My New Year’s Resolution for 2018 is to read a book (or listen to an unabridged audiobook) every day: 365 books by December 31. I will post my reviews here each week and provide regular updates on Twitter and Goodreads. Recommendations are always welcome!

Week 47: Singapore: I recently travelled to Southeast Asia to lecture on a cruise ship and journey began and ended in Singapore. I enjoyed exploring the city, visiting the Botanic Gardens, Fort Canning, National Museum and Chinatown. I also enjoyed reading histories of Singapore and the wider region as well as novels set there. In recent weeks, I read the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, fiction and non-fiction about Singapore’s founder Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, a traveller’s history of Southeast Asia and a mystery novel set in the 1930s Crown Colony of Singapore. For more histories of Singapore, see the reviews in Week 45: The History, Politics and Culture of Southeast Asia. Here are this week’s reviews:

#324 of 365 Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Date Read: November 23, 2018

Genre: Fiction

Acquired: Purchased at Indigo Books, Toronto

Format: Paperback, 527 pages

Review: I read the novel after watching and enjoying the film. Nick Young and Rachel Chu have even more eccentric relatives in the novel and some of the storylines are more complicated including Astrid’s marriage and Eleanor’s family life. Like the movie, the book is a lot of fun. Kwan includes humorous footnotes about the slang phrases used in Singapore, and the designers favoured by the different social circles among the very wealthy. There’s a detailed annotated genealogy of all the interconnected families as well. The financial decisions made by the Young family and their relatives were interesting. The characters, especially Astrid, spend enormous sums spent on clothing and jewellery but they are expected to stay with family and friends whenever they travel instead of spending on hotel rooms, which of course leads to more complications. The perfect read for the long flight to Singapore.

#325 of 365 China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan

Date Read: November 25, 2018

Genre: Fiction

Acquired: Purchased from Indigo Books, Toronto

Format: Paperback, 479 pages

Review: The entertaining sequel to Crazy Rich Asians. Most of the characters from the first novel return although there are surprisingly few scenes featuring Nick’s overbearing mother, Eleanor Young, with the exception of a dramatic entrance early in the novel. There is a fun subplot involving an “art consultant” to the wealthy who helps her clients break into high society with the correct fashions, behaviour and manner of speaking. In contrast to the first book, very little of novel takes place in Singapore. Instead, Nick and Rachel spend their honeymoon in China, getting to know Rachel’s half-brother and his complicated social circle, and take a side trip to Paris. There are some unexpected plot twists toward the end including a dramatic medical crisis.

#326 of 365 Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan

Genre: Fiction

Acquired: Purchased from Indigo Books, Toronto

Format: Paperback, 541 pages

Dates Read: November 25-28, 2018

Review: My favourite book in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. In Rich People Problems, the future of Tyersoll Park, the stately home of NickYoung’s grandmother is in question, and the family matriarch’s last will and testament raises more questions than it answers. The history of Japanese occupation of Singapore is woven into the narrative with a fascinating back story concerning the older generation of the family and the Singapore Botanic Gardens. There is some great character development for both Kitty and Astrid while Rachel continues to find Nick’s overbearing family and immense wealth to be a challenge. An entertaining and satisfying conclusion to the series.

#327 of 365 A Traveller’s History of Southeast Asia  Nicholas J. White and J.M. Barwise

Dates Read: November 28-30, 2018

Genre: Travel/History

Acquired: Purchased from Amazon.com

Format: Paperback, 358 pages

Review: A good overview of selected countries in Southeast Asia designed for travellers to the region. The writing style is a little bit dry but conveys a great deal of information in a concise manner. The book includes a chronology of key events and lists of political leaders as well as summaries of the current political situation of each of the countries discussed in the book. The intended audience of the book, travelers to the region, limits the scope of the history as the author leaves out Myanmar and the Philippines because they attract fewer tourists, even though they are relevant to the historical events mentioned in the text. There are also no conclusions presented about the region as a whole. A useful read for travellers but of limited value as an overall history of the region.

