys by Samuel Pepys (memoir non fiction)
The Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith Jr. (religion non fiction)
The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard (historical non fiction)
Whereabouts: Notes on Being a Foreigner by Alastair Reid (autobiography non fiction)
A Tour of Scotland in 1769 by Thomas Pennant (travel non fiction)
A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland by Martin Martin (travel non fiction)
A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain by Daniel Defoe (travel non fiction)
Observations On a Tour Through the Highlands and Part of the Western Isles of Scotland by Thomas Garnett (travel non fiction)
A Journey from Edinburgh through Parts of North Britain by Alexander Campbell (travel non fiction)
The Winding Stair and Other Poems by William Butler Yeats (poetry)
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (science fiction)
The House of Elrig by Gavin Maxwell (memoir non fiction)
The Railway Man: A POW's Searing Account of War, Brutality and Forgiveness by Eric Lomax (autobiography non fiction)
The Intimate thoughts of John Baxter, Bookseller by Augustus Muir (books & bookstores fiction)
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (travel non fiction)
The Bankrupt Bookseller by William Y. Darling (general fiction)
A Guide to the Orthodox Jewish Way of Life for Healthcare Professionals by Joseph Spitzer (non fiction)
Experiences of a Railway Guard: Thrilling stories of the rail by James Ferguson (non fiction)
Wigtown Ploughman: Part of His Life by John McNeillie (general fiction)
The Colliery Fireman's Pocket Book by Thomas Bryson (non fiction)
Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Thomas Edward Lawrence (autobiography non fiction)
Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir (biography non fiction)
The Reforming of Dangerous and Useless Horses by Mike Rimington (non fiction)
Sewage Disposal from Isolated Buildings by G. M. Flood (non fiction)
Atomic Structure and Chemical Bonding by J. G. Dawber and A. T. Moore (non fiction)
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (literary fiction)
Farthest North by Fridtjof Nansen (memoir non fiction)
The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard (memoir non fiction)
South with Scott by Edward R.G.R. Evans (history non fiction)
South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917 by Ernest Shackleton (memoir non fiction)
The Heart of the Antarctic: The Farthest South Expedition 1907-1909 by Ernest Shackleton (memoir non fiction)
He Was Born Gay: a Romance in Three Acts by Emlyn Williams (play)
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (literary fiction)
The Odyssey by Homer (poetry)
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (literary fiction)
Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell (historical fiction)
Doctor No by Ian Fleming (thriller fiction)
Martialis by Martial (poetry)
Henry: Virtuous Prince by David Starkey (biography non fiction)
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (science fiction)
Galloway Gossip Sixty Years Ago by Robert de Bruce Trotter (reference non fiction)
Working With Depressed Women: A Feminist Approach by Alison Corob (reference non fiction)
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (literary fiction)
Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James (romance fiction)
Incontinence by Susan Hahn (poetry)
And the Ass Saw the Angel by Nick Cave (literary fiction)
Scotland's Lost Gardens: From the Garden of Eden to the Stewart Palaces by Marilyn Brown (non fiction)
Highways and Byways in the West Highlands by Seton Gordon (non fiction)
The collected poems of Kathleen Raine by Kathleen Raine (poetry)
Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell (autobiography non fiction)
Red Nile: A Biography of the World's Greatest River by Robert Twigger (biography non fiction)
Robin Ince's Bad Book Club: One Man's Quest to Uncover the Books that Time Forgot by Robin Ince (humor non fiction)
Araki: Tokyo Lucky Hole by Akira Suei and Nobuyoshi Araki (art and photography non fiction)
Scholar-gipsies by John Buchan (essays non fiction)
A Royal Passion: The Turbulent Marriage of Charles I and Henrietta Maria by Katie Whitaker (history non fiction)
The House of Elrig by Gavin Maxwell (autobiography non fiction)
The Tinkler-Gypsies of Galloway by Andrew McCormick (history non fiction)
An open letter by Seamus Heaney (poetry)
The Penguin Book of Contemporary British Poetry by Blake Morrison and Andrew Motion (poetry)
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (historical fiction)
Once a Customer Always a Customer: How to Deliver Customer Service that Creates Customers for Life by Chris Daffy (reference non fiction)
Biggles Takes It Rough by W. E. Johns (thriller fiction)
Alien Sex: The Body and Desire in Cinema and Theology by Gerard Loughlin (non fiction)
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (literary fiction)
Lord of the Flies by William Golding (young adult fiction)
The Meaning of Liff by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd (reference non fiction)
King Charles II by Antonia Fraser (biography non fiction)
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (historical fiction)
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding (historical fiction)
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell (biography non fiction)
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (memoir non fiction)
Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford (literary fiction)
Ian Niall: Part of His Life by Andrew McNeillie (biography non fiction)
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (historical fiction)
Highways and Byways in Galloway and Carrick by Charles Hill Dick (non fiction)
Eyeless in Gaza by Aldous Huxley (literary fiction)
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (literary fiction)
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh (literary fiction)
Blindness by José Saramago (literary fiction)
Pereira Maintains by Antonio Tabucchi (literary fiction)
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg (mystery fiction)
A Toast Fag by Harold Avery (children's fiction)
The Restraint of Beasts by Magnus Mills (literary fiction)
A Young Man's Passage by Julian Clary (autobiography non fiction)
Donald McLeod's Gloomy memories in the Highlands of Scotland by Donald McLeod (history non fiction)
A Drug-taker's Notes by Richard Heron Ward (non fiction)
Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler (autobiography non fiction)
The Satyricon by Petronius (literary fiction)
The Flag in the Wind by John MacCormick (non fiction)
Cuckoo Problems by E. C. Stuart Baker (non fiction)
The Temple of Flora by Robert John Thornton (biography non fiction)
The Birds of America by John James Audubon (biography non fiction)
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg (mystery fiction)
The Universal Singular: The Autobiography of Pierre Emmanuel by Pierre Emmanuel (autobiography non fiction)
Chattering: Stories by Louise Stern (short stories, fiction)
Georgian London: Into the Streets by Lucy Inglis (reference, non fiction)
British Trees: a Guide for Everyman by Miles Hadfield (reference non fiction)
The Cone Gatherers by Robin Jenkins (literary fiction)
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky (historical fiction)
The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir (biography non fiction)

