The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
| Posted: 12 Apr 2013 06:38 AM PDT Wabi Sabi Love: The Ancient Art Of Finding Perfect Love In Imperfect Relationships Author: Arielle Ford Publisher: Harper-Collins, 244 pages WABI Sabi is the Japanese concept of honouring the beauty in all things worn, imperfect and transient. Author Arielle Ford uses this idea to teach couples how to find joy in their relationships by seeing past each other's bad behaviours. The noted relationship expert gives advice on how to look past your partner's annoying habits by being thankful for the relationship you have, and seeing new perspectives. She also includes real-life examples of couples who applied the art of Wabi Sabi to sort out their troubled love lives. My Last Empress Author: Da Chen Publisher: Crown Publishers, 273 pages THE wealthy young Samuel Pickens fell passionately in love with Annabelle, a girl who was raised unconventionally in China – only to lose her when she dies young. Unable to forget her, Samuel eventually ends up in China where he meets the Emperor as well as a concubine who looks exactly like his beloved, dead Annabelle. In the midst of the upheavals of 19th century China, just as the previously closed country is opening up to the Western world, Samuel indulges his obsession and begins a dangerous liaison with the emperor's concubine that will test how far he will go for the sake of love. A Dog's Journey Author: W. Bruce Cameron Publisher: Pan Books, 336 pages BUDDY is an ageing Labrador that lives on a farm where he watches over the granddaughter of his late master, Clarity, doing his best to keep her out of trouble. But Clarity is growing up to be a troubled teenager and Buddy realises that she needs him now more than ever. Just as her life begins to spiral out of control thanks to her unruly mother and obsessive boyfriend – in fact, just as Clarity needs Buddy the most, they are suddenly separated by events. Can the good dog find his way back to Clarity again? This book is the sequel to the New York Times bestselling (and tear-jerking!) A Dog's Purpose. Hef's Little Black Book Authors: Hugh Hefner & Bill Zehme Publisher: It Books, 223 pages EVER wondered what life must be like for the founder of Playboy magazine Hugh Hefner? Well, here's your chance. In this book, the epitome of the suave man-about-town offers readers some wisdom and thoughts on subjects like business and romance, not to mention tips on how to win at games like Monopoly and backgammon. Hefner also shares some exclusive photographs and a floor plan of his infamous Playboy mansion. And he spills the beans on the kind of "activities" that take place in the mansion. Surprisingly, those include "Mansion Movie Nights" – Hefner, it seems, is a huge fan of Humphrey Bogart movies. Whitney Houston: The Voice, The Music, The Inspiration Authors: Narada Michael Walden & Richard Buskin Publisher: Insight Editions, 144 pages MUSIC producer and longtime friend Narada Michael Walden tells the story of Whitney Houston through the experiences they shared during the late singer's rise to stardom in the 1980s. Walden also includes stories from those who have personally worked with the singer. Each chapter opens with a quote about Houston and features personal photographs that reflects the late diva's spirit and tenacity in the music industry. Walden also includes a chapter on his last meeting with Houston, a year before her tragic death in 2012. Top Dog: The Science Of Winning And Losing Authors: Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman Publisher: Twelve, 335 pages THIS book unveils the neurological and psychological factors that determine the outcome of a competition. Discover what makes it easier for male Wall Street analysts to get promotions, what miserable musicians mean for orchestras, and what nuclear engineers can learn from professional tennis players. Authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman reveal that when it comes to competition, what matters is the "size of the fight", or determination, in all of us. Notorious Nineteen (a Stephanie Plum novel) Author: Janet Evanovich Publisher: Bantam Books, 312 pages FIESTY New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum may have bitten off more than she can chew this time around when she accepts an assignment to track down con man Geoffrey Cabbin who has mysteriously vanished from the hospital after emergency surgery. Desperate for clues, Stephanie even gets Grandma Mazur to go undercover and dig. However, when another felon goes missing from the same hospital, Stephanie has to work with cop Joe Morelli to crack the case. In the meantime, she also accepts another job as a bodyguard. Her mentor Ranger is being targeted by a deadly ex-special forces agent. Can Stephanie get her (con) man and keep her other "job" alive? Live By Night Author: Dennis Lehane Publisher: Harper-Collins, 402 pages SET in Boston during the 1920s, this book follows Joe Coughlin as he climbs up the ladder of organised crime. The youngest son of a prominent Boston police captain has turned his back on a life of virtue for a career with some of the city's most fearsome mobsters. But as the criminal lifestyle takes him from flashy jazz clubs in Boston to the sensual streets of Cuba, Joe learns that all the vice comes with a heavy price. Some trivia that gives this work by acclaimed American author Dennis Lehane some added weight: Ben Affleck confirmed that he is adapting it for his next film. |
