The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
- Exclusive interview with One Direction
- About trying your best to achieve your dreams
- Caregiver shares pain of dying husband
| Exclusive interview with One Direction Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:30 AM PDT IT seems like most people, including us here at Galaxie, just can't get enough of One Direction. As the release date for its latest album Take Me Home is fast approaching (Nov 12, to be exact), we can't wait to see what the boys have in store for us in the 13-track album, or 17 tracks if you are getting the limited "yearbook" edition. Also, we are anxious to see if this album could top the success the group already had with its debut album Up All Night, which conquered charts in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, the United States and of course, Britain. During an exclusive phone interview with One Direction's Harry Styles, he explained why the group chose Take Me Home as the title of its second album. "In one way, it could be quite cheeky and the other, you know, we are always on the road so a lot of times there is that feeling of wanting to go home for a while," he said. Awww, that's so sweet. However, don't expect the album to sound all sad and gloomy. In fact, like the lead single Live While We're Young, the album is more energetic and vibrant. "After doing the first album and then the tour, we all agree that our songs sound better when we do it live," said Styles. Guess things would sound much better during its world tour next year, which might include Malaysia on the schedule of stops. For more on the one-on-one interview with Styles, pick up the Nov 1-15 issue of Galaxie from a newsstand near you. The issue also has stories about blonde hottie Kaley Cuoco, who talks about the relationship between her character, Penny, and Leonard Hofstadter (played by Johnny Galecki) on The Big Bang Theory. "I think down the line I'd like to see them together. I think they have a lot to learn, but my heart is definitely with that relationship," confessed Cuoco. Another hottie, Lana Del Rey, reveals why she loves taking somebody "downtown". The Ride singer tells us that "it has a couple of meanings. One is 'let's go out, let's go downtown!' and the other is ..." Hmm, interesting! Poster lovers can get their hands on pictures of the sexy Chris Hemsworth, Andrew Garfield and Kim Kardashian. If that's not enough, there are some awesome prizes to be won too, such as limited edition Skyfall merchandise, cute The Big Bang Theory "Bazinga" T-shirts and special screening passes to catch Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2. On top of that, for the first time, Galaxie comes to life this issue with iSnap (using the free Star Mobile app, which utilises augmented reality technology, rich media content such as music videos, movie trailers and photos are delivered to your smartphone screen). Do give it a try with the Nov 1-15 issue and see more of your favourite celebrities. You can get more of Galaxie, which is owned by Star Publications (M) Bhd and voted entertainment magazine of the year two years in a row – 2011 and 2012, online at galaxieblog.com.my. And for the latest updates, check out Galaxie's Facebook page (facebook.com/GalaxieMagazine) or Twitter (@galaxiemag) for your everyday dose of entertainment! – Vivienne Wong |
| About trying your best to achieve your dreams Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:28 AM PDT The One Dollar Horse IF this is the first time you're hearing the name Casey Blue, worry not, for it will not be the last – The One Dollar Horse is the first book in a trilogy featuring the teenage rider, with the second is due out in March 2013. This young adult fiction novel, by award-winning writer Lauren St John, is all about having a dream and trying your best to achieve it. Casey Blue is a disadvantaged 15-year-old from "East London's grimmest tower block" whose father has a criminal record and who, it would appear, could only dream of success in top-level riding. Casey, who lost her mother when she was a toddler, volunteers at a local riding school and dreams of someday taking part in the Badminton Horse Trials, a challenging three-day event. When the "horse-mad" teenager buys a starving, half-wild horse for just one dollar, she makes it her mission to groom, feed, exercise and even read to him before and after school, happy to have found a friend in "Storm Warning". After some initial bumps in the road, Storm and Casey train for the big event, all odds against the curious pair. But Casey remains unfazed by the challenges that lie ahead. With a rival in the form of the pretty (and shallow) star rider Anna Sparks, expect some drama to spring up throughout the book. There is of course, some romance – Casey faces a distraction in the form of the farrier's (a specialist in hoof care) son Peter, the boy with the "melty blue eyes", but won't let herself fall for him. Horse-lovers will adore this novel, and even those without horse-riding experience will be drawn into the story and fall in love with the characters, especially Storm. If you've ever wondered what it's like to jump fences and run with the wind blowing through your hair, you'll experience all this through Storm, the courageous beast that eventually wins over the hearts and minds of this riding community. Don't worry about the horse-y terms – the author weaves riding talk in so skillfully into the story that before long you will feel like an expert. The One Dollar Horse is a delightful book with likeable characters and a strong plot that makes it hard to put down, and is way more than just a great underdog story. As a novel for young adults, it teaches the right values – caring for other living beings, having a dream, the importance of friendship and believing in hope. The strong-willed protagonist is a perfect example of the underdog we all aspire to be. Casey is caring, intelligent and determined, but at the same time will not compromise on certain values to win at all costs. Her ex-con father's efforts at keeping it together is an interesting and moving sidebar, as well as Casey's relationship with former rider Mrs Smith. For young adults and older readers, even, The One Dollar Horse is worth the ride. |
