Red Needle's Tropical Passions: Bookworm

I've always been a bookworm... Ever since my early childhood... I love my late parents for introducing me to the world of books. I remember my every first book was Little Red Riding Hood... and that scary wolf!!! :) I grew up on a farm and the farm was surrounded by fields and forest. Of course I 'saw' wolves everywhere! :) I read the book into pieces, over and over again!

Later on it was Enid Blyton's The Famous Five, Edward Stratemeyer's The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew etc. I also remember I had a Zane Grey book, but that one was stolen by a class fellow and I never got it back! :(

I worked almost 20 years in a bookstore (int'l accounting), where I loved spending time in the bookstore itself - before opening hours. I was introduced to new authors - I was lost! :) You will always find me with at least one book at my bedside table - I'm not able to sleep unless I read some pages.

After I settled here, I have discovered new authors (to me). One author who has made a big impression on me, is the Indian author Amitav Ghosh. The first of his books I read, is The Glass Palace - winner of the International e-Book Award at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2001.
The story takes us to Burma, India and Malaya, across three generations of love, war and family.
It is definitely a book I'd love to read again - and recommend.

One of my favorite bookshops here, is BookCourt, which has quite a good selection of novels etc. Some days ago I had to have my dose of the bookstore and books and ended up with these;

Amitav Ghosh -

Sea of Poppies - Shortlisted the 2008 Man Booker Price, awarded the Crossword Book Prize and the India Plaza Golden Quill Award.

Sea of Poppies is the first book in the 'IBIS Triology' - the opium war.

River of Smoke (second book in the IBIS trilogy - the opium war).
The story starts at Le Morne Brabant in Southwestern Mauritius and ends in Canton (now Guangzhou).