An action-packed thriller with mature themes exploring the nature of evil, loyalty, mankind’s weaknesses and the morality of killing.
Category: Blog
Excerpt—Koreans at Work
John Spiri traveled to Korea to ask Koreans about their jobs: what they do all day and what they think of it.
Secrets of Things: Ruyi Scepter
In this episode of Alex Kerr’s Youtube Channel Secrets of Things, he introduces a Ruyi (如意) scepter, the Chinese “wish-fulfilling” symbol of magical power. To see the first episode of Secrets of Things, see “Cinnabar Bowl.”
Review—Rabbit in the Moon
The author falls in love with Fred, marries him, and then grapples with understanding his Chinese background.
The reader follows the author, experiencing culture shock, as she falls head over heels for Fred, marries him, and then grapples with understanding his Chinese background.
New Release—Another Bangkok, by Alex Kerr
Just released by Penguin, U.K. Alex Kerr’s latest book Bangkok Found: Reflections on the City, now available only on Amazon.jp, Amazon U.K, and Book Depository, U.K. (free shipping world-wide). Stay posted for a talk with Alex about this book on an upcoming Books on Asia YouTube podcast where he visually walks us through some of the More…
Alex Kerr’s new YouTube Channel: Secrets of Things
By Amy Chavez Alex Kerr once told me, in a previous interview, about his mentor David Kidd: “David was a genius of Asian aesthetics. He would put a group of snuff bottles or something on the table and say, ‘Now Alex, tell me what you see.’ Then we’d talk about it for hours and he’d More…
Excerpt—Rainy Day Ramen and the Cosmic Pachinko
Gordon Vanstone hails from Victoria BC, Canada and has a Bachelor of Education from Simon Fraser University. Rainy Day Ramen and the Cosmic Pachinko is his first novel.
Excerpt—Taiwanese at Work
John Spiri traveled all over Taiwan interviewing people about their typical day of work.
Review—Pax Tokugawana: The Cultural Flowering of Japan 1603-1853
By Haga Tōru (Japan Library, 2021) Transl. Juliet Winters Carpenter Review by Cody Poulton Lightning— girdled by waves the islands of Japan This haiku by Yosa Buson (1716-1784) captures a snapshot of Japan in the Tokugawa era: isolated, peaceful, self-contained. The Tokugawa era (aka Edo period), which stretched from 1603 until its fall in 1868, More…
Deal—Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World
The highly rated Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World by Lesley Downer is now on sale for a limited time on US kindle (e-book) for $5.99 and Kindle Japan for 499 yen. (441 pages)