20th February Newsletter
What’s On At Veranda
Welcome, welcome! What a week for so many communities around the world – and in our own corner of central London. The commencement of Lent, Ramadan and the Lunar New Year, periods of spiritual reflection, rejuvenation and commemoration. The symbols on display – the crescent moons and lanterns, crosses, dragons (Veranda window display!), the colour red – demonstrate the power of storytelling and the beauty of the collective imagination. Whether you’re celebrating, commemorating, or just observing, we wish you and yours peace and joy at this significant time of the year.
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This week’s writers…
Spotlight on China
- Breakneck by Dan Wang Highly-regarded technology writer Wang spent the last 6 years in China witnessing its messy, miraculous growth and declining relations with the West up close. A brilliant blend of political, economic and societal analysis.
- Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China by Yuan Yang Born in China, raised in the UK, Yang returned to her homeland as a journalist and brings us this intimate account of the lives of 4 women born in the late 80s/90s. Through this lens, Yang exposes the seismic shifts in Chinese society and their impact on the population.
- Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick The gripping true story of separated twins and their respective fates in China and the USA, this book asks questions about the consequences of the one-child policy and tackles assumptions about the quality of life in the East vs West. Demick’s seminal book on North Korea, Nothing to Envy was shortlisted for – and won – a number of prizes, and this outstanding book looks set to be similarly garlanded.
- Emperor of the Seas: Kublai Khan and the Making of China by Jack Weatherford For history buffs wanting a deeper understanding of just how deeply-rooted China’s influence is, this is a vibrant account of how the grandson of Genghis Khan conquered China and established the most powerful navy in the world.
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An evening with Anna Pazos
Our Recommended Reads
Jean by Madeleine Dunnigan
Set over the heatwave summer of 1976, this hypnotic book introduces us to Jean, a 17-year-old contrarian outsider who arrives at an alternative all-male boarding school known to its pupils as ‘The House of Nutters’. Jean struggles to fit in until he meets the confident, wealthy and self-possessed Tom. As Jean is drawn into Tom’s orbit, the bond between the two boys grows, and Jean starts to reckon with his past. This is a heady read which may feel like a classic awkward teenage coming-of-age story but is ultimately about how first love shapes you forever.
Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
Emily’s recommendation this week is Victorian Psycho. She has this to say: This is the most fun I’ve had reading a book! A brilliantly-written and darkly funny pastiche of the Victorian novel. It ramps up the tension through and is full of murderous rage and intent. It’s great to read a book with a villainous ant-hero that ends in a great gory crescendo. Highly recommend as a deranged escapist read.
What we’re loving this week…
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