1. Shangsan, Shangsan, Love
(上山.上山.愛) By Li Ao (李敖)
The title refers to the names of the mother and daughter characters, who both fall in love with the same man, 30 years apart. The book was first published in 1984 as a serial for a Chinese-language magazine but was banned for its "provocative" content.
2. Hooligan Professor (流氓教授)
By Lin Chien-lung (林建隆)
This is an inspiring autobiography of a man who grew up in a bad environment, was arrested and convicted for attempted murder at the age of 23, but later found his calling and became an English professor.
3. Wisdom from Aesop's Fables
(伊索寓言的智慧)
Translated and revised by
Liu Yi-chun (劉怡君)
This is a collection of 120 stories translated from Aesop's Fables. The English versions of the stories are also included for the purpose of learning English.
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (哈利波特 II)
By J.K. Rowling
Translated by
Peng Chien-wen (
The long summer vacation has finally ended and Harry Potter can't wait to go back to magic school. But a string of strange and terrifying things take place and Harry must find the culprit behind them.
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (
By J.K. Rowling
Translated by Peng Chien-wen (
Mysterious letters lead the 11-year-old Harry Potter into a kingdom of sorcerers, who send their mail by owl messengers and travel on brooms.
6. Love Needs No Restraint
(
By Liu Yung (
A new collection of short inspirational stories from the US-based best-selling writer Liu Yung.
7. The Blue Day Book
(
By Bradley Trevor Greive
Translated by Chuang Ching-chun (
A collection of amusing animal photos as well as warm and inspirational texts designed to cheer anyone who's got the blues.
8. Say It To Your Heart
(
By Liu Yung (
A meditation by the maestro of inspirational books -- this time about speech and the right ways to express oneself.
9. All About Eve I, II
(愛上女主播 I, II)
Translated by
Yin Chen-yi (
The novels are an adaptation from a Korean TV series that defeated Endless Love (
10. Sky of the Gods: Greek and Roman Myths of the Zodiac
(
By Homer and Ovid
This is a retelling of Greek and Roman myths about the gods that rule the Zodiac signs.
11. The Works of Shakespeare
(
By William Shakespeare
A selection of the bard's works in Chinese translation.
12. Everything Is Difficult If You're Stupid (
Edited by the Grimm Press
This is a collection of 88 Chinese fables dating back to the Spring and Autumn period. The stories, all about fools and their foibles, deliver an abundance of moral lessons.
13. La Rive Gauche D'amour
(
By Wu Ruo-chuan (
As the title suggests, this book talks about history's most popular subject -- love. But despite its French title, the book is a Chinese original.
14. A Love Tree in the Black Forest (
By Cheng Hwa-jiuan (
The Germany-based author brings more amusing and heart-warming stories from her adopted home.
15. The Human Nature You Have To Know II (
By Liu Yung (
The author reveals the dark side of human nature through stories of events that happened to people around him. The book also looks at human weakness from a constructive perspective.
16. Yu Hsi's Poetry Collection I
(
By Yu Hsi (
It is not often that a book of poetry nudges its way into a bestseller list. Yu Hsi is known for his Buddhist-flavored works and some of his poems have been adapted into orchestral music.
17. Ruse of the Empty City (
By Cheng Wen-chin (
A history of China's legendary minister Chu-ke Liang (
18. Maokung Love Story
(
By Hiyawu (
Another fashionable love story from an author who initially made his name on the Internet. This time, the story begins with a heart-breaking message sent to a wrong mobile phone number.
19. Yesterday's Memories, A Clear Day's Leisure (
By Betty Wu (
An autobiographical piece about how Wu came out of her labyrinth of suicidal thoughts -- described in the light of her younger brother's suicide at the age of 24. The book also explores the social problems reflected in Taiwan's rising suicide rates.
20. Endless Love (
By Oh Soo-yeon (
Translated by Tung Yao (
A Chinese translation of a Korean soap opera series which has taken Taiwan airwaves by storm.
Source: Kingstone Books (金石堂書店)
The year was 1991. A Toyota Land Cruiser set out on a 67km journey up the Junda Forest Road (郡大林道) toward an old loggers’ camp, at which point the hikers inside would get out and begin their ascent of Jade Mountain (玉山). Little did they know, they would be the last group of hikers to ever enjoy this shortcut into the mountains. An approaching typhoon soon wiped out the road behind them, trapping the vehicle on the mountain and forever changing the approach to Jade Mountain. THE CONTEMPORARY ROUTE Nowadays, the approach to Jade Mountain from the north side takes an
Last week Joseph Nye, the well-known China scholar, wrote on the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s website about how war over Taiwan might be averted. He noted that years ago he was on a team that met with then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), “whose previous ‘unofficial’ visit to the US had caused a crisis in which China fired missiles into the sea and the US deployed carriers off the coast of Taiwan.” Yes, that’s right, mighty Chen caused that crisis all by himself. Neither the US nor the People’s Republic of China (PRC) exercised any agency. Nye then nostalgically invoked the comical specter
Relations between Taiwan and the Czech Republic have flourished in recent years. However, not everyone is pleased about the growing friendship between the two countries. Last month, an incident involving a Chinese diplomat tailing the car of vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) in Prague, drew public attention to the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) operations to undermine Taiwan overseas. The trip was not Hsiao’s first visit to the Central European country. It was meant to be low-key, a chance to meet with local academics and politicians, until her police escort noticed a car was tailing her through the Czech capital. The
April 15 to April 21 Yang Kui (楊逵) was horrified as he drove past trucks, oxcarts and trolleys loaded with coffins on his way to Tuntzechiao (屯子腳), which he heard had been completely destroyed. The friend he came to check on was safe, but most residents were suffering in the town hit the hardest by the 7.1-magnitude Hsinchu-Taichung Earthquake on April 21, 1935. It remains the deadliest in Taiwan’s recorded history, claiming around 3,300 lives and injuring nearly 12,000. The disaster completely flattened roughly 18,000 houses and damaged countless more. The social activist and