72) Lost Horizon by James Hilton four people involved in a plane crash find themselves in the legendary realm of Shangri-La the utopian paradise nestled in the Himalayas. I was hoping this to be more adventurous than what was delivered so I was a little disappointed, but still enjoyable.
73) All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque as someone who has always been interested in military history, this book has sat on my shelf for a few years unread. The book echoes one of my favourite Wilfred Owen poems ‘Anthem For Doomed Youth’ as they both deal with the horrors of war and how they affect the individual. This is perhaps best summarised by its opening: ‘This books is intended neither as an accusation nor as a confession, but simply as an attempt to give an account of a generation that was destroyed by war - even those of it who survived the shelling.’
74) Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K Rowling this is a reread. I’m not a huge fan of the series by any means, but this was more a means of escape from my usual reading of quite serious topics. This edition I read is the illustrated one, but designed for kindle-in-motion and so many of the pictures were animated which makes the experience all the more enjoyable especially if you have children. Sadly the others have yet to be done in this format as I imagine that process is rather long, but will look forward to seeing them when they do.
75) The Age of Confucian Rule: The Song Transformation of China by Dieter Kuhn this is the fourth book in the series on imperial China and the first written by a different author. Again for me while interesting, I was also hoping it was going to be a little more in-depth than what was delivered. This is great if you would like a quick overview, but certainly not what I expected.
76) The Troubled Empire:China in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties by Timothy Brook the fifth book of the series which again didn't meet my expectations. This is will be fine if you want a quick overview of the period, but like the previous books I wanted something more detailed. Especially given that the author only gave the quickest of overviews on the downfall of the Ming and didn’t mention Koxinga a half Japanese-half Chinese Ming loyalist who was also part of the resistance against the Qing Dynasty
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched they must be felt with the heart
