1. 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.
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Ezkaban (
By J.K. Rowling
Translated by Peng Chien-wen (
The action begins in this third episode of the Harry Potter series when the young wizard "accidentally" causes the dreadful Aunt Marge to inflate like a balloon and float to the ceiling. Fearing punishment, Harry lunges out into the darkness with his trunk and his owl, Hedwig, beginning a journey that will have children and adults cheering.
3. Harry Potter II (哈利波特 II)
By J.K. Rowling
Translated by Peng Chien-wen (彭倩文)
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 begin to happen, and Harry must find the culprit behind them.
4. Quidditch through the Ages; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
(
By J.K. Rowling
For all fans of Harry Potter, Quidditch through the Ages is the reference book that Harry Potter borrows from the school library; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the assigned textbook for all first graders at at Harry's school, Hogwarts.
5. Mistletoe (懈寄生)
By Tsai Chih-heng (蔡智恆)
A 120,000-character novel about how a research assistant makes a choice between two girls.
6. The Bible of Reincarnation: Part I (葬書: 上)
By Carmelita Chao (趙慧娟)
A mystical novel from the Hong Kong-born teacher of meditation who spent much of her life in Taiwan and is now based in the San Francisco area.
7. Wisdom from Aesop's Fables (索寓言的智慧)
Translated and revised by Liu Yi-chun (劉怡君)
A collection of 120 stories translated from Aesop's Fables. The English versions of the stories are also included.
8. Going Left, Going Right (向左走*向右走)
By Jimmy (幾米)
One in Jimmy's popular series of cartoon sketches and literary musings.
9. Love in the Moonlight (
By Wu Ruo-chuan (吳若權)
Another book from one of Taiwan's best-selling essayists on life.
10. Harvard Girl -- Liu Yiting (哈佛女孩劉亦婷)
By Liu Weihua and Zhang Xinwu (劉衛華, 張欣武)
A book dedicated to all parents who love their children. Liu Yiting was awarded scholarships to four famous US universities and has become the new idea student in China. Liu's parents, influenced by the book, Early Education and Genius, describe how they educated their daughter.
11. The Toast Boy's Kiss (吐司男之吻)
By Chi Hsi-lin (齊錫麟)
A love story adopted from a popular TV series about a high school girl who falls in love with a gangster's son in a summer.
12. Lost Souls and Fallen Spirits (失魂落魄)
By Carmelita Chao (趙慧娟)
Another mystical novel from the Hong Kong-born meditation teacher in discussing "karma" -- which regards the doctrine of fate as the inflexible result of cause and effect.
13. Lady! Don't Be Angry (小姐小姐別生氣)
By Liu Yung (劉墉)
One of Taiwan's best-selling essayists tells you all the things a girl should know.
14. Lonesome Like You (妳，這樣寂寞)
By Tsai Shih-pin (蔡詩萍)
The author, editor in chief of the United Evening News, tries to analyze lonely women from the male perspective.
15. A Message from the Spiritual World (靈界訊息)
By Carmelita Chao (趙慧娟)
A novel about the mysteries of love and life, with a focus on a cursed female journalist's horrifying story.
16. Say it to Your Heart (把話說到心窩裡)
By Liu Yung (劉墉)
A meditation by the maestro of inspirational books -- this time about speech and the right ways to express oneself, as the famous New York-based essayist teaches you the art of speaking through vivid stories and examples.
17. The Moon Has Forgotten (月亮忘記了)
By Jimmy (幾米)
Another one in Jimmy's popular series of cartoon sketches and literary musings, which tells the story of a lonely boy.
18. This is My Answer (這是我的答案)
By Teng Ching-shu (藤井樹)
A male university student meets a girl with beautiful, long hair and a sweet voice in a bookstore. He wants to turn the precious, short encounter into an everlasting love story.
19. Early Education and Genius (早期教育與天才)
By Kimura, Kuichi (木村久一)
Translated by Chen Hui-li (陳惠莉)
The book, first published by the Japanese author in 1916, advocates the importance of early education for a child.
20. The Bible of Reincarnation, Part II (葬書: 下)
By Carmelita Chao (趙慧娟)
The second installment from the Hong Kong-born meditation teacher.
-- Kingstone Books
In the March 9 edition of the Taipei Times a piece by Ninon Godefroy ran with the headine “The quiet, gentle rhythm of Taiwan.” It started with the line “Taiwan is a small, humble place. There is no Eiffel Tower, no pyramids — no singular attraction that draws the world’s attention.” I laughed out loud at that. This was out of no disrespect for the author or the piece, which made some interesting analogies and good points about how both Din Tai Fung’s and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) meticulous attention to detail and quality are not quite up to
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) hatched a bold plan to charge forward and seize the initiative when he held a protest in front of the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office. Though risky, because illegal, its success would help tackle at least six problems facing both himself and the KMT. What he did not see coming was Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (將萬安) tripping him up out of the gate. In spite of Chu being the most consequential and successful KMT chairman since the early 2010s — arguably saving the party from financial ruin and restoring its electoral viability —
It is one of the more remarkable facts of Taiwan history that it was never occupied or claimed by any of the numerous kingdoms of southern China — Han or otherwise — that lay just across the water from it. None of their brilliant ministers ever discovered that Taiwan was a “core interest” of the state whose annexation was “inevitable.” As Paul Kua notes in an excellent monograph laying out how the Portuguese gave Taiwan the name “Formosa,” the first Europeans to express an interest in occupying Taiwan were the Spanish. Tonio Andrade in his seminal work, How Taiwan Became Chinese,
Toward the outside edge of Taichung City, in Wufeng District (霧峰去), sits a sprawling collection of single-story buildings with tiled roofs belonging to the Wufeng Lin (霧峰林家) family, who rose to prominence through success in military, commercial, and artistic endeavors in the 19th century. Most of these buildings have brick walls and tiled roofs in the traditional reddish-brown color, but in the middle is one incongruous property with bright white walls and a black tiled roof: Yipu Garden (頤圃). Purists may scoff at the Japanese-style exterior and its radical departure from the Fujianese architectural style of the surrounding buildings. However, the property
RSS