https://www.scmp.com/rss/318497/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jo Lusby Jo Lusby When Shonee Mirchandani returned to Hong Kong from London two decades ago to help run the family bookshop business, Bookazine, the first thing she saw were the romance novels occupying the prime real estate beside store entrances. “The walls were floor to ceiling romance,” she recalls. “No bestsellers, non-fiction or prizewinners – it was all these old-fashioned steamy romance books.” Charged with reinvigorating the bookselling chain, Mirchandani and sister Arti lost no time in ordering a... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3281326/why-steamy-romance-novels-are-making-comeback-beyond-booktok-it-ends-us-bridgerton?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3281326/why-steamy-romance-novels-are-making-comeback-beyond-booktok-it-ends-us-bridgerton?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Oct 2024 04:15:07 +0000 Holidays and reading go together like suntans and sunscreen, flights and delays, passports and control. And while bookshops may be vanishing from high streets across the globe, they are still fixtures at most major airports. This sacred pairing of book and holiday is nothing new; it’s not even modern, according to British academic Anthony Bale. As he writes in his fascinating study of medieval holiday habits, A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages (2023): “To travel was to read, to read was to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3270579/your-summer-reads-2024-sorted-beach-lounging-long-plane-rides?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3270579/your-summer-reads-2024-sorted-beach-lounging-long-plane-rides?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2024 00:00:12 +0000 Trying to buy a book for someone who loves to both run and read can be tough. They have probably read all the classics, like Born To Run and Eat and Run, already. But 2022 was a great year for new books, if you want to surprise a loved one with a thoughtful gift this Christmas. Solo: What Running Across Mountains Taught Me About Life by Jenny Tough Tough ran across six mountain ranges on six continents: Tien Shan (Asia), the High Atlas (Africa), the Bolivian Andes (South America), the Southern... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/how-guides/article/3202811/best-running-books-2022-christmas-presents-runners-who-love-read?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/how-guides/article/3202811/best-running-books-2022-christmas-presents-runners-who-love-read?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Dec 2022 03:50:48 +0000 When was the last time you read a real good book? To be honest, nowadays it is really rare to see people read for pleasure any more. And it is almost impossible to get young people to read books as it is generally perceived to be a habit for older or nerdy people, or those who do not have a life. I remember when I was travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1989, almost everyone in the dining car (myself included) was reading Riding the Iron Rooster – a travel book by Paul Theroux. The book... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3004146/best-books-paperless-digital-age-are-people-stories-tell-are-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3004146/best-books-paperless-digital-age-are-people-stories-tell-are-you?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Apr 2019 09:32:44 +0000 With children’s books containing so-called LGBT themes withdrawn from the “open” shelves in Hong Kong’s public libraries, a place that was once a source of joy to all has now become a place where a wide range of diversity can never exist (“What ‘closed stacks’ for LGBT books at Hong Kong public libraries reveal about the city’s government”, July 3). The library is a place where we can sit down and relax; where we can refresh our minds and start again. A place where we used to get new inspiration... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2154806/hiding-lgbt-themed-childrens-books-hong-kong-libraries-moved-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2154806/hiding-lgbt-themed-childrens-books-hong-kong-libraries-moved-against?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jul 2018 08:30:17 +0000 I am writing to address the lack of interest in literary appreciation among Hong Kong students, which may fail to prepare them for the future demands of our globalised world. Hong Kong students see the languages as examination subjects instead of a platform for exploration. In class, they hone their writing skills and grammar with structured writing and drills. Out of class, students do not like to read books. In the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), Hong Kong ranked... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2150961/how-hong-kong-children-can-read-their-way-excellence-globalised?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2150961/how-hong-kong-children-can-read-their-way-excellence-globalised?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Jun 2018 03:00:50 +0000 I am writing in response to the article, “China bookshops offer an old-school reading experience in the digital age” (May 28), about the resurgence of modern bricks-and-mortar bookshops in mainland China. In the digital era, being tech-savvy seems to be the way to survive. Using a “dumbphone” on the street, you become the centre of ridicule; reading a novel in a train, you will probably hear whispers that you want to look scholarly and gain respect. It is no wonder that stalwart supporters of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2148623/what-hong-kong-can-learn-chinas-bookshop-cafes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2148623/what-hong-kong-can-learn-chinas-bookshop-cafes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 May 2018 09:40:19 +0000 I am writing in response to the Hong Kong government’s recent announcement of a HK$48 million school book funding programme. The HK$40,000 and HK$70,000 annual book purchase subsidy will be distributed to primary and secondary schools, respectively, from the next school year, and is expected to help encourage students to read more. It will also be used to promote reading culture through different sorts of activities. However, I do not think this plan will really be useful. Every Hong Kong school... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2146173/how-hong-kong-can-get-children-read-more-its-not-about-buying-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2146173/how-hong-kong-can-get-children-read-more-its-not-about-buying-more?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 May 2018 08:16:52 +0000 I welcome the Hong Kong government’s revival of its book subsidy to schools to have pupils read more (“Hong Kong government launches HK$48 million school book funding programme”, April 17).  This move is timely, given that Hong Kong has lost its leading position in international reading literacy, dropping to third place behind Russia and Singapore in 2016.  But even if we see it as still a high ranking, that does not necessarily imply that Hong Kong people have a great interest in reading.  I... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2145317/hong-kongs-revival-book-subsidy-schools-highlights-commitment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2145317/hong-kongs-revival-book-subsidy-schools-highlights-commitment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 May 2018 08:07:46 +0000 Hong Kong is a fast-paced metropolis. Citizens who breathe the capitalist air of this society would rather spend most of their time earning money or browsing their mobile phone to ease stress. People in Hong Kong do not really have a reading habit any more. The majority these days lack the motivation to read, with the result that the culture of reading itself is beginning to fade in the city. We may still find some traces of this culture in parks or sitting-out areas, where the elderly read the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2144339/how-hong-kong-can-reconnect-lost-art-reading?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2144339/how-hong-kong-can-reconnect-lost-art-reading?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 May 2018 08:52:14 +0000 The decline of the printed word may seem like a foregone conclusion, but politicians, officials and showbiz personalities gathered for Hong Kong’s Golden Book Awards on Wednesday were convinced it is only a matter of time before ink makes a comeback. The fourth “Oscars of books”, as organisers have dubbed it, an annual event held since 2014 that recognises the work of local authors, became a star-studded occasion this year as high-profile winners picked up trophies. The winners are nominated by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2113182/print-will-make-comeback-say-politicians-showbiz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2113182/print-will-make-comeback-say-politicians-showbiz?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Sep 2017 07:02:08 +0000 There's a lot to chew on in more than 250 pages of analysis from the thematic investment team at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch on the topic of global food security and how to devise an investment strategy that would help feed the world. Some truly staggering statistics are contained in this report, not least the bank's estimate of how much the chronic undernourishment of 805 million people reduces global economic output by - a huge US$2 trillion. Also that the world must produce 70 per cent more... https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1770585/investment-ideas-help-feed-world-and-deliver-food-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1770585/investment-ideas-help-feed-world-and-deliver-food-security?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2015 09:08:34 +0000 A new book from former US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson provides his take on how the world's two biggest economies can work more effectively together. "We face daunting challenges in today's increasingly complex and interconnected world," Paulson writes. "Our task will be much more difficult, if not impossible, to solve if the world's two most important economic powers work against each other." He's given us 400 pages of views on how to get it right in "Dealing with China". https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1770575/hank-paulsons-prescriptions-dealing-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1770575/hank-paulsons-prescriptions-dealing-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2015 08:39:07 +0000 Mega-deals is the answer according to this comprehensive, graphics-rich analysis by specialist outfit, Mergermarket. mergermarkettrendreport.q12015.chinahongkong.pdf Some 320 transactions valued collectively at US$117.3 billion is the strongest first quarter on record and, according to Mergermarket data, worth more than all the deals done in the entire calendar year of 2007. Li Ka-shing's move to restructure his Cheung Kong empire was the major market driver, worth US$40.8 billion on its... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1770543/what-really-drove-q1-ma-activity-record-china-and-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1770543/what-really-drove-q1-ma-activity-record-china-and-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2015 08:14:23 +0000 Powerful, data-rich analysis of the current conditions in China's economy from the always readable Andy Rothman, investment strategist at money manager Matthews Asia. "Understanding why China is slowing, and the long-term benefits of the restructuring policies that are contributing to that slowdown, is important to understanding China’s impact on the global economy, and on an investor’s portfolio," writes Rothman. That seems a fairly uncontroversial statement. Click the link for the full... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1768640/irrational-expectations-and-chinese-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1768640/irrational-expectations-and-chinese-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2015 07:56:09 +0000