| The Quickening - A deceptively simple read Posted: 12 Apr 2013 06:36 AM PDT The Quickening THERE is a perennial debate that occurs in the literary world, as regular as cherry blossoms but a good deal more frequent, concerning the thorny issue of genre. Critics often talk about literary versus commercial fiction as if it's a bit like smoking or non-smoking: you're one or the other. Writers themselves rarely sign up to this polarisation: most are writing the books that are in their hearts, to the best of their abilities – and then handing them over to their publisher, whose job it is to apply the label. In an interesting exercise, the once-famous horror movie company Hammer, in partnership with Arrow books, has taken three well-known literary voices and given them the challenge of writing genre fiction, contributing to a series of books loosely based on a horror theme in the old-fashioned Hammer sense, ie psychological horror rather than the torture-porn version that does depressingly well in film. Helen Dunmore and Jeanette Winterson have already produced Hammer novellas (The Greatcoat and The Daylight Gate respectively) and now it's the turn of Julie Myerson, with a gripping tale of a honeymoon couple in the Caribbean being haunted by spirits and strange events that turn out to have their origins very close to home. Rachel and Dan arrive on a beautiful island for the holiday of a lifetime – newly wed, newly pregnant – but even before they check in to their luxurious hotel, the locals are warning Rachel that her husband is in danger. Rachel is soon haunted by poltergeists, nightmares and a malign figure with soil in his face and hair. When staff at the hotel begin to be murdered, the threat becomes much more concrete. Myerson couldn't be a better choice for this sort of book: her novels have been full ghosts, real and imagined, often as functions of a heroine's disordered mind. Her first book, Sleepwalking, was published 20 years ago but I can still remember the chilling image of a dead grandfather looming over a newborn baby's cot as the mother frantically bats the apparition away. Sleepwalking was as much about inheritance as spirits – the terrifying thought that when we produce our own children we bequeath them, unwittingly, the way in which we were raised ourselves. The Quickening may be a specific commission but it is still Sleepwalking's grandchild, parented by Myerson's intervening novels, particularly Laura Blundy and The Story Of You. The main concession Myerson has made to the demands of genre is the rather perfunctory opening to this book, a short preamble where Rachel's loving but controlling husband makes the surprise announcement of their forthcoming trip. Dan is a frighteningly realistic portrayal of the kind of man who loves surprising his wife, not to delight her but to keep her constantly off-guard. When he presents her with a ring he hides it in a fist and invites her to tap. She chooses the left hand and he gleefully announces, "Wrong as usual". This scene and their arrival in the Caribbean are a little too speedy, as though Myerson has been told to get to the horror as quickly as possible, but her trademark attention to detail soon evidences itself. In their air-conditioned hotel room, Dan empties something out of his shoe, "round and bright and shiny and red" – a cherry tomato from the salad he ate on the aeroplane. It's an early clue that strange and unlikely things are happening. When the phantom with soil in his hair appears, he is all the more sinister because he shows up in bright hot sunshine next to a sparkling sea. At times it seems that the real horror in this book, of which the ghosts are only metaphors, is the fear of being married to the wrong man. But as Rachel's behaviour becomes more deranged, the reader is forced to consider whether Dan is lovingly concerned for an unstable wife, or a murderous psychopath. Myerson keeps the reader guessing until the very end and provides no easy answers in a deceptively simple read that will compel horror fans while being just as satisfying to her own readership. Author Louise Doughty's new novel, Apple Tree Yard, will be published by Faber in June. |
| Marvel resurrects two space-faring titles Posted: 12 Apr 2013 06:34 AM PDT Marvel reaches for the stars by resurrecting two of its space-faring titles. WHAT do Superman, Spider-Man and Batman have in common? Well, aside from the "-man" suffix, they all grew up without their biological parents and set the benchmark for superheroes to come. While I am not saying that orphans have a higher chance of saving/dominating the world, statistics in the world of comics seem to imply that as a prerequisite – Captain America, Daredevil, Magneto, and Victor Von Doom were all orphans as well. Hence, while reviewing today's comics, I wondered if the likes of Nova and Star-Lord could also be on their way to greatness, considering they both have only one parent, and are now undergoing their umpteenth revival attempt via the Marvel Now line. Read on to see how they fare. Guardians Of The Galaxy #0.1 and #1 THIS is like a cosmic version of the Avengers, complete with the presence of a rather subdued Iron Man on the roll call (temporarily) to help elevate the team's status. You can understand Marvel's logic behind this decision – after all, how many people (outside avid comic readers) have read, or even heard, about Rocket Raccoon, Drax The Destroyer, Gamora, Groot and Star-Lord? If you dig into the Marvel history banks circa the late 1960s right up to the 90s, and then look back on the last five years or so, you will find a Guardians of the Galaxy