#328 of 365 Raffles: And the Golden Opportunity by Victoria Glendinning

Acquired: Purchased at the National Museum of Singapore

Date Read: December 5, 2018

Format: Paperback, 350 pages

Genre: History/Biography

Review: A comprehensive biography of Thomas Stanford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore. The author devotes much of the book to his extended family and his sometimes contradictory ideas concerning Britain’s political and cultural influence in the wider world. The narrative often reads like a real life Jane Austen novel with passages such as “The Raffleses were ordinary people with no family money and few influential connections” and the circumstances surrounding Raffles’ two marriages and his efforts to arrange matches for his sisters. The book did not devote as much time to the founding of Singapore as I expected and I would have been interested to read more about Singapore’s history in the context of Raffles’ biography. An interesting read but the focus is more on Raffles’s early life and family than some of his later achievements.

#329 of 365 Olivia and Sophia by Rosie Milne

Dates Read: December 7-11, 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: Paperback, 432 pages

Acquired: Purchased at the Battlebox Museum, Fort Canning, Singapore

Review: An engaging novel told through the fictional diaries of Olivia and Sophia, the successive wives of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore. Both the scandalous Olivia and the pious and supportive Sophia were interesting historical figures in their own right and they were well traveled by the standards of their time, accompanying Raffles on his journeys to Asia. Milne captures the changing sensibilities of the 19th century as Olivia is presented as far more tolerant of local customs around the world than Sophia, who is convinced of the superiority of her own culture and religion.

There are moving entries concerning the loss of Raffles’ and Sophia’s children to tropical diseases. Some of the entries in the novel follow historical documents closely while others are heavily fictionalized. Sophia’s entries are more nuanced than Olivia’s, perhaps because Milne was able to draw upon Sophia’s real life memoir to get a strong sense of her voice. The entries from Olivia’s perspective are a bit too reliant on the cadence of the early 19th century with frequent uses of “twas” and “twere” that become distracting over time. An enjoyable read, especially for visitors to Singapore.

#330 of 365 The Betel Nut Tree Mystery by Olivida Yu  

Genre: Mystery/Historical Fiction

Date Read: December 13-14, 2018

Acquired: Purchased from W.H. Smith, Changi Airport, Singapore

Format: Paperback, 312 pages

Review: An entertaining murder mystery set in 1930s Singapore. I found the mystery itself a little bit hard to follow and had to reread the conclusion a second time but I greatly enjoyed the historical setting and the narrator’s dry humour. The novel incorporates the events and popular culture of the time from a Singaporean perspective including the abdication of King Edward VIII to marry Wallis Simpson, the Japanese invasion of China and the growing threat of war in Europe. Yu includes Singapore’s cultural diversity including different approaches to the English language, details which play a key role in solving the mystery. I look forward reading other novels in the series.

My New Year’s Resolution for 2018 is to read a book (or listen to an unabridged audiobook) every day: 365 books by December 31. I will post my reviews here each week and provide regular updates on Twitter and Goodreads. Recommendations are always welcome!

Week 46: Biography and Memoir: I have returned from lecturing on a cruise ship and I am catching up on my book reviews here! In addition to reading historical novels and histories of Southeast Asia in November, I read a variety of different biographies and memoirs. While a couple of these books are biographies of historical figures, the others are modern memoirs that examine a variety of themes including family history, First Nations experiences, growing up in apartheid South Africa, dealing with stress, and the division of household labour. Here are this week’s reviews:

#317 of 365 The Viceroy’s Daughters: The Lives of the Curzon Sisters by Anne de Courcy

Genre: History/Biography

Date Read: November 8, 2018

Acquired: Borrowed from Robarts Library, University of Toronto

Format: Hardcover, 431 pages

Review: A joint biography of Irene, Cynthia and Alexandra Curzon, the three daughters of George Curzon, Viceroy of India, and an American heiress, Mary Leiter. de Courcy provides a vivid portrait of British upper class society in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, describing lavish dinner parties and debutante balls. The most interesting sections of the book are the accounts of King Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936 and marriage to Wallis Simpson in 1937 from the perspective of his social circle. Alexandra “Baba” Curzon was married to Edward’s best friend (and best man) Fruity Metcalfe and her diary provides a first hand account of the unconventional royal wedding.

There are other sections of the book, however, that become mired in the numerous scandals involving the Curzon sisters and their friends and with less attention devoted to the broader historical context. Irene was one of the first female Life Peers in the House of Lords, Cynthia was a Member of Parliament and Alexandra provided financial assistance to the Dalai Lama after his flight from China, and received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her philanthropy. I would have been interested to read more about these political and charitable endeavours. Irene’s and Alexandra’s lives after the Second World War are summarized in a few pages at the end of the book, even though Alexandra died in 1995 at the age of 91. An engaging read but I prefer some of Anne de Courcy’s other books including 1939: The Last Season and Debs at War.

#318 of 365 Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot 

Date Read: November 9, 2018

Genre: Memoir

Acquired: Purchased from Indigo Books, Toronto

Format: Hardcover, 160 pages

Review: My book club’s choice for November. An exquisitely written memoir. The author has experienced a great deal of personal suffering but there are moments of hope and humour that shine through her pain. Mailhot engages with the concepts of forgiveness and memory and how these ideas are shaped by culture. The influences of her own mother and grandmother and the experience of growing up on the Seabird Island Reservation in British Columbia infuse the narrative. The book includes an introduction by Sherman Alexie that describes the author as “the metaphorical love child of Emily Dickinson and Crazy Horse.” There is also an interview with the author that describes the process of writing the book from her original intent to write fiction to the uncovering of her life story. An original and absorbing read.

#319 of 365 It’s All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree by A.J. Jacobs

Dates Read: November 16-17, 2018

Genre: Memoir/Comedy

Acquired: Found at Home

Format: Hardcover, 336 pages

Review: An entertaining book about researching family history, the prospect of a global family tree and the author’s efforts to organize the world’s biggest family reunion. It’s All Relative is filled with entertaining anecdotes about the author’s own family tree, including a touching story about his grandparents’ courtship that Jacobs uncovers in his grandfather’s FBI file. He discovers famous people who are his 7th or 9th cousins and interviews them about their own views on family history research. (The scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson is actively disinterested in geneology while the actress Mila Kunis sends Jacobs a DNA profile that is so complete that he learns her earwax consistency). The family history project does not seem to have been quite as all consuming as his previous books, which involved reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, following the Bible literally or transforming his diet and exercise regime but it’s still a very enjoyable read.

#320 of 365 Frederik III: The King Who Seized Absolute Power by Jens Gunni Busck

Date Read: November 19, 2018

Genre: History

Acquired: Purchased from Amazon.com

Format: Hardcover, 60 pages

Review: An illustrated short biography of a little known monarch who had a profound effect on the government of Denmark for nearly two hundred years after this reign. Prior to the reign of Frederik III, a Council of the Realm imposed limits on the King of Denmark’s power, which the monarch was obliged to respect in order to ensure that his son would be accepted as the next King. After the Council was blamed for the mismanagement of a disasterous war with Sweden, Frederik III seized absolute power in 1660 and his Royal Laws remained in force until the introduction of a constitutional monarchy in 1848. While the politics of his reign are explained in detail, there is not as much space devoted to his personal life, aside from image captions that hint that his marriage was difficult one. A good short overview of Frederik’s reign but the book does not provide details concerning all aspects of his life.

#321 of 365 Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward by Gemma Hartley

Genre: Memoir/Cultural Studies

Date Read: November 20-21, 2018

Acquired: Purchased from Indigo Books, Toronto

Format: Paperback, 264 pages

Review:Fed Up is both a memoir of the author’s marriage and a wider cultural analysis of how society views emotional labour. Hartley writes with warmth and optimism about the frustrations caused by the activities that appear invisible but make individual homes and communities run smoothly such as planning meals, remembering birthday parties and organizing Christmas cards. In her own home, changing employment circumstances and better communication result in a more equitable division of household labour, giving Hartley the space required to complete her book manuscript. While much of the book is focused on the domestic sphere, there are also chapters that analyze perceptions of emotional labour in politics and the workplace. Hartley concludes that a more equitable division of emotional labour, in addition to setting boundaries around these activites and letting go of perfectionism, would benefit both men and women. An interesting and insightful read.

#322 of 365 Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Genre: Memoir

Dates Listened: November 21-22, 2018

Acquired: Purchased from Audible.com

Format: Audiobook, 8 hours and 44 minutes

Review: The best audiobook that I have listened to this year, brilliantly narrated by the author who is able to imitate a multiplicity of voices from all backgrounds. Noah is an excellent writer with an eye for memorable details and distinctive personalities. He provides a unique perspective on apartheid in South Africa as the child of a European father and an African mother whose relationship was illegal at the time of his birth. As he explains, he was literally “Born a Crime.” Noah writes about his religious, strict and resourceful mother with admiration and explains the complexity of the society where he grew up with a great deal of insight. Highly recommended.

