Tag Archives: 2017 Discovery of Asia

A journey’s end

Posted on December 30, 2017 by smellincoffee

A few minutes ago, I finished Jawaharlal Nehru’s The Discovery of India,  and completed my Discovery of Asia series, or challenge, for 2017.   My goal was to read two books per month on Asian history or culture, primarily Indian and … Continue reading →

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Country Driving

Posted on December 12, 2017 by smellincoffee

Country Driving: A Journey through China from Farm to Factory© 2010 Peter Hessler448 pages First things first: that statue on the cover intrigued me enough that I bought both books that used photographs of it.  Emperor Far Away made nary … Continue reading →

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Are We There Yet?

Posted on November 25, 2017 by smellincoffee

(I am officially curious about that statue/statues…) This year my study series has been the Discovery of Asia, with a stated goal of reading two books in Asian (primarily Indian and Chinese) history per month.   Other challenges and themes have cut … Continue reading →

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China, Japan, and New Mexico

Posted on November 24, 2017 by smellincoffee

In the last couple of weeks I’ve finished some books  that haven’t gotten full reviews. Here are some quick shots! First up: New Mexico, A History. This is…exactly what it says it is, a history of New Mexico. Published to … Continue reading →

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Korea Reborn

Posted on October 15, 2017 by smellincoffee

Korea Reborn: A Grateful Nation Honors Veterans for 60 Years of Growth© 2015 Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Patriots161 pages Like most Americans, I have very little knowledge of the Korean War, outside of knowing Douglas MacArthur’s role there.  When … Continue reading →

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Wild Swans

Posted on September 28, 2017 by smellincoffee

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China© 1991 Chang Jung525 pages (My edition uses Chang’s family name first, following the Chinese custom.) Read the records of the 20th century totalitarian states, and the number of lives destroyed numbs the brain. Eleven … Continue reading →

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Of China and Narnia

Posted on September 21, 2017 by smellincoffee

Late last week I finished China Wakes, the account of two  married American journalists in China during the 1980s and early 1990s.  They found China frustratingly difficult to judge; as much promise as its economic liberalization showed,  the political and … Continue reading →

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The Wonder That Was India

Posted on September 1, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Wonder That Was India© 1959 Arthur Llewellyn Basham586 pages For the past few weeks I’ve been enjoying The Wonder That Was India, a Will Durant-like survey of Indian history and culture prior to the Mughal invasion.  Its opening section … Continue reading →

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The Tragedy of Liberation

Posted on August 10, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957 © 2013  Frank Dikotter 400 pages Readers who approach Frank Dikotter’s histories of Maoist China (The Tragedy of Liberation, Mao’s Great Famine, and The Cultural Revolution) should brace themselves … Continue reading →

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Midnight’s Furies

Posted on July 21, 2017 by smellincoffee

Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition© 2015 Nisid Hajari352 pages Although greater India has rarely remained united in its long history, there was every reason to hope that it would emerge from the centuries of British dominion in … Continue reading →

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