High Browse Online

Like deodorant to disguise body odor, we use euphemisms to tone down the unpleasant nature of certain things we need to say. Commonly used euphemisms– “call of nature,” “pass gas,” “off-colour”–are not just to sanitize our conversations but also to neutralize negative connotations. As children, we all remember being reprimanded for not using the “right” [...]

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Some people think I only read Fiction books. That is not true, because I enjoy certain types of non-fiction too. One of my preferred non-fiction types is what is considered Stunt non-fictions. Stunt non-fictions are characterized by the author pulling off a “stunt”, or performing certain changes to lifestyle and chronicling this lifestyle change, regardless [...]

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Title: Coffee with Dickens Author: Paul Schlicke Publisher: London: Duncan Baird, 2008 Call No.: English 823.8 SCH If you’ve been in the know, it was Charles Dickens 200th birth day in February 2012. In NLB, we’ve celebrated it with book display posters and a fiction alert here on High Browse. I’ve picked out Coffee with [...]

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(Photo image taken from www.channelnewsasia.com) One of Singapore’s Founding Fathers, and PAP Old Guard, Dr Toh Chin Chye, has passed on. His will be a private funeral, although in recognition of his contributions to the State, the Government has accorded Dr Toh the “honour of being borne on the ceremonial gun carriage for his final [...]

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The world celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of iconic British writer Charles Dickens this month. Born Charles John Huffam Dickens on 7 February 1812, he is arguably one of the greatest authors of the Victorian era, if not of English literature. What better way is there than to make the celebration your own [...]

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Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Author: Jeanette Winterson Publisher: London : Jonathan Cape, 2011 Call No.:English 823.92 WIN I will have it upfront – I do not usually read autobiographies, or biographies for the matter. I am not the type who has any curiosity about the person behind a book, an invention, [...]

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We are honoured to have Dr. Tommy Wong share his thoughts on his second book, Wisdom on How to Live Life (Book 2). Date: Friday, January 27, 2012 Time: 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM Venue: Activity Room, Bukit Batok Public Library Meet the author: Dr. Tommy Wong Title of book: Wisdom on How to Live [...]

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Image: All Rights Reserved, Square Peg, c2010. Title: The Hungover Cookbook Author: Milton Crawford Publisher: London : Square Peg, c2010. Call No.: 641.874 CRA -[COO] With such a plain cover, you may be wondering why I chose this book for this feature. Well, look closely, reader, and you may find yourself tickled by the clever [...]

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(photo image taken from smashiphone.net) I first fell in love with a Mac during my university days. This alas, was many, many moons ago. In those days, not everybody had a PC, much less a laptop, and the common PCs in the computer labs were always heavily in use. But, in a quiet corner of [...]

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Title:Misunderstood Myanmar: an introspective study of a Southeast Asian state in transition Author: Koh Kim Seng Publisher: Singapore: Koh Kim Seng, c2011 Call No.: SING 959.1 KOH I do not know much about Myanmar, save what I come across in newspapers and other media channels. Needless to say, coverage over the last few years has [...]

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