The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
| Dating for the digital generation Posted: 25 Jan 2013 05:17 AM PST PERHAPS if you were single in the 1990s you'll remember all the fuss over The Rules, the cult phenomenon and dating bible that was referenced in TV series Sex In The City. The premise: play hard to get to achieve your happily-ever-after matrimony. Now authors Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider are giving their tome a fresh revision for the digital era. Out this month internationally, The New Rules: The Dating Dos And Don'ts For The Digital Generation, extends the retro mantra to the cyberworld with 31 new rules to help gals remain mysterious on social media, navigate the world of texting, and keep a man at an arm's distance even while e-mailing. Don't constantly update your Facebook status with mundane reports, and stay away from a man's Facebook profile, or at least never mention it to him. Wait at least four hours to reply to a man's text, and never after midnight. Avoid all texting, messaging, e-mail, and social media updates between 6pm on Friday and 6pm on Sunday. This apparently will drive the boys wild. "For the rest of us, it's a welcome return to anonymity, to relinquishing the constant anxiety over whether you should be publicising how cool you are by tweeting your global positioning reference every time you enter a cool new bar or restaurant," writes The Independent newspaper in Britain. For those needing a primer as to how to become a "Rules Girl," here are the basics: 1. Don't talk to a man first; 2. Don't stare or look at men, and don't talk too much; 3. Never spend your own money on a date, and let him travel to meet you; 4. Don't call him, ever, and only rarely return his calls; 5. Never accept a date on Saturday night if he asked you after Wednesday; 6. Always end the date first; 7. Stop dating him if he doesn't buy you presents (you, however, shouldn't buy him anything); 8. Only agree to see him once or twice a week. While The Rules has legions of fans, and even Blake Lively and Beyoncé reportedly tried them (on Leonardo DiCaprio and Jay-Z respectively), others find them plain ol' sexist. "The writers of The Rules want women to believe that it's empowering to give up all their power," write the ladies who run Jezebel.com. They have some rules, too: 1. Be a person with a life. 2. Respect other people and their lives. 3. Be patient. 4. Don't be desperate. – AFP Relaxnews |
| Posted: 25 Jan 2013 05:13 AM PST Series that feature the same protagonist can run out of steam pretty quickly but this book, the third, is still a very engaging read. Deity WHAT'S worse than having a sinister psychopath going about his business in your town? Try having two. It is a rough time for the Derbyshire police force in Britain. A vagrant's body has been found in the River Derwent, presumed drowned until an autopsy reveals that his lungs have been removed. And another vagrant's corpse is soon discovered in a gravel pit, all his internal organs removed except for his heart. If that's not complex enough, four Derby College students are discovered missing. Footage on a mysterious website known as "Deity" shows that they had been planning to ritually kill themselves: but why, when they have so much to live for? And what does an old unsolved case involving a hanged boy have to do with everything? Fortunately, Inspector Damen Brook is on the case, stopping at nothing to track down the perpetrators and he soon discovers that the vagrant murders and the missing students may be more connected than everyone had thought. And if he does not stop the murderer(s), more innocent lives, including his only daughter's, may be in grave danger.... Deity is a brilliant read, opening with not one but two murders and not slowing down from there. The novel maintains a dark atmosphere throughout, which is fortunately balanced by well-placed moments of character humour. Certain parts are somewhat morbid: scenes involving corpses being prepared come immediately to mind. Deity is British author and part-time teacher Steven Dunne's third Inspector Damen Brook novel, after The Disciple and The Reaper. Despite being a third in a series, it is perfectly possible to enjoy Deity without having read any of Dunne's prior novels. One of Deity's strongest points is its captivating characters. Inspector Brook is delightful to read about, a gruff, honest man who is unfortunately unable to make social connections with his fellow officers. Damaged from some of the things he's seen on the job, he struggles to do the right thing, including bonding with his estranged daughter Terri, who has problems of her own. Indeed, Dunne accomplishes the rare feat of making his novel's hero just as interesting as his villain, a difficult task in crime fiction. Also written well are the students of Derby College who slowly become wrapped up in the Deity website's twisted plans. Particularly memorable is the beautiful yet tormented Adele Watson, a talented poet subject to unwanted affection both from her lecturer and father. A minor nitpick, however: the chapters involving them feature heavy use of slang, not always appropriately, which can be painful to read at times. Deity is a strangely textured novel, raising themes of mortality, self-destruction, and rebellion, as well as fame and infamy. Another of the novel's major themes is the impact of the media and popular culture on youth and society, as explored through the reality TV-like Deity broadcasts and heavy reference to the 1975 Australian film based on a real-life event, Picnic At Hanging Rock, which slowly becomes an obsession for the students. Dunne's novel forces its characters (and readers) to ask themselves a major question: is it better to die with a bang, when you are adored