Jerome Parisse's Blog, page 23

A concise history of Hong Kong by John Carroll

As part of the research for my next novel, I've been reading A concise history of Hong Kong, by John Carroll, and I've learned a lot. The book was written with the general public in mind and is not full of technical and historical details only relevant to historians. The focus in on the days since the founding of the British colony in 1841. I wish there had been more about the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945, a period I am fascinated with, but overall I found the book very interesting. ...

Nicaragua, twenty years on…

I recently went back to Nicaragua to visit friends. It was twenty years since I had lived there myself, and I couldn't help reflect on the changes that have happened all over the country. I was twenty-four when I left Paris for Managua, staying away for two years and coming back changed deep inside. I had gone over there to work for a Franco-Nicaraguan cooperation programme, in lieu of my – then obligatory – military service in France (Given the choice between living in Central America for...

We all make mistakes, don't we?

I've made a big mistake tonight, but thankfully not one that will have much consequence. I went to the wrong movie! To start with, every time I see a film in Hong Kong, I think this will be the last. Watching a movie in Hong Kong is a food fest. It includes the usual popcorn, chips, Big Macs and other types of hamburgers… I've even seen someone eat a soup! Between the noise and the smell generated, it can easily detract from what you're seeing, especially non-action movies. But I like going t...

Serena – Ron Rash

Serena, by Ron Rash, is the story of a murderer. Serena is an extraordinarily strong woman with a purposely unknown past who marries George Pemberton, a wealthy logger in the North Carolina mountains. As soon as Serena sets foot in the mountains, she has a very strong influence on the workers and employees of the logging company, including her own husband. The two of them dispose of people as they wish and the number of people they murder or have murdered increases rapidly. When Serena...

Serena

Serena, by Ron Rash, is the story of a murderer. Serena is an extraordinarily strong woman with a purposely unknown past who marries George Pemberton, a wealthy logger in the North Carolina mountains. As soon as Serena sets foot in the mountains, she has a very strong influence on the workers and employees of the logging company, including her own husband. The two of them dispose of people as they wish and the number of people they murder or have murdered increases rapidly. When Serena...

The Peak @ Hong Kong

This morning I went for a walk (I should say a "climb") to the Peak. I live on the side of the mountain in Hong Kong and I have just one street to cross before finding myself in the forest, which is a bonus when you live in a built-up city like Hong Kong. It's an arduous walk all the way up to the peak but the views are rewarding, and you don't come across many people. Birds sing in the canopy and nature displays its tropical exuberance, an amazing fact when you look down at the city below...

Early works: Harlan Coben takes us for a ride

I feel cheated! And angry. I decided to swap genres for a change and chose a crime novel for my next read during my French holiday. I picked "Play Dead" by Harlan Coben at Heathrow (along "Serena" by Ron Rash, for which I will post a review soon), since I've always enjoyed Coben's crime novels. I find them usually well written, with a good plot and a number of twists that guarantee some suspense. True, there is a bit of formula in his writing, but it works. When I opened this...

The Devil of Nanking / Tokyo

Tokyo (or The Devil of Nanking, depending on which edition you're reading) by Mo Hayder is a book that is hard to put in a box, and that's not a bad thing. Some classify it as thriller, others as horror or even historical fiction. It's a little bit of everything. Thankfully, the horror side of it is not prevalent, it's just that some parts, especially towards the end of the story, are not for the faint-hearted. Tokyo is the story of Grey, a disturbed young British woman on the search for a...

Young and bold

As most of you may know, authors have to do much of their book promotion themselves these days. Unless you are famous and have the potential to sell millions of copies, publishers won't give you much help for book promotion. This is why I have been speaking to schools about my latest novel, "The Wings of Leo Spencer". To tell the truth, meeting with students and readers is also one of the highlights of being a writer. My audience is 9 to 14 year olds ,who offer a fresh approach to reading...

Let's vote for marriage!

I love this video! It's hilarious, but at the same time makes a valid point about why should gay marriage be allowed. Deaf readers can watch it too, as it is subtitled (another excellent point!).

Australia finally has a Government, after a few weeks of painful indecision. Labor has just made it. Sadly, in the year 2010, both main parties, the Liberals and Labor, hold the view that marriage should be only between a man and a woman. This is a tragic consequence of the Howard years. Will the...