#323 of 365 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found a Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris

Genre: Memoir

Date Listened: November 23, 2018

Acquired: Purchased from Audible.com

Format: Audiobook, 7 hours and 50 minutes

Review:10% Happier appears to be a self help book but it is actually an interesting memoir about a news anchor who finds a lasting solution to his depression and panic attacks through mindfulness meditation. His reflections on his journalism career were interesting and insightful. He discusses the impact of war on the mental heath of war correspondents and the manner in which reporters competing for scarce air time view current events through the lens of their own careers. Harris discovers meditation through his press coverage of religion and spirituality and goes from skepticism about this practice to attending week long silent retreats. The audiobook is well read by the author.

My New Year’s Resolution for 2018 is to read a book (or listen to an unabridged audiobook) every day: 365 books by December 31. I will post my reviews here each week and provide regular updates on Twitter and Goodreads. Recommendations are always welcome!

Week 45: The History, Politics and Culture of Southeast Asia: Next week, I will be giving a lecture series on a cruise ship sailing to Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In recent weeks, I have been researching the history of Southeast Asia, reading a general history of the region, two histories of Singapore, two histories of Vietnam, two histories of monarchy in Thailand and the surrounding nations, and a novel set in colonial Malaysia that includes a historical afterword about the history of the Straits Settlements. Here are this week’s reviews:

#309 of 365 A New History of Southeast Asia by M.C. Ricklefs, Bruce Lockhart, Albert Lau, Portia Reyes and Maitrii Aung-Thwin.

Genre: History

Format: Paperback, 572 pages

Acquired: Borrowed from Robarts Library, University of Toronto

Date Read: October 31, 2018

Review: A strong overview of the political and religious history of the region. There is less space devoted to society and culture as well as the status of women. The early chapters are little hard to follow but the modern history is well organized and described for those who are new to the history of southeast Asia. There are certain key developments that seem to be summarized very quickly, especially the Vietnam War. The further reading section is exceptionally detailed and useful as it is organized by time period, country and theme. A good introduction to Southeast Asian history.

#310 of 365 Singapore A Pictorial History 1819-2000 by Gretchen Liu

Date Read: November 8, 2018

Genre: History/Photography

Acquired: Borrowed from Robarts Library, University of Toronto

Format: Hardcover, 400 pages

Review: An informative and beautifully illustrated history of Singapore that reflects the country’s cultural diversity from the 19th century to the present day. Liu does not only provide a political and social history of Singapore through visual culture but also the history of art and photography in the region. The author discusses the origins of the images in the book as well as the events depicted in them. There are some interesting photographs of royal tours including the welcome of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (the future King George V and Queen Mary) in 1901, a garden party in honour of the Duke of Connaught in 1906, the future King Edward VIII at the Malaya Borneo exhibition in 1922, and Queen Elizabeth II at a military review in 1972. The book concludes with panoramic landscapes of modern Singapore. A fascinating volume, especially for travelers to the region.

#311 of 365 Monarchy in South East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition (Politics in Asia series) by Roger Kershaw

Genre: Political Science

Date Read: November 9, 2018

Acquired: Borrowed from Robarts Library, University of Toronto

Format: Paperback, 268 pages

Review: An analysis of monarchical governments in southeast Asia from the Second World War to the end of the 20th century with an introductory chapter summarizing the influence of key events from the mid 19th century. The book is a comprehensive study of monarchy in the region, encompassing Laos, Brunei, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia, and includes rulers and dynasties who are comparatively little known. Since the book was published in 2001, the discussion of current events is a little dated and some of the predictions did not unfold quite as described by the author but the historical context, theoretical framework, and further reading list is detailed and informative.

The book includes a timeline of events and would have been enhanced by the inclusion of maps and geneological charts. Since the focus is on the influence of monarchical government on political structures rather than the wider history of region, Monarchy in South East Asia is best read after finishing a general history of the region as the author assumes a certain degree of general knowledge of historical and political events. A detailed and informative book relevant to both scholars and general readers interested in royalty and Southeast Asia.

