Waiting for the Barbarians
J.M. Coetzee
The theme of colonial imposition is central to the novel
Hong Kong Book Club
Archive by Year
A brief background of the HKBC
The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas
The story takes place in France, Italy, and islands in the Mediterranean during the historical events of 1815–1839 - the era of the Bourbon Restoration through the reign of Louis-Philippe of France.
A Brief History of Time
Stephen Hawking
Hawking takes readers on a journey through the history of cosmology, from ancient Greek philosophers to modern scientific theories.
Memories of My Melancholy Whores
Gabriel Garcia Márquez
The protagonist, who remains unnamed throughout the novel, is a solitary and introspective man who has never been in love.
Homage to Catalonia
George Orwell
Homage to Catalonia begins with Orwell's arrival in Barcelona in 1936, shortly after the outbreak of the civil war.
Invisible Cities
Italo Calvino
In a garden sit the aged Kublai Khan and the young Marco Polo—Mongol emperor and Venetian traveler. Kublai Khan sensed the end of his empire…
Cannery Row
John Steinbeck
The story revolves around the people living there, including Lee Chong, the local grocer. Doc, a marine biologist. And Mack, the leader of a group of derelicts.
Rhinoceros
Eugene Ionesco
Theater of the absurd. Throughout three acts, the inhabitants of a provincial French town turn into rhinoceroses.
Night of Wenceslas
Lionel Davidson
The Night of Wenceslas is the debut novel of British thriller and crime writer Lionel Davidson.
The Quiet American
Graham Greene
In Graham Greene's _The Quiet American_ it's 1955 and British journalist Thomas Fowler has been in Vietnam for two years covering the insurgency against French colonial rule.
Miss Lonelyhearts
Nathanael West
Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West is set in New York during the Great Depression, a time of economic hardship and social upheaval."
Narcissus and Goldmund
Hermann Hesse
…revolves around the complex and transformative friendship between two contrasting characters. Narcissus, an intellectual and monk, and Goldmund, a restless and artistic wanderer.
Trainspotting
Irvine Welsh
The narrative of the novel _Trainspotting_ by Irvine Welsh is presented through a series of interconnected short stories, each focusing on different characters within the group.
Kindred
Octavia Butler
Dana, a young Black American, and her white husband, Kevin, moving into their new home. Suddenly, Dana is yanked back in time to a Maryland plantation in the early 19th century.
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Joan Didion
A collection of essays divided into two sections - Life Styles in the Golden Land and Personals.
Zero K
Don DeLillo
Jeffrey Lockhart’s father, Ross, is a billionaire in his sixties, with a younger wife, Artis Martineau. Her health is failing.
The Peregrine
J.A. Baker
A British birder follows peregrine falcons and writes one of the most captivating nature books of the 20th century.
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
The story follows Charles Marlow, a sailor and narrator, as he recounts his journey into the heart of Africa to find the enigmatic ivory trader Kurtz.
The Crying of Lot 49
Thomas Pynchon
The story of Oedipa Maas and her investigations into a world of wild conspiracies. Then a stamp auction.
King Lear
William Shakespeare
…an aging King Lear who decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. But the consequences of this decision lead to a series of tragic events, etc.
The Satanic Verses
Salman Rushdie
A satirical work that revolves around two main characters, Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha, whose lives become intertwined in a series of surreal and fantastical events.
Any Human Heart
William Boyd
It is a fictional autobiography that follows the eventful life of the protagonist, Logan Mountstuart, during the 20th century.
To Set Prometheus Free
Anthony Grayling
summarizes the views of his fellow secularist Bertrand Russell
Traveler of the Century
Andres Neuman
Set in the early 19th century, _Traveler of the Century_ follows the travels of Hans, a young German traveler and translator…
Look Homeward, Angel
Thomas Wolfe
…a coming-of-age story that follows the protagonist, Eugene Gant, as he grows up in the fictional town of Altamont, North Carolina, during the early 20th century.