Bookspotting and Scuba Diving

Island in Malaysia where I once did a trial scuba dive on Christmas Day.

A few days ago I saw a Western woman on the train reading The World of Suzy Wong. She had her hand over her mouth and a somewhat distressed look on her face, so I'm pretty sure I know what part she was reading. Yesterday afternoon, I spotted a young Chinese woman reading a Sophie Kinsella novel. Based on the cover (and some quick Amazon research), I think it was I've Got Your Number. Later, I saw a woman with a big textbook on her lap called Economics Demystified. I only spotted one Chinese book this week, and it looked like non-fiction.

I've spent almost every evening this week working on the online PADI scuba diving course and attending training sessions at a pool overlooking the Jumbo restaurant in Aberdeen. This weekend we'll do our first two open water dives (Saturday's session has been cancelled due to a typhoon warning). We will hopefully finish our open water certification in time to go scuba diving on our honeymoon this August.

Do you have any big plans for the summer? Have you tried scuba diving before?

Bookspotting and Wedding Planning

My grandparents' porch, utterly devoid of stress

Over the last few weeks, I've been wrapping up my work responsibilities, finishing the edits for the Expat Women in Asia anthology, and doing a little bit of writing when I can squeeze it in. I'm trying to get all these things out of the way this month because I am getting married in July! 

Planning a wedding from abroad has not been nearly as difficult as I expected, though I'll have a lot to do in the three weeks between my arrival in the US and the actual ceremony. We are getting married in the seaside town in Oregon where my grandparents live (I've visited them there every summer since they retired from their own expat life in Asia). Because it's a small town, we have the huge advantage of not very many choices: only two florists to choose from, one photographer, two reception-compatible restaurants, etc. The disadvantage is that folks in the town prefer to make arrangements over the phone and take a long time to respond to emails. Fortunately, my mom has been calling people when necessary and I'm sure all the details will fall into place. 

Have you planned a major event long distance before? Did you find it more or less stressful than being there in the thick of things?

In bookspotting news, I saw a woman reading a book called Women Beyond the Wire on the train. A young man had what looked like a textbook called Power System something or other. Another man was carrying Thinking Fast and Slow under his arm in Kowloon Bay. This morning, a group of teenagers standing in the MTR station were discussing a textbook called Science Mysteries. This week I also spotted one Hong Kong guidebook (Lonely Planet version), a handful of Chinese books, and one novel with flames on the cover. What are people reading in your town this week?

COUNTRY DRIVING by Peter Hessler

By the road in Nevada where our tire shredded 50 miles from the nearest town

THE GIST:

An American journalist acquires a Chinese driver's license and explores the back roads, villages, and factory towns of a changing country.

THE VERDICT:

COUNTRY DRIVING is a work of narrative non-fiction divided into three parts. The first section deals with a long road trip along the Great Wall and into the remote parts of western China. Part two is about Hessler's acquisition of a little house in a village outside of Beijing and his relationship with a small family there. The third part follows the life of a bra ring factory in a boom town. Hessler's ability to drive himself around China (in rented cars) makes each section of the story possible and provides a new take on the China travelogue, which so often features train travel. Driving enables him to reach previously inaccessible areas and to experience China's rapid change literally at street level.

I've done several Great American Road Trips (two loops around the West and NY to AZ), and it was interesting to compare those experiences to COUNTRY DRIVING. In the first section of the book in particular, you get the same sense of vastness from Hessler's account of driving across China as you do when driving north through the empty center of Nevada. On the other hand, when Hessler drives into factory towns he witnesses constant change and growth, destruction and rebuilding. In the US, I encountered town after town a generation or two removed from its most recent boom period. The shuttered warehouses and silent mining communities scattered across the countryside must once have felt like the brand new industrial complexes in China, though on a much smaller scale.

Peter Hessler's ability to take the massive subject of China's booming industry and scale it down to a personal level is what makes this book worth reading. If you've been around this blog for a while, you'll know I'm a big Peter Hessler fan. His work is always detailed and well-researched, but it's his understated writing voice that is particularly appealing. He describes the people he meets in China in a respectful and warm manner. He builds friendships with his subjects, and gives human faces to the sometimes staggering statistics associated with modern China.

THE LINK:

Here's my review of RIVER TOWN from two years ago and my account of when I shared a taxi with Peter Hessler on the way to his HK International Literary Festival event.

THE COST:

The Kindle edition is $9.99.

THE QUESTION:

How does driving alter your experience of a place compared with walking, taking the train, riding the bus, etc.?

Bookspotting and Thunderstorms

Today was my first black rainstorm experience in Hong Kong. Throughout the night, thunder overwhelmed the city noises that usually make their way into my windows, and I awoke to flashes of lightning more than once. When I got up this morning, the thunderstorm still raged and the Black Rain signal had been raised by the HK Observatory, meaning that school and my day job were cancelled. I spent the day editing essays for the Expat Women in Asia anthology in my pajamas and having lunch with my fiance in one of my favorite cafes. I've been busy with a lot of little tasks lately, and it was glorious to slow down and focus on the project I am most passionate about at the moment.