| Caregiver shares pain of dying husband Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:26 AM PDT A courageous widow shares the pain — and guilt — entailed in caring for a dying husband. Dream New Dreams: Reimagining My Life After Loss BEING a caregiver to a loved one who is suffering from a serious illness can be a thankless job. The role and needs of the caregiver are often ignored in the process, as Jai Pausch shares in her memoir Dream New Dreams. The experience is surely intensified when you are the wife and primary caregiver to Randy Pausch, renowned computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University and author of the bestselling book The Last Lecture. The book opens with a young Randy visiting the University of North Carolina's virtual reality lab, where Jai is working while studying for her PhD. He asks a million questions and insists on being called Randy, not Dr Pausch. She finds him intelligent and refreshingly down to earth. A beautiful love blossoms in fairytale fashion. Soon they are married, and blessed with three lovely children. This favourable state of affairs is shattered six years into their marriage, when Randy announces that he is going to die of pancreatic cancer. Life takes a complete turn, and Jai's dream of a happy family turns into a medical nightmare. Soon, visits to theme parks are replaced by dreaded consultations with oncologists. Chemotherapy and palliative medicine suddenly become central to their everyday conversations. In addition to being wife and mother, Jai assumes the role of "emotional backstop and sounding board for a sick and potentially dying man". Thus begins a new chapter in her journey, between taking care of her children and her husband while desperately trying to make sense of, and come to terms with, the effects of this unwelcomed new influence in her husband's life – cancer. That the author intends for this book to shed light on the experience of a caregiver does not go unnoticed. It is in fact thoroughly, and at times shamelessly, articulated. Jai's honesty is evident throughout the narrative, from her emotional struggle in coming to terms with her life being stolen by cancer and her occasional guilt in assessing the "impact (Randy's) death would have on me" to her acceptance that she loved him dearly "even though I occasionally failed him throughout his ordeal". Though this book was written to "care for the caregiver", the author tends to focus primarily on her struggle in managing cancer-stricken Randy and her three children. The reader will not find in here tips or directions for effective care giving, nor are there many insights into handling the emotional and mental stress that entails. What can be found are innumerable anecdotes of the author's struggle – some of which, unfortunately, corrodes our memory of Randy Pausch that was formed by his memorable The Last Lecture. In this memoir, we are exposed to the raw and unrehearsed part of Randy, who turns out to be a demanding patient, ruthless in his pragmatism when dealing with his sickness. Jai writes of Randy calling her "unempathetic" and telling her she's doing a "terrible job". She writes about feeling a "lack of appreciation" for her efforts. Randy also comes off as a control-freak when, as a dying husband, he shares a list of potential men who would be suitable to fill his position! Even though the book is subtitled Reimagining My Life After Loss, the story of renewed liveliness in Jai's persona is afforded little space. Sharing her new experiences after Randy's passing, she couldn't seem to help but litter the pages with her grief. Regrettably, the last few chapters fail to paint a picture of a wife reimagining her life. Instead, it passes for a brave portrayal as a single mother and pancreatic cancer advocate, while occasionally faltering in guilt to remind the reader that the writer is actually still in mourning. These chapters are, at best, a reflection of a heavy heart keeping up with a resolute mind. Jai's style of narrative is effusively informal – and at times disappointingly jarring. Repetitive affirmations and a lack of flow make the reading difficult in some parts. However, her intimate sharing and openness in revealing her deepest scars endears her to the reader, making the book feel like a conversation over coffee and plenty of tissues between two best friends. Her misery very easily seeks our company, and we go through the narration feeling a big part of Jai's support group. Understandably, the book is also strewn with doses of self-pity and a subconscious yearning for validation and acceptance. The dedication of the book to caregivers "who struggle to do the best they can without proper training and resources to help them" sums up how Jai felt while she was caring for Randy. It must have been a difficult task, and her sincerity in sharing her story should be both applauded and cherished. Dream New Dreams is a work of someone who has found the courage to tell her story, however tragic or pitiful it sometimes can be. It is an honest account of a wife who did her best in taking over the family reins as her husband suffered and passed away. It shows how cancer can truly affect every detail of an ordinary family. If the reader expects a manual for caregivers, this book will disappoint. On the other hand, as a product of one person's journey towards self-forgiveness, Dream New Dreams is a success in many ways. |
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