1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (
by J.K. Rowling, Translated by Peng Chien-wen (
Harry, now 14, comes in touch with his godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black, while Lord Voldemort and his sinister Death Eaters lurk on the Dark Side.
2. Little S' Braces Diary (
by Hsu Hsi-ti (
This is a hotchpotch diary of cartoon sketches, photos and poetry from pop singer and TV host Hsu Hsi-ti (
3. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (魔戒1-3)
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Translated by Chu Hsueh-heng (
The three-volume package of the Tolkien saga, featuring goblins, magicians and hobbits.
4. Lavender (薰衣草)
by Tu Hui-chuan, Chou Hsin-yi and Chou Hsin-Yi (
Another book of illustrated scribblings from a young triumvirate -- on the usual subject of young love. This one bears the distinction of refined art work and full-color printing.
5. The Hobbit (
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Translated by Chu Hsueh-heng (
In this prequel to the Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins sets out on an unintended adventure and finds a mysterious ring.
6. Murder on the Orient Express (
by Agatha Christie, Translated by Chen Yao-kuang (
A remarkable set of characters are brought together for a journey on the Orient Express train as it travels from Istanbul to Paris. But who murdered the American passenger? How will Hercule Poirot unravel the mystery?
7. 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.
8. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (
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.
9. A Guide to Happiness (早知道早幸福)
by Wu Tan-ju (
What kind of happiness do you want? The famous essayist published her first account of her own marital love. This is the guide you will need in the quest for happiness.
10. 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.
11. Mistletoe (懈寄生)
By Tsai Chih-heng (
A 120,000-character novel about how a research assistant makes a choice between two girls.
12. A Girl Called Feeling (
By Hiyawu (
The story began six years ago, when the boy accidentally met a cute girl at a cram school. He painstakingly courted her, but he found himself loved by another girl. How should he decide?
13. Say it to Your Heart II (
by Liu Yung (
A sequel to the successful inspirational book from the New York-based essayist Liu Yung.
14. Quidditch Through the Ages; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (
By J.K. Rowling
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 Harry's school, Hogwarts.
15. The Bible of Reincarnation: Part I (葬書: 上)
by Carmelita Chao (
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.
16. My Mother's Golden Watch (母親的金手錶)
By Chi-chun (琦君)
This is a collection of essays about the author's memories of her childhood and the time she shared with her mother.
17. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
By J.R.R. Tolkien
Translated by Chu Hsueh-heng (
In this first of the Tolkien trilogy and sequel to The Hobbit, young Frodo Baggins sets out with companions on a quest to rid the world of the evil ring of power.
18. Say it to Your Heart (把話說到心窩裡)
By Liu Yung (
A book for reflective minds from 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.
19. The Bible of Reincarnation: Part II (葬書: 下)
By Carmelita Chao (
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.
20. Love, the Happiest Belief (愛情, 最幸福的信仰)
By Wu Ruo-chuan (
It is a collection of 10 short love stories that will change your views about love forever.
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
The following three paragraphs are just some of what the local Chinese-language press is reporting on breathlessly and following every twist and turn with the eagerness of a soap opera fan. For many English-language readers, it probably comes across as incomprehensibly opaque, so bear with me briefly dear reader: To the surprise of many, former pop singer and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ex-lawmaker Yu Tien (余天) of the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association (TNCPA) at the last minute dropped out of the running for committee chair of the DPP’s New Taipei City chapter, paving the way for DPP legislator Su
It’s hard to know where to begin with Mark Tovell’s Taiwan: Roads Above the Clouds. Having published a travelogue myself, as well as having contributed to several guidebooks, at first glance Tovell’s book appears to inhabit a middle ground — the kind of hard-to-sell nowheresville publishers detest. Leaf through the pages and you’ll find them suffuse with the purple prose best associated with travel literature: “When the sun is low on a warm, clear morning, and with the heat already rising, we stand at the riverside bike path leading south from Sanxia’s old cobble streets.” Hardly the stuff of your
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby