When was the last time you read a good book? I enjoy reading, but read less than I would like for pleasure. It is partly finding time, and also (if the book is serious) the effort of focussing on something not work related. But recently I have read several good books:
Ari Shavit’s My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel, tells the story of Israel’s nation building and the conflict with the Palestinians through personal stories.
Operation Thunderbolt, by Saul David, is about the spectacular Israeli commando raid on Entebbe airport in Uganda, to rescue hostages after an aircraft hijacking, which happened exactly 40 years ago.
A Rage for Order, by Robert Worth, is about the Arab Spring, and how things have gone since then. Also told through personal stories, it brings home vividly the passions and struggles that combined to cause the upheavals in the Middle East.
I read these books partly because of my April trip to Jordan, Israel, and the Palestine Territories.
Having just been on holiday in Japan, and visited the tomb of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the daimyo (warlord) who unified Japan and founded the Tokugawa shogunate, I am now starting on a biography of him. Shogun, the Life of Tokugawa Ieyasu, by A L Sadler, was published long ago in 1937, but promises a fascinating read.
The National Library Board, Singapore encourages Singaporeans to read more, read widely and read together. They have launched a five-year National Reading Movement, and are offering more than 170 literary programmes and reading activities island-wide, in its annual “Read! Fest” which culminates in National Reading Day on 30 July.
You can find out more about the events here: www.nationalreadingmovement.sg. Happy reading! - LHL
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