Our Recommendations - Literature

'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley

This book had a profound effect on me as a teenager. It is the future story of a society where the government controls everything, and people have lost their freedom. It talks a lot about how governments are becoming too powerful and civil liberties are being lost, and it also predicts how they might achieve this. Needless to say, this is a book which makes you think. It is not as well known that the famous '1984' by George Orwell, but I believe much better.

'The Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time' by Mark Haddon

A simply written book which has an unusual main character; a boy suffering from a mental illness. It is easy to follow but rewarding nonetheless, and is the winner of the Whitbread Book of the Year prize.

'The Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemingway

A classic short novel about one mans battle with the sea and a shark. A true classic. Easy to pick up in China in any foreign book store, and usually not expensive. Read the English version of course, as translated stories lose something of their essence.

'Freakonomics' by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

A fascinating look at how one man applies the laws of economics to everyday situations. An example chapter is 'What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?'

'The Count of Monte Christo' by Alexandre Dumas

An incredible story of betrayal and revenge. My personal favourite.