{"title":"Books by Michael Booth","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781784704247","title":"Three Tigers, One Mountain","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The next Bill Bryson' \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTwo tigers cannot share the same mountain\u003c\/i\u003e - Chinese proverb\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDespite geographical proximity, cultural similarities, and shared status as highly powerful nations, China, Korea and Japan love to hate each other. Why?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn search of an answer, Michael Booth journeys across East Asia to explore the mutual animosity that frequently threatens to draw the world into all-out war. From misjudged cake decorations to electoral meddling, contradictory origin myths to territorial disputes, this deeply researched and hugely entertaining book shows that no conflict is too small to keep the fires of neighbourly hostility burning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A fine summary of East Asian cultures and conflicts...useful, fact-packed and readable' \u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43205049516210,"sku":"9781784704247","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781784704247_ea094b94-24d4-4d90-8656-e56ad5523c52.jpg?v=1786033970"},{"product_id":"9780099546078","title":"The Almost Nearly Perfect People","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Danes are the happiest people in the world, and pay the highest taxes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Neutral' Sweden is one of the biggest arms manufacturers in the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFinns have the largest per capita gun ownership after the US and Yemen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e54 per cent of Icelanders believe in elves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNorway is the richest country on earth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5 per cent of Danish men have had sex with an animal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMichael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians, on and off, for over ten years, perplexed by their many strange paradoxes and character traits and equally bemused by the unquestioning enthusiasm for all things Nordic and \u003ci\u003ehygge\u003c\/i\u003e that has engulfed the rest of the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success and, most intriguing of all, what they think of each other. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterised by suffocating parochialism and populated by extremists of various shades.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The next Bill Bryson.’ \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Beautifully observed and very funny' Rory Stewart\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the Best Narrative Travel Book Award from the British Guild of Travel Writers\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43206008373426,"sku":"9780099546078","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099546078_80a7aef8-6879-4a68-801a-061cdffbf2e1.jpg?v=1786011563"},{"product_id":"9780099516446","title":"Sushi and Beyond","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘His account of their “foodie family road trip” establishes Booth as the next Bill Bryson.’ \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJapan is the pre-eminent food nation on earth. The creativity of the Japanese, their dedication and ingenuity, not to mention courage in the face of dishes such as cod sperm and octopus ice cream, is only now beginning to be fully appreciated in the sushi-saturated West, as are the remarkable health benefits of the traditional Japanese diet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFood and travel writer Michael Booth sets of to take the culinary pulse of contemporary Japan and he and his young family travel the length of the country - from bear-infested, beer-loving Hokkaido to snake-infested, seaweed-loving Okinawa.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat do the Japanese know about food? Perhaps more than anyone else on earth, judging by this fascinating and funny journey through an extraordinary food-obsessed country.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWinner of the Guild of Food Writers Kate Whiteman Award for the best book on food and travel.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56223674728821,"sku":"9780099516446","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099516446_db914e4e-211a-46b6-9f47-0f0ce32d0785.jpg?v=1786033357"},{"product_id":"9781784704230","title":"The Meaning of Rice","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e**Shortlisted for the 2017 André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e**Shortlisted for the 2018 Fortnum \u0026amp; Mason Food Book Award**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The next Bill Bryson.’ \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFood and travel writer Michael Booth and his family embark on an epic journey the length of Japan to explore its dazzling food culture. They find a country much altered since their previous visit ten years earlier (which resulted in the award-winning international bestseller \u003ci\u003eSushi and Beyond\u003c\/i\u003e). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver the last decade the country’s restaurants have won a record number of Michelin stars and its cuisine was awarded United Nations heritage status. The world’s top chefs now flock to learn more about the extraordinary dedication of Japan’s food artisans, while the country’s fast foods – ramen, sushi and yakitori – have conquered the world. As well as the plaudits, Japan is also facing enormous challenges. Ironically, as Booth discovers, the future of Japan’s culinary heritage is under threat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOften venturing far off the beaten track, the author and his family discover intriguing future food trends and meet a fascinating cast of food heroes, from a couple lavishing love on rotten fish, to a chef who literally sacrificed a limb in pursuit of the ultimate bowl of ramen, and a farmer who has dedicated his life to growing the finest rice in the world… in the shadow of Fukushima.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312838619509,"sku":"9781784704230","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781784704230_9e7c01fc-3c2e-45a2-99bb-77c6b474988e.jpg?v=1786025994"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-michael-booth.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}