Random books from betterthanchocolate's library

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo

The Book on the Bookshelf by Henry Petroski

Malaysian literature in English: A critical reader

The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland

Greenwitch by Susan Cooper

Millions of Cats (Gift Edition) (Picture Puffin Books (Paperback)) by Wanda Gag

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Interesting libraries: alharris, autumnc, brendaough, chitchens, climbingtree, doyouknowthewayto, dreamingtereza, HannahHolborn, Hera, hongkonger, houseofanansipress, kathrynnd, kjhill45, larissalai, lilituc, LynnB, matthewgriffin, perthreader, ripleyy, sfpirg, signature103, sungene, torontoc, TSARPublications

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Member: betterthanchocolate

CollectionsYour library (1,234), Currently reading (1), Wishlist (218), All collections (1,235)

Reviews17 reviews

Tagscanadian (396), novel (225), young adult (106), short story (95), top shelf (91), children's (90), read in 2007 (89), reference (74), poetry (71), english language teaching (67) — see all tags

Cloudstag cloud, author cloud

GroupsCBC's Canada Reads Fans, DimSum Thing, English majors!, Favorite Bookstores, Graduate Students, Hong Kong Bookies, Ontario Reads !, Read YA Lit, Reading Canada, Reading Globally

Favorite authorsKingsley Bolton, Roch Carrier, Geoffrey Chaucer, Wayson Choy, Lynn Coady, Matt Cohen, Brock Cole, Robertson Davies, Virginia Hamilton, Tomson Highway, Monica Hughes, Douglas Kerr, Jamaica Kincaid, Jen Lam, Philip Larkin, Margaret Laurence, Alistair MacLeod, Ian McEwan, Stuart McLean, Anne Michaels, Alice Munro, Francine Prose, Maurice Sendak, Carol Shields, John Updike, Fred Wah, Jim Wong-Chu, Rita Wong, Xu Xi (Shared favorites)

Favorite bookstoresAnother Story Bookshop, Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore [北京市外文书店], BMV (Yonge-Eglinton), Book Warehouse - Davie Street, Borneo Books 2, Cosmos Books (Wanchai), Eliot's Bookshop, Explore Sai Kung HQ, Flow Books and Music, Glad Day Bookshop, Hong Kong University Press Campus Showroom, Kubrick - Broadway Cinemateque, Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium, Livraria Portuguesa, Mabel's Fables, Paddyfield, Page One (Times Square), Swindon Books - Lock Road, Toronto Women's Bookstore, University of Toronto Bookstore

Favorite librariesBiblioteca Publica de Associacao Commercial de Macau, Broadway Cinemateque Film Library, Hong Kong Central Library, Hong Kong Public Library (Sai Kung), Macao Central Library (Instituto para os Assuntos Civicos e Municipais Building), The Chinese University of Hong Kong - Chung Chi College Elizabeth Luce Moore Library, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Library, Toronto Public Library - Lillian H. Smith (Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy), Toronto Public Library - North York Central Library, Toronto Public Library - Riverdale

Other favoritesIndependent Publishers of Hong Kong, Project Bookmark Canada, Lit City, The Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival

About meI'm a language teacher and grad student currently completing my MA in Asian Canadian literature. I enjoy reading literary fiction and maintain a reading interest in children's and young adult literature.

At the moment I'm doing some dedicated reading in critical theory, Asian Canadian writing and the history of the Chinese in Canada.

~November 2009~

About my libraryMostly literary fiction in the appealing trade paperback format where possible. There's also a smattering of work-related books on teaching ESL, and a growing collection of texts on critical theory and Asian North American studies.

There are quite a few books I've identified as potentially interesting but haven't yet assessed with a good old-fashioned flip-through. These are on my wishlist.

Happy reading in 2009.

Real nameChristine Ho

LocationHong Kong

Account typepublic, lifetime

Connection NewsConnection News

URLs http://www.librarything.com/profile/betterthanchocolate (profile)
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/betterthanchocolate (library)

Common KnowledgeSeries (104), Awards (351), Characters (1830), Places (369)

Member sinceJun 4, 2006

Currently readingIslands and Continents by Leung Ping-kwan

Most recent activity

betterthanchocolate added:
That Scatterbrain Booky by A. Hunter

betterthanchocolate added:
February by Lisa Moore

betterthanchocolate added:
Extraordinary Canadians Lucy Maud Montgomery (Hardcover) by Jane Urquhart

betterthanchocolate added:
Not Yet: A Memoir of Living and Almost Dying by Wayson Choy

betterthanchocolate added:
The Incident Report by Martha Baillie

betterthanchocolate added:
Extraordinary Canadians Glenn Gould (Hardcover) by Mark Kingwell

hell, i was browsing through the recommendations and see you've recommended Loenard Cohen's 'Book of Longing'.