#312 of 365 Vietnam: A New History by Christopher Goscha

Genre: History

Dates Read: November 11-16, 2018

Acquired: Purchased from Audible.com

Format: 23 hours and 42 minutes

Review: An excellent book that provides an overview of the political, social and cultural history of Vietnam with an emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries. Vietnam: A New History is thoroughly researched and scholarly but written a style accessible to readers new to the history of southeast Asia. While most English language histories of Vietnam focus almost exclusively on the Vietnam War, Goscha provides an extensive analysis of Chinese and French influences on Vietnamese culture in addition to the impact of the United States in the region. Goscha also addresses the cultural diversity of the region and Vietnam’s relationship with other countries in Southeast Asia. An informative and interesting read.

#313 of 365 The End of the Absolute Monarchy in Siam by Benjamin A. Batson

Date Read: November 17, 2018

Genre: History

Acquired: Borrowed from Robarts Library, University of Toronto

Format: Paperback, 349 pages

Review: A fascinating in-depth study of the reign of King Prajadhipok (reigned 1925-1935), the last absolute monarch of Siam (Thailand) that draws upon a wide variety of sources including memoranda drafted by the King (which are included as an appendix in the book) and the popular press of the time. Batson explains the King’s routine and responsibilities during the final years of the absolute monarchy, which included reviewing personally all the petitions that he received as well as participating in court ceremonies and undertaking foreign tours. The King visited Canada and the United States in 1931 to seek treatment for an eye condition and described his stay in Banff as “a real holiday for me.” Batson does an excellent job of explaining the court politics of the time and the roles of the various princes within the wider royal family and the government. An interesting and informative book.

#314 of 365 Singapore: A Biography: by Mark Ravinder Frost and Yu-Mei Balasingamchow

Date Read: November 19, 2018

Genre: History

Acquired: Borrowed from Robarts Library, University of Toronto

Format: Hardcover, 456 pages

Review: A history of Singapore from the 1300s to 1965, incorporating images from the History Galleries of the National Museum. The book discusses the history of the island  including the mysterious fire that destroyed the settlement that predated the British colony, the goals of Sir Stamford Raffles and William Farquar in creating a British outpost there, the cultural and social history of the island, trade and commerce in the region, and the effects of the Japanese occupation during the Second World War. The illustrations include the London Illustrated News coverage of the royal visit to Singapore by the future King George V and Queen Mary in 1901. A fascinating and engaging book that presents Singapore’s rich history from a variety of perspectives.

#315 of 365 A History of the Vietnamese by K.W. Taylor

Genre: History

Dates Read: November 20-21, 2018

Acquired: Borrowed from Robarts Library, University of Toronto

Format: Paperback, 626 pages

Review: A monumental history of the lands and peoples that comprise present day Vietnam with the majority of the book devoted to the centuries before European contact and conquest. Taylor focuses on the steady influence of China over Vietnamese politics and culture over the centuries with comparatively brief periods of French, Japanese and American involvement in the region in the 19th and 20th centuries. There is a strong emphasis on royal court politics and dynasties including the policies and personalities of successive rulers. Women played a prominent role at court and often helped to determine which one of the numerous princes within the extended royal family would become the next ruler. The Vietnam War is summarized relatively quickly in the second last chapter but the events of this conflict have received extensive attention in other works of Vietnamese history. A detailed and comprehensive history from the earliest surviving sources to the present.

#316 of 365 The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Genre: Historical Fiction/Supernatural

Dates Listened: November 18-21, 2018

Acquired: Purchased from Audible.com

Format: Audiobook, 12 hours and 8 minutes

Review: “Desires and feuds lingered even after death.” A unique novel that is both historical fiction set in the Chinese community of 1890s colonial Malaysia and a ghost story where the heroine visits the plains of the dead and discovers family secrets. In the novel, the living and the dead are connected through numerous channels as the dead draw upon offerings left by their living family members and recreate the same social hierarchy that they experienced while they were alive. The writing has a dreamlike quality as the ghosts move differently than the living (they have difficulty moving in straight lines) and travel at different rates through the various stages of the afterlife. I expected the book to spend a bit more time in land of the living and would have been interested to read more scenes set in colonial Malacca. An interesting read that includes a detailed historical afterward that discusses the Chinese communities in the Straits Settlements and the ideas of the afterlife that existed in that place and time.