A.K. LEE

#bookreview #grimreader #death #dying I have reviewed one essay from this collection, but it occurred to me a few days after I'd posted that I didn't really introduce the book itself. This collection of writing is divided into seven parts. The first part is Reckonings, where different writers contemplate Death and how it pertains to life and living; they examine their attitudes to death and dying. Part two studies writers seeking out the right words at a time of grief or conf

“You weren’t to blame. Violence is the fault of the one enacting it. Always.” The second book in the Tensorate series, The Red Threads of Fortune by JY Yang follows Mokoya, the twin of Akeha. In The Black Tides of Heaven, readers were introduced to a world where science, eastern philosophy and magic are inexorably entwined, much as the twins Mokoya and Akeha were at the start, and then the story unveils the adventures that Akeha goes through separate from his sister, and the

“The saying goes, ‘The black tides of heaven direct the courses of human lives.’ To which a wise teacher said, ‘But as with all waters, one can swim against the tide.” I am rather late to the party, but with the thought that a book that's old to me may be new to someone else, and if another person picks up something I really enjoyed, then that’s all to the good. The Black Tides of Heaven was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novella, Locus Award for Best Novella, and Wor

In a world where some humans are evolving and developing special, even incredible, abilities, the Evolved Ones – EOs – face grave uncertainty and danger: it's a game of hide and seek that ends with far too many of their kind disappearing, permanently. In Awakening (Book 1), Rox awoke four years ago without a single memory of who she was or where she came from, and with the involuntary ability to heal. Speech and most of her higher level cognitive functions were working, but e

Nearly everyone has hands, which is why we don’t pay much attention to them. They’re such an essential part of our lives that we incorporate them into our language. ‘Lending a hand’, ‘forcing someone’s hand’, ‘getting out of hand’... Hand-related idioms pepper our everyday speech and written texts, and this is common across multiple languages. And that is how Leader’s book caught my attention. When something is such a core part of who we are, we don’t necessarily think about

also known as: What football will look like in the future, by Jon Bois I came across this speculative multimedia science fiction story quite by chance. A post congratulating 17776 on its second birthday popped up on one of my social media accounts, and I wondered what it was about. It's a simple story, told through various forms of visual media, about the nature of life, time, death, and uncertainty. (And American football.) It takes place in the far distant future, after the

Less of a review and more of a reflection, really. My copy of Good Omens Good Omens is on Amazon Prime. I haven’t watched it. There, it’s said. I have no doubt that Michael Sheen and David Tennant played the heck out of the roles of Aziraphale and Crowley, and that the miniseries hewed as closely as possible to the spirit of the book. I just can’t watch it yet, for sentimental reasons. I did, however, revisit the novel. The book pictured above is my third copy of Good Omens.

The story of The Assassin and the Pirate Lord follows Celaena and her companion, Sam, in a moment set before the series begins. Sent away after the death of some of Arobynn’s best, Celaena and Sam are charged with doing business with Pirate Lord, Captain Rolfe, and end up in a situation neither of them particularly likes… The slave trade. While I enjoyed the story and it’s nice to see that even when she was being ruthless, Celaena cared for people in need, I was annoyed with

(I've previously interviewed Julie Cohen on her book here) I had fun comparing the parallel lives of Louis and Louise, which is the central premise of the book. The subtle differences in how the characters viewed their family, their friends, their relationships, and the different paths taken despite having identical desires and ambitions are intriguing to ponder. Alternate universes and mental exercises as presented in this novel can help us explore aspects of our lives that

"Great and strange ideas transcending experience often have less effect upon men and women than smaller, more tangible considerations. " - H.G. Wells While I don't write science fiction, I enjoy reading it. To me, great science fiction uses the science only as a lens to amplify humanity and its foibles. When I was younger, I preferred the worlds of Jules Verne for their themes of hope, adventure and possibility. What else would be more relevant to a teenager? The works of H.G

Man believes in nothing until he destroys it. After The City Stained Red, I went on to devour The Mortal Tally, which is the second in the series. Following the events of the first, this book is the fallout of the decisions made by the protagonist and his band of misfits, and in this we see them straying further from one another. Personally, I much prefer this installment to the first. Without giving any spoilers, I feel that the characters now have time to breathe and take u

“Some things were so uncertain that the logical mind could not abide them. Some things were so uncertain that they must be made certain." - The City Stained Red, Sam Sykes This book could not be found in Singapore (at least, my searches in bookshops and the libraries turned up nothing), I could not purchase it as an ebook, and so I could only purchase via Amazon, a company whose services I am actively avoiding the use of. Basically, what I'm saying is that I was very adamant

“The universe doesn't allow perfection.” A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking I decided to revisit this book after almost a decade since I first read it. It’s definitely challenging for a non-scientist to follow along, but I remember being intrigued by some concepts when I first came across it; upon re-reading, I have not got any closer to really comprehending the concepts. Instead, I have more questions than before. And that, I think, is good. One fear I have is that I w

You know this poem. 'What Teachers Make', by Taylor Mali There are few things that get me on a good rant than teaching, and Taylor Mali's book that grew from this poem covers nearly all my complaints, save for a few Singapore-specific concerns. Teachers around the world share similar concerns, because our core beliefs are the same. At least, for those of us who care about educating the future generation. We believe that teaching is one of the most important professions in the

First, the world is filled with both good and evil -- was, is, will always be. Second, the barrier between good and evil is permeable and nebulous. And third, it is possible for angels to become devils and, perhaps more difficult to conceive, for devils to become angels. - Philip Zimbardo This book is not an easy read for anyone with empathy. Let's get that out of the way. Zimbardo discusses the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment and shares extracts from the diaries of the volun

It's the World Cup! I know, I know, I'm supposed to talk about my book review. There will be two below! I have an old favorite to share, and one that is fairly new (I read it in March). I have no excuse. I have been very lax in reading because a lot of things have transpired at the start of June, and then the World Cup began. Every four years, I transform from someone who doesn't give a damn about football (take your 'soccer' nonsense away from me) to someone who will persona

All the little angels rise up, rise up All the little angels rise up high! Night Watch, by Sir Terry Pratchett, along with a lilac pin and Dorami (Mi Mi) Unlike my other book reviews, this time I have taken a picture of my own copy of Sir Terry Pratchett's Night Watch, arguably one of the finest novels in the entire Discworld series. For me, it ranks among the top three, and it certainly is the best out of the Watch novels. Here's a fairly spoiler-free summary for those of yo

Their love was unstoppable. Their life was a lie. And that was how Julie Cohen's latest novel, Together, drew me into the story. This review will avoid spoilers because to give away any of it is a disservice to the story. Julie Cohen uses her carefully effortless writing to embrace readers into a loving life warmly knitted together by Robbie and Emily, before pulling at the stitches to reveal the core that had formed that loving relationship. Speaking as a reader, I was absor

This month was taken up with work commitments and Chinese New Year, hence I only managed to squeeze in one book. This book was one I grabbed by chance on a secondhand bookstore trip in London, near Victoria Station. (A narrow little space full of dusty tomes and pre-loved volumes, and the most wonderful dry smell of pages and words, all crammed into shelves and shelves and shelves that were near bursting.) (I love old bookstores.) For All Mankind was written by Leon Blum in 1

Only in silence the word, only in dark the light, only in dying life: bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky. - A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula Le Guin I wish I had read the Earthsea cycle earlier, yet I believe the books we read at any time are meant to be read at that time. And this time, I was meant to read about Ged, about Tenar of the Ring, about Arren, about Tehanu. Ursula Le Guin passed away not too long ago, leaving behind a trove of wisdom wrapped in stories. The