so, there's a tip. Phillip Glass & Leonard Cohen worked on a 2 -CD set, also called 'Book of Longing'. Be forewarned, it's a bit odd, but you may love it.

so smile, and dance everyday,

tc

posted by tcw at 10:38 am (EST) on Aug 27, 2009

I was just poking through your library a bit and we really do have a lot of CanLit in common! I've been re-reading Vinyl Cafe stories this year, and I'm just arranging to get my tickets to the Christmas show in late November. Can't wait! I saw him a couple of years ago, but couldn't make it last year. Have you seen him live?

Let's see... recommendations... Have you read anything by Bonnie Burnard? A Good House is fantastic - just the story of a family and all it's complications, but told in a small town, very detailed way that actually reminds me a bit of a combination between Carol Shields/Alice Munro and Stuart McLean. I also read The Gargoyle fairly recently, which was also incredible. Strange subject matter, but if you're comfortable reading about the redemption of a pornographer who is healed by a crazy woman, it's great!

I'm happy to see you've got a bunch of Will Ferguson in your library too. I love him. I have Spanish Fly in my TBR pile, so hopefully I'll get to it soon. I loved Happiness, although really I've enjoyed everything of his I've read, even Canadian History for Dummies. Actually, have you read the memoir (of sorts) he wrote with his brother Ian? Also very good. I can't remember if I saw it in your library or not, but it's called Village of the Small Houses.

Who are your favourites? Any recommendations for me? :)

Krista

posted by kjhill45 at 1:41 am (EST) on Aug 20, 2009

Hi there! Sorry for taking a month to respond to your question about Stuart McLean and When We Were Young. If you're a fan of Canadian Literature, and judging by your profile you definitely are, you'll enjoy it. It's basically a collection of stories/excerpts from major and minor Canadian authors about childhood, and of course, some stories are better than others. Probably my favourite part of the book was actually the introduction, written by McLean. There's just something about his writing that is so comforting, and it's almost like he's reading it to you. Or maybe that's just because I've heard him so often when he's storytelling on the CBC. The whole anthology is worth a read though!

Happy reading!

Krista

posted by kjhill45 at 1:38 am (EST) on Apr 25, 2009

Me again....I love your "cat" picture. My beloved cats both passed away this spring.....I miss them so much. Every bibliophile needs a cat I think and I will not be long without one......am visiting the Animal Rescue League building soon!!!!

posted by brendaough at 8:21 pm (EST) on Apr 20, 2009

Oh...I forgot to say that I read The Book of Negroes which won CBC CAnada Reads. I loved it and would recommend it. Again...a Martime connection. I grew up around homes along the St. John River Valley which had been settled by Loyalists during the American Revolution. I knew that Black Loyalists had also come to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia but I guess I was pretty naive in thinking that they were treated better here than in the States.

posted by brendaough at 8:19 pm (EST) on Apr 20, 2009

Hello! Thanks for sending me the information on Michael Ondaatje. I love his books.....especially Anil's Ghost and The English Patient. I am reading John Bayley's biography of Iris Murdoch....An Elegy for Iris. It's a beautiful memoir of love, the need for "solitude", and of course, the sadness of her disease. Being an artist, I was particularly interested in the chapter that dealt with their friendship with a Maritime artist by the name of Alex Colville. He was associated for years with Mount Allison University..which was my alma mater.....and still paints (magical realism) in Nova Scotia, although he must be in his late eighties now. I suppose I will pick up some Iris Murdoch when I finish the biography.

posted by brendaough at 8:16 pm (EST) on Apr 20, 2009

Thanks Christine. Nice to see so many local book lovers!

posted by hongkonger at 10:16 am (EST) on Apr 2, 2009

Your book collection is every interesting. Thanks for sharing.

posted by TheBookAttic at 9:44 am (EST) on Feb 23, 2009

I enjoyed your collection as well. I finished De Niro's game fairly recently and am looking forward to Cockroach (I heard him read in Winnipeg and was lucky enough to get a signed copy). I just picked up Blackstrap Hawco on Friday - couldn't resist it in the bookstore despite the 800 plus pages. Have you read his other books?

posted by mkunruh at 12:08 am (EST) on Jan 4, 2009

I haven't read Fred Wah yet. Will look out for his books!