Based on all the books mentioned in this book, I cannot help but feel that the world of books is deep and vast. There are so many genres and subgenres of fiction and non fiction out there. And what I have been exposed to so far is just a tiny fraction.

Besides books, this book also mentioned a book club. So curious am I that I actually did a Facebook search for this Random Book Club. And I dropped them a message asking if overseas people can join and how to go about making payment for the yearly subscription fee of GBP59. Sadly, to date, I still have not received a reply. I also checked out the website of The Bookshop at www.the-bookshop.com. Maybe, one day, I may order book(s) from them.

This is a book for all booklovers, and especially booklovers who wish to work in a bookstore.

2023 Year in Review and 2024 New Year's Resolution

Another year has come and gone.

I read and reviewed a total of 17 books this year. Just when I thought I have reached an all-time low last year with 31 books, I break my own record this year by doubling it south. It certainly is not impressive, but that's pretty much my average these days.

Year 2023 @ 17 (-14 YOY)
Year 2022 @ 31 (-14 YOY)
Year 2021 @ 45 (-5 YOY)
Year 2020 @ 50 (+4 YOY)
Year 2019 @ 46 (-16 YOY)
Year 2018 @ 62 (+10 YOY)
Year 2017 @ 52 (■ YOY)
Year 2016 @ 52 (-22 YOY)
Year 2015 @ 74 (-23 YOY)
Year 2014 @ 97

Crochet: Scarf: Chevron Scarf

This is my first serious attempt at crocheting a scarf. Did I just mention "serious"? Yes, I did. Well, that's because I have some vague impressions of a feeble attempt at doing the same, though one of a different pattern, many years ago. I think that scarf was made of double crochet stitches, and no, I cannot remember what happened to that scarf. It is most likely that I have threw it away.

I started this project on 21 Dec 2023 but didn't think that I will be able to complete it before the year is out. So, once again, I am surprised at the speed and ease of my ability to move things along. Strictly speaking, I started this project one day later, on 22 Dec, as I unraveled all that I have made - at least 21 rows - to start all over again. Expectations pile high as I intend this scarf to be a gift. So, when I deem the tension too loose or too tight, I unravel the rows. And when I feel that the scarf is not wide enough, I unravel the rows again. I think I may have unraveled at least three times before I feel satisfied enough to continue on.

This is the first time I work on a V shaped pattern. I came across this Chevron scarf pattern from Crochet to Calm: Stitch and De-Stress with 18 Simple Crochet Patterns by Interweave Editors. Crochet to Calm is a fun, easy to read book. There are inspiring pictures, interesting patterns and clear instructions on how to go about with the projects. This Chevron pattern uses single stitch and back loops to create texture for the scarf. Perhaps because I have never worked on V shaped pattern before, I find it amazing how skipping two stitches can lead to a very different look and feel of a scarf.