team in both eras, albeit with different members altogether. The original Guardians suffered because they could not find their niche in the Marvel Universe – they certainly weren't Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but they weren't the Galaxy's Mightiest Heroes either, despite the namesake. Sadly, the only milestone I can recall from that early team is the involvement of a certain Jim Valentino, who used it as a springboard to co-found Image Comics. In 2008, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning revived the Guardians concept with a new roll call (similar to the present-day one but with the inclusion of the Micronauts' Bug) and higher-profile adventures involving Thanos and the Inhumans. The ensuing War Of Kings and Thanos Imperative story arcs helped reposition the team within the Marvel Universe, making this latest revival attempt perfect to reintroduce the team before the upcoming live-action Guardians Of The Galaxy movie next year. The "Point One" issue functions focuses on the origins of Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, the leader of the team. Despite being the heir to the intergalactic Spartax Empire, his loyalty remains solely to Earth – his birthplace. Thirty years ago, J'son (Peter's dad) crashed his spaceship on Earth and was rescued by an "Earthlet" named Meredith. After a hostile first impression, romance gradually blossomed between them, resulting in Peter's conception. However, before Peter's birth, J'son left to continue his galactic war and never returned. A decade after J'son's departure, two aliens came knocking on Meredith's door. Their objective was brutally straightforward – to end the Spartax bloodline! Although they failed to terminate Peter, his mother died in the attack. The tragedy changed Peter's life, leading him on a journey to find his real father, via orphanages, foster homes and NASA. The official first issue of Guardians Of The Galaxy does reunite Peter with his father, but it's not a happy get-together, with Peter resenting his father's inaction all these years. Conversely, J'son is unhappy with his son's attitude, which is not reflective of his royal stature. The already tense relationship worsens when J'son orders his son to stay away from Earth, citing that it has been designated as off-limits to all extraterrestrial interaction. Obviously, this "decree" does not go down well with Peter, who feels that this designation will only paint a target on Earth – especially to the Badoon or Thanos. True enough, Peter and his new Guardians team soon cross paths with a Badoon warship near Earth's atmosphere. Although they succeed in stopping one warship, they are unable to prevent a full-scale invasion of Earth! Well, I'm hooked! These two issues, courtesy of Bendis' plot and McNiven's pulsating pencils, are enough to convince me that the Guardians deserve a place in the Marvel Universe. While the sight of Iron Man playing second fiddle to Star-Lord and even Rocket Racoon (at times) takes a lot of getting used to, the team dynamics offers a lot of potential for tinkering. When they first announced that a Guardians movie was on the cards, I thought it was a perplexingly absurd idea – but after reading these books, I must say this certainly justifies their journey to the silver screen. Nova #1 and #2 I HAVE a soft spot for Nova, as this was the character that got me started on comics and inspired me to write a proposal to Marvel during their Epic imprint days. While the content of that proposal is a story that will follow me to the grave, what's relevant here is that we have another attempt to resurrect the Human Rocket. Concept-wise, Nova was a way for his co-creators Marv Wolfman and Len Wein to pay homage to Spider-Man. Richard Rider, the original Nova, was a teenager with great powers who struggled on all fronts to fulfil the responsibilities. From his education to his relationships, Richard had worse "Parker luck" than Peter Parker himself. Hence, the decision to make this new Nova title Richard-free is perfectly understandable and apt. Those of you who followed Avengers Vs X-Men would have already met the new Nova, aka Sam Alexander. Barely old enough to apply for a driving licence, he is the newest inductee into the Nova Corps, after his father (Jesse, a Nova Corps member) mysteriously disappears. Sam used to have a dead-end life in a town named Carefree. Despite not having any powers, he had a lot of responsibility – besides being a student, he also doubles as the school's de facto janitor because of his father's inability to carry out the job. Sam's dad has been in a delusional state for some time, desperately clinging to his glory days as Nova. Once his high-flying days were tragically interrupted, his yearning to get back into action severely impacted his daily life and most importantly, his fatherly duties. When the call of duty eventually arrives, it also signals a passing of the mantle to Sam. Here's where the excitement begins, with a guest appearance by the Guardians of the Galaxy's Rocket Racoon and Gamora! I attribute all the past failures at resurrecting Nova to the excess baggage in Richard Rider's life. The clean slate that Sam provides makes him a good sponge to soak up a host of exciting experiences – case in point, his first steps towards flying, which reminded me of 1980s TV show The Greatest American Hero. Here's hoping that this new Nova manages to soar! Comics courtesy of Earth 638 (Tel: 03-78048380, email: earth638@yahoo.com). |
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