TALK & READ

Books, more books and other reading.

So you want to improve your English Language Skills. One way, and possibly the best way, is to read. But what? To help you and others choose well, all the Friends of ELST are asked to suggest appropriate and interesting books. Here are some suggestions: Send us your suggestions and comments, comments about books or anything else. We will put them on the website.

Title, Author and Recommendation	Posted By
Mind of the Strategist (and Borderless World) by Kenichi Ohmae Ohmae, a former McKinsey consultant, writes on globalisation and business strategy	Raj
Brave New World by A. Huxley Interesting futurist novel that is, perhaps, coming true?
Tale of two cities by Charles Dickens Classic novel
Trieste by Jan Morris Nice short travel book
Everest by Jan (James) Morris The adventure of the first ascent
Statecraft by Margaret Thatcher Solid political realism
Globalization and its discontents by Joseph Stiglitz Good critique by Nobel economist of the IMF
The Great Game (and other books) by Peter Hopkirk Must read for an evocative British-empire-style account of high intrigue in Central Asia in the 19th century (good to reflect on now that the area is heating up again)
Autobiography by M.K. Gandhi Honest and inspirational
“Whatever” by Michel Houellebecq Highly unusual book. Sort of modern French existentialism…
The Political Animal by Jeremy Paxman Largely English-focused, but irreverent and worth a read
The English by Jeremy Paxman Interesting overview of English identity angst
The Happy Prince and other stories by Oscar Wilde These are all short and bitter-sweet, the English may be a little dated but is as elegant and elaborate as Tibetan can be. These often have a strong moral, but are none the less enjoyable for this. O.W. takes such delight in poetics, it’s impossible not to be charmed.	Tansy
The Little Prince (trans. From the French) by Antoin St. Exupery This is a wonderful children’s story for grown ups, simple yet acutely philosophical and in many ways pretty Buddhistic. I loved it more the older I grew. Read it in Dhrarmsala this summer (found it in the TCV Junior section library) and it probably made me cry. Intense and beautiful.
The Economist (weekly magazine) The Economist is famous, throughout the English-speaking world, for its content and its style. Politics, economics, culture, literature art, it is all there in short, well written, articles and reports. The Economist is available in print and online.	Bill
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro A profound and heart-rending study of personality, class and culture as Britain reaches the end of an era, before, during and after World War II, 1939-45. Kazuo Ishiguro brings to his subject a clarity of vision and an elegant simplicity of style which perhaps only a writer whose first language is not English can achieve.
The Crisis of Islam by Bernard Lewis Bernard Lewis defines and describes one of the great problems of our time. Although a distinguished scholar and academic, he writes with simplicity and directness. This book is a “must read” for anyone, and especially Tibetans, interested in global political, religious and cultural issues.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Steinbeck is one of the great American authors of the mid 20th century. Whilst set in a particular time and place, California in the Depression, it deals powerfully with eternal human dilemmas. Of Mice and Men is a short book that can change both your life and your English language skills.
Buddha by Karen Armstrong Karen Armstrong used to be a Christian, Roman Catholic, nun. She studies and writes extensively about world religions. Her writing style is elegant, clear and very understandable. This book on the life of the Buddha provides a clear and stimulating picture of connections with other religions and philosophies.