A scarf is an easy project to work on, one that can be completed with relatively less time as compared to crocheting a shawl. But even so, I don't think I will be crocheting more scarf any time soon, unless I have someone really special to give it to.

Review: Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy by Beth Kempton

3 stars for Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy by Beth Kempton.

I bought two non fiction books in Scotland last month - yes, two out of sixteen books altogether. I have already read and reviewed the first non fiction Cider with Rosie. This is the second one. Priced at GBP7.79 for a hard cover, it is an absolute steal. And the best part is, I cannot find any visible damage on the book, the very reason it was marked down from GBP12.99.

This book shares with us what it means to celebrate Christmas. It is in fact, a book for life, not just for Christmas. Filled with personal stories, it offers good advice for slowing down and staying calm to enjoy the Christmas magic during the festive season.

Perhaps it is the timing or the season in one's life, I find that chapter 6 on honoring the melancholy resonates the most with me. Indeed, grief is a part of life, and sometimes life can be hard, and hard to understand. As quoted, according to Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, "Loneliness is a feeling people experience when the relationship they have do not match up to those they would like to have. When this feeling persists it can have a negative impact on wellbeing and quality of life."

On the theme of loneliness, the author shares some really good tips on how to deal with it. Loneliness is often invisible. Most people will not tell you that they are suffering. As such, we cannot tell someone else's emotional experience, and it is not just during the Christmas season, it could be any time of the year - the shadow of loss, the beating heart of sorrow, the searing pain of loneliness and the full ache of wishing things are different. We can only help to reduce the pain of loneliness and elevate spirits by being kind to one another.

If I ever read this self-help book a second time, I hope I will feel differently when I come to chapter 6 again.

Crochet: Shawl: Classical Attitude Shawl

We all need a break from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. Yet, I have not felt the need nor the mood to start a new crochet project in the first half of this year. It was only in late October, due to the state of my mind at that point in time, that I felt I am badly in need of doing something repetitive and meditative. On 22nd October 2023, I picked up my crochet hook, took out my big skein of gradient cotton yarn and embarked on this repetitive meditative journey. A self-healing journey, or so I hope.

Since it has been such a long time I last crochet, I find myself at quite a loss to begin with. For a start, I have difficulty remembering how to do a magic ring. In the end, I turned to YouTube videos to help me get started. The good thing is, once I have the magic ring completed, I find myself picking up momentum and ready to brave through at the speed of a freight train. Oh, scratch that, I exaggerated. But the truth is, I am glad to have decided to crochet again. Crocheting a shawl is both fulfilling and rewarding. Not only do I get to have a beautiful piece of practical end product, I get to enjoy the peace and calm and meditative effect of the process.

I thought it will take me many months - at least three months - to complete this lovely shawl due to the many inevitable interruptions here and there. Yes, I brought this project along with me to Scotland in November for two weeks, hoping to be able to spend some time on it while on vacation. In the end, I hardly crochet while I was there except on my flight to and back. So you can imagine how surprised I am that I managed to complete this pastel colour shawl last night - 18 Dec 2023. All in all, it took me four days shy of two months to complete this project, and before the year is out. I am indeed very pleased with myself.

This Classical Attitude Shawl is a work of art - simple yet elegant. It is brilliantly created by Hobbii and available for free download at their website Classical Attitude shawl. The pattern is designed to provide both familiarity and variety to keep the person working on it relaxed and entertained at the same time. If you are looking to crochet a shawl with a meditative stitch pattern but one that is not so repetitive as to be boring, this is the one for you.

Review: Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee

4 stars for Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee.

I bought a total of sixteen books from my vacation to Scotland last month, mostly from secondhand bookstores in Edinburgh. Cider with Rosie is one of them books that I lugged back home from afar.

While holding the book and contemplating my purchase, I thought the author is a girl until I read the short introduction after the cover page. Then I started to wonder if author Lee's wife is someone by the name of Rosie. I decided there and then to buy the book, to read for myself and find out in good time.

The book is a recollection of early boyhood. Laurie Lee's account of his childhood is full of joy and gratitude for youth in a rich and sensuous world located in a remote Cotswold village. The writing is welcoming and fresh, of an era and landscape that has mostly vanished from today's world. Each sentence tells of first hand account mingled with the sense of hearing, touch, sight and smell. It is a heartwarming and wondrous record of a life lived.

Having finished Cider with Rosie, I can't help but consider if I want to pursue his two other autobiographies in the same series: As I Walked Out One Midsummer (1969) and A Moment of War (1991). But when I turn my head to look at my collection of books, I see the rest of those fifteen recently-bought books waiting for me, and I tell myself, I better read those first.