and at your peak, or slip away with a whimper, alone and forgotten? Deity is packed with twists and turns, many of them executed very well. The identity of the Deity killer, once revealed, is a genuine shock and discovering how two seemingly unrelated crimes are connected is certainly engrossing. Dunne is also a master of foreshadowing, sprinkling his novel with tiny, almost inconsequential details that later become crucial to the plot. The novel also wins points for originality: how many other crime novels can claim to have a climax centred on both popular film AND Egyptian mythology? Towards the end, however, the twists admittedly go a little overboard: one of them, pertaining to a death, comes across as contrived and will definitely strain the suspension of belief. While it is always fun to read about the schemes of a masterful planner coming to fruition, there is a fine line between "genius" and "crackpot" and one scheme violates this line so badly one is tempted to add it to the novel's body count. One particularly unusual thing about this crime novel is its very strong sense of continuity. Unfinished threads from previous books pop up in Deity, and not all loose ends are tied up: Dunne seems to be reserving a few character's final fates for a sequel. Don't groan about authors simply out to make money with sequels – given Deity's terrific atmosphere and compelling characters, it is a virtual certainty that sequels will be welcomed. After all, Dunne's novel is a very engaging read, a well-written serial killer thriller that is almost impossible to put down. Crime fiction lovers, particularly fans of Mark Billingham, will be delighted and newcomers to the genre will be entertained. Here's to Inspector Damen Brook's next case. We can't wait! |
| Twitter addicts will like this book Posted: 25 Jan 2013 05:12 AM PST Here's chick lit that real women can relate to. The Twitter Diaries IF you're a Twitter addict, then this book will definitely tickle your fancy. Like for real. Who knew that one could tell a proper story just by compiling Tweets exchanged between two women who are successful in their careers but unlucky in love (that's how it always is, right?)? Well, Georgie Thompson and Imogen Lloyd Webber did, and honestly, I think that they're pretty creative for figuring that one out. Wish I came up with it! And, yes, you're quite right: Imogen's last name is familiar – because she is the daughter of famous British music composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. (And by the way, I don't think Imogen is too fond of her father for she doesn't thank him in the book. She thanked mummy but not daddy ... family feud, you think?) The Twitter Diaries is about two women in their mid-30s trying to make it in life and love. Tuesday Fields (@TuesdayFields) and Stella Cavill (@StellaCavill) meet at a New Year's Eve party in New York hosted by their mutual friend @PM_TV and instantly become best friends. And what do best gal pals do nowadays? They follow each other's Twitter accounts immediately. Fields, a Brit, is trying her darndest best to make her mark as a sports reporter for Wake Up Britain, though there are some colleagues who aren't exactly making things easy for her. And on the personal front, well, let's just say that Fields has the "unfortunate ability to choose all the wrong men". Cavill, on the other hand, already has a boyfriend (albeit one whom she rarely sees after moving from London to New York City), and she harbours ambitions of becoming "the Tamara Mellon of male footwear". Her one goal in life is to see every A-list celebrity wearing footwear from her Stellar Shoes collection and gaining recognition for her hard work. Cavill and Fields leave nothing out of their Direct Messages to one another on Twitter. Their usual topics of discussion are: mothers trying to marry them off, their non-existent love lives, and the amount of pressure they face at work. Hey, are they talking about me? But, of course, what is a chick lit without some money issues, cougar moments, wardrobe malfunctions, and cheating boyfriends, all of which The Twitter Diaries deliver with verve. The girls keep each other's spirits up and I must say that they are absolutely hilarious. They are devoted to one another's lives, just like all the BFFs out there, and honestly, the way these two women communicate with one another reminds me of my own Twitter and Whatsapp conversations with my best friends. Of course, I don't have a famous actor coming after me, like @MichaelAngeloMovie does after Cavill even though he very well knows that she's seeing someone. And I also don't have crazy bosses like Fields (I think I need to put that in ... just in case it reflects on my KPI) but other than that, these girls are absolutely relatable to most women out there. I like how they use the actual Twitter handles of the celebrities they talk about, such as @RyanSeacrest, @Oprah and @TyraBanks because it makes the story just so believable. The storyline may also resonate with readers because much of the "drama" is actually based on the girls' real lives. Lloyd Webber and Thompson did meet at a New Year's Eve party hosted by none other than the latter's uncle, Piers Morgan. Yup, @PM_TV's character is based on the renowned host and many of Morgan's actual characteristics are evident throughout the book – like his crazy allegiance to the Arsenal football team and his Twitter wars with English footballers from other teams. It was really fun reading this bit of chick lit not only because the characters are amazing and relatable, but because it had some good advice for women everywhere. A recommended read if you want to know what women really talk about on Twitter ... and no, it's not just about guys. |
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