Benders to Beeches

A particularly magical part of the world this country Victoria. A whole generation of cashed up hippie musicians and artists from Melbourne and flotillas of gorgeous and immaculate gay guys from the hospitality sector in Sydney have met half way (so to speak) and created a joyous outburst of fine dining and sweet living. God […]

Calcutta Cinema & Cemetery

Through the shining streets we walked, down alleys and lanes. Did Kolkata disappoint ? What do you think ? We were pondering the big issues and contemplating tiffin. Came back to the muddy earth just briefly before our heads were plunged into the glittering Stars again in the shape of the fabulous Park Show House. […]

Dislocated book report: The Sound and The Fury – William Faulkner

“…I could smell the curves of the river beyond the dusk and I saw the last light supine and tranquil upon the tide-flats like pieces of broken mirror, then beyond them lights began in the pale green air, trembling a little like butterflies hovering a long way off…” Kristen’s take: Our friend, Bob who we […]

Dislocated Book Report: The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad

Conrad takes you aboard, sits you down on the deck, and before your very astonished eyes pulls down the stars from the skies and drops them gently into your lap. Josef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski was born into a Polish noble family in the Ukraine, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire, though […]

Dislocated Book Report: The Glass Palace

We’re hooked on the Bengali writer Amitav Ghosh. We love the way he seamlessly weaves bizarre (but largely true) history, colourful and enormously engaging characters, exotic countries, elaborate customs and endlessly fascinating linguistics together to create an intricately woven fabric that shimmers and glistens and changes even as your eye takes it in. Once again […]

Hippie Book Report: Joseph Conrad – Chance

Joseph Conrad once said that every book he wrote cost him a tooth. He was mortally afraid of dentists (and who wouldn’t have been in those pre-anaesthetic days) and prefered to have them simply go bad on the gum and drop out of their own accord. Putting to one side this strangely disturbing lack of […]

The Dislocated Book Report: Sea of Poppies

Sea of Poppies – Amitav Ghosh, shortlisted for the Man Booker in 2008. The first in the Ibis trilogy (the others River of Smoke, Flood of Fire). A glorious, rollicking yarn in the time-honoured tradition of storytelling, Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies follows a disparate group of characters first individually and then together as they forge […]

Fiery Flamenco, Cool Jazz, Hot Hanoi.

Now Hanoi is just plain showing off, (and nobody is supposed to like a show off), but we L-O-V-E this bold, bitching, stylish, sophisticated city. A dreamy browse through an excellent second-hand bookshop, then a Phô Ga (chicken noodle soup with a Master’s Degree in exotic deliciousness). with chirping songbirds […]

South China Sea Change ?

Sick of your lifestyle ? All that Western Affluence feeling more like flatulence ? Does ennui concern you or have you given up caring ? Are first world problems getting you down ? You, my friend, may well need a sea change ? How about buying a second hand bookshop in beautiful Hoi An on […]