Last week I attended the launch party for Nothing Gained, where I got to meet Phillip Y. Kim, get my copy of the book signed, and chat with some cool HK publishing people. In other bookspotting news, I saw a boy on the train reading Matilda last week. Yesterday, I spotted two people reading textbooks, one with a red cover on the MTR and one with a yellow cover in a cafe. I saw two commuters reading Chinese books, one schoolgirl carrying an English paperback with a blue cover, and one Kindle-bearing woman.

I also finished Peter Hessler's Country Driving yesterday, so you can expect a review soon! What are people reading in your town this week?

Duckspotting!

Sorry for the title, folks. I could not resist.

The buzz around Hong Kong this week is all about the floating rubber duck exhibit in Victoria Harbour. I took the Star Ferry to see it on Sunday...

When we pulled up to the dock, I could see the crowds.

They lined the harbor and the top of Ocean Terminal.

And the duck gazed down on them.

I'm not sure what to say about it. I like it. I've read that the installation is meant to promote camaraderie and good feelings. Despite the crowds packed in around me, I suppose I did feel good looking at the duck. No one was pushing or shoving, which is very unusual for this corner of Tsim Sha Tsui. My fellow gawkers seemed both bemused and cheered by the sight of the big floating toy in the harbor. 

When I made my home later that night, the crowds were just as big, and seemingly just as happy.

I'm not sure what to say about it, but I think the duck is worth a visit.

Have you been down to see the duck yet? Do you think it's cute? Gimmicky? Dumb? Inoffensive? Inspiring? How did it make you feel?

Bookspotting and Selections

Over the past few weeks I've been hard at work on a few editing projects. I sent my initial selections for the Expat Women in Asia anthology to the publisher for approval. With his input, I finalized the selections and sent out notifications to all the authors. (If you submitted a piece and didn't get an email from me in the last 24 hours, please contact me!) It was a tough process because we received so many great submissions. I could have easily put together two full manuscripts, and there were some pieces that were very difficult to turn down. Nevertheless, I now have a file of moving and varied essays by 26 terrific expat women, and I can't wait for you to read them (the anthology comes out next spring).

Despite my recent blog silence, I've been spotting books along the way. There's a woman who often crosses the platform at Mongkok station with me in the morning carrying books. Recently, she was reading A Thousand Splendid Suns. Today, I spotted the Chinese gentleman with the fancy white shoes again, and he had a white Chinese paperback. I saw two people reading Kindles on the MTR and three people carrying Hong Kong guidebooks around Central. I heard from friends about how they're reading Sophie Kinsella, Hugh Howey, and Robin Hobb. In my own reading, I've been on a fantasy kick lately. After the final Wheel of Time book, I read Brandon Sanderson's Elantris and The Emperor's Soul, and I just started Hobb's Liveship series. I also read the YA book Beautiful Creatures and saw the movie. I'm finishing up Country Driving by Peter Hessler and expect to post a review soon.

What are people reading in your town? Do you read more than one book at a time?

Also, has anyone seen the rubber duck in Victoria Harbour? I haven't had a chance to get down there yet.

NOTHING GAINED by Phillip Y. Kim

THE GIST:

The drowning of a prominent investment banker in Hong Kong forces his wife to investigate a complex weave of lies, greed, and intrigue behind the scenes of the Asian financial sector.

THE VERDICT:

This debut thriller from a Hong Kong banker-turned-author gets deep into the seedy side of the finance industry in Asia. Kim draws on his experience at banks like Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley to create a story rooted in the post-financial crisis investment world. Jason Donahue is a star banker at a boutique firm. After he drowns during a midnight swim gone wrong, hints of disturbingly risky investments and corruption begin to surface. His wife Cheryl must delve into a world that is more dangerous than she realizes to figure out just what was behind her gilded lifestyle. When her children are threatened, she becomes desperate to learn the truth, even though she may not like what she finds.

Kim's novel explores what it means to do business in Asia. One memorable Western character tries to browbeat his way through deals like he would in New York or Las Vegas. Others understand that you have to play by certain rules and participate in unspoken rituals in order to build trust. Kim's intimate understanding of these unspoken rules sets this novel apart from other tales of corrupt finance types. There is an air of moral ambiguity that pervades the story. Although a few characters end up feeling stereotypically evil, others demonstrate surprising complexity.

Hong Kong in this story is fast-paced and glitzy. Kim takes readers from the luxury apartments of Repulse Bay to the bars of Lan Kwai Fong and over on the ferry to the karaoke brothels of Macau. He creates a vivid picture of a specific side of the city that is actually very real. I see hints of this world everyday, but this novel provides a peek into the back rooms and business deals of an elite sector of Hong Kong society. Even the most scrupulous characters must be willing to compromise their integrity in order to survive.

THE LINK:

Phillip Y. Kim blogs at Asia's One Percent.

THE COST:

I received a review copy of this book courtesy of Penguin China.

THE QUESTION:

Do you think it is possible to be extremely financially successful while always making ethical choices? Do you think that is different if you are in Hong Kong vs. New York vs. London vs. Singapore, etc.?