Hannah

posted by HannahHolborn at 11:53 am (EST) on Nov 16, 2008

If you liked the introspective parts of Native Speaker, I'd also recommend Susan Choi's books. Her most recent, Person of Interest, is a fictionalized account of an Asian American man who was under suspicion of being the Unabomber. Her writing smacks of Philip Roth, of all people, but only because of its density and inner voice.

posted by sungene at 1:49 pm (EST) on Nov 10, 2008

Another wonderful book in the Asian-Canadian category is The End of East by Jen Sookfong Lee.

Hannah

posted by HannahHolborn at 11:44 am (EST) on Nov 6, 2008

Hi Christine, I never read the Fred Wah book, but I shall. In the Asian-Canadian category, the book I liked best was Jade Peony, by Wayson Choy. The narrative of a boy's coming of age and identity issues is somewhat typical, but with a twist, and he writes well. Probably my favorite AA book of all time would have to be Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston, closely followed by East Goes West, by Younghill Kang (the latter because it's a very early, and literary, Korean American memoir). I'll let you know what I think about the Fred Wah. I like the idea of bio-fiction, since most fiction has some biographical basis. Nice to hear from you, and cute kitty.

posted by sungene at 1:04 pm (EST) on Sep 15, 2008

Hi - thanks for your comment!

About a million years ago I figured I'd better put my money where my mouth was when it came to Canadian culture, and really got reading. I don't actually know many people who are into CanLit, but I love it. I also have a huge fondness for Newfoundland authors, so you'll see a lot of them in my library. But I guess you know all about Atlantic Canadian fiction, seeing as you read Lynn Coady, Lisa Moore and Donna Morrisey! :)

I've read Wayson Choy's books, but not Fred Wah's. I'll have to look out for him. Actually, I just finished Mary Lawson's "The Other Side of the Bridge" and was fairly mesmerized. Have you read anything by Wayne Johnston?

Happy reading!

posted by kjhill45 at 12:29 am (EST) on Jul 12, 2008

Hi Christine,

Thanks for your note. I always leave the folders open for additional discussion, so please feel free to pop in to give us your take on Peony in Love. The folder itself may be in the "Previous Discussions" area, but it will be open. :)

You mentioned Canadian titles...I am really looking forward to "What Happened Later" by Ray Robertson. We'll be reading and discussing that in September; the author will also be online with us blogging and answering question throughout that month too. Should be good!

Safe trip,
Dawn

posted by BookBuzz at 6:28 pm (EST) on May 21, 2008

Hi,
Thank you for adding me to your interesting libraries.
Cyrel

posted by torontoc at 10:54 pm (EST) on May 8, 2008

Hi Christine,

The Outlander discussion will go into April, I am sure. We had a couple of book clubs competing for copies here at TPL, so some of the other Book Buzz members are just getting started on the novel, too. I'll leave the folder open, so don't hesitate to pop in! :)

Cheers,
Dawn

posted by BookBuzz at 10:31 am (EST) on Mar 27, 2008

Hi Christine,

My name is Dawn Connolly and I am a LibraryThing member and a librarian at Toronto Public Library. I see that you have included “The Outlander” in your library. I run an online book club called Book Buzz and this month we are just getting into a discussion of the book. It’s a friendly group, very relaxed, and we’d love to hear from you, too.

Our website is: http://bookbuzz.torontopubliclibrary.ca

We are also very lucky to be hosting a live online chat with the author, Gil Adamson, on Thursday, March 27, 12 noon- 1 pm (local time). Please feel free to join in.

Thanks,
Dawn

posted by BookBuzz at 5:51 pm (EST) on Mar 19, 2008

Hello again...I loved The Jane Austen Book Club movie....my best friend is an Austen fanatic so of course we had to take it in. I have been reading some nonfiction lately....some of Jimmy Carter's books and some biographies. My son's girlfriend gave me The Thirteenth Tale for Christmas and I am quite eager to start that. Do you still have your cats? I have been "cat-sitting" two beautiful chocolate colored cats for my sister....it is so interesting to watch the dynamics going on between them and my cats....quite a bit of anxiety over territory at first which thankfully resolved itself!!!! Going back to books...I went to hear Heather O'Neill read from her award winning book Lullabies for Little Criminals at the University of New Brunswick....she is soooo young to have such success. She read a little from the novel and then read an interesting short story. She is very talented but I was glad that Michael Ondaatje won the Governor General Award....I am a big fan of his...! bye for now, Brenda

posted by brendaough at 9:52 pm (EST) on Jan 1, 2008

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