Image: All Rights Reserved, VIZ Media, 2009

Title: Oishinbo, a la carte. Japanese cuisine
Author: Tetsu Kariya; art by Akira Hanasaki
Publisher: San Francisco: VIZ Media, 2009.
Call No.: 741.5952 KAR – [ART]

When it comes to discovering a different culture, food has always been one of the easiest and entertaining ways to do so, especially for those with curious taste buds. Think of food celebrities like Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson and the famous Iron Chef franchise, and you get the picture. People love to eat good food big-time. But while you’re busy chowing down on a Spanish Paella or French Duck Confit, how often do you delve behind the history and techniques of cooking those national food treasures, and in an interesting manga format to boot?

This manga series from Kariya and Hanasaki introduces various Japanese gourmet food and drinks with much detail paid to the historical background, traditional customs and cooking methods. What makes this manga extremely addictive to read is, as always, the story – a constant battle of gourmet knowledge, skills and wits between a father and his son.

As a food journalist, Yamaoka Shirō has been tasked to create the Ultimate Menu for Tōzai News. Together with his colleagues, he embarks on a gourmand’s journey, while serendipitously helping others in their food adventures. He is often at loggerheads with his father, who’s creating the Supreme Menu for a rival newspaper. Several times, I find myself rooting more for Shiro, as the rebellious youth in me is unleashed.

In my opinion, Kariya has successfully managed to combine interesting food information with a dramatic narrative backdrop, while not becoming too preachy. Partnered with Hanasaki’s intricate and realistic illustrations, it is no surprise that Oishinbo is extremely popular in Japan and is considered the 7th longest manga released. It had 107 Japanese volumes published between 1983 and 2008, and Viz Media has published the best-of English compilations with running themes, e.g. ramen, sake.

So forget all you think you know about eating Japanese cuisine, like drowning your sashimi in soya sauce and wasabi (a big no-no). Let your mind be a blank slate and pick up this Shogakukan Manga Award-winning manga. If you are still hungry for more food-related manga reads, do check out the series “Mixed Vegetables”, “Yakitate” and “Kitchen Princess”. Now get ready to breathe some new life into your cultural (and literary) food experience!

Contributed by Elizabeth Lee San Bao, Librarian, National Library Board

For this month, we will be discussing Samuel Beckett’s classic, Waiting for Godot. The details:

Date: Friday, May 25, 2012
Time: 5:00–6:00 pm
Title: Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Call No.: BEC
Venue: Activity Room, Bukit Batok Public Library
Facilitator: Mr. Paul Fitzpatrick, Lecturer

What the book is about: The plot of Samuel Beckett’s play is simple. Two tramps are waiting by a sickly looking tree for the arrival of M. Godot. They quarrel, make up, try to sleep, eat a carrot and gnaw on some chicken bones. Two other characters appear, a master and a slave, who perform a grotesque scene in the middle of the play. A young boy arrives to say that M. Godot will not come today, but that he will come tomorrow.

You can find a copy of the book which can be downloaded at: http://ebooks.gutenberg.us/WorldeBookLibrary.com/godot.htm

To participate, please email to: soon_huat_KWEH@nlb.gov.sg

Join us for a stimulating discussion!

Title: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats: A Novel
Author: Jan-Phillipp Sendker
Publisher: New York: Other Press [2011], c2006
Call No.: English SEN

Imagine being blind, and possessing such acute hearing that you could hear heartbeats – of a yet unhatched chick, or of a loved one standing across the room. Meet Tin Win, father of Julia, a man who prefers this predicament over sight.

The story starts in New York, where Julia sets off in search of her father who was last traced four years ago to a hotel in Bangkok. She discovers a letter written to a Mimi in Burma dated years before her birth, and with these leads she heads half-way across the globe. In a remote mountainous village, she meets U Ba, a man who seems to know everything about her father. But U Ba tells his tale in a round-about way, and from the start we are left wondering. Where is her father? Who is Mimi? Who is U Ba and why does he know so much?

Jan-Philipp Sendker does a perfect job of writing a novel that is part mystery, part romance, and part fable. The prose is poetic, melancholic and poignant. Much of the narration paints Burma as hauntingly beautiful, forever shrouded in mist where the dawns are always dewy and fresh. The story is so extraordinary that it renders it timeless and otherworldly. This is punctuated and grounded by Julia, the New Yorker who never fails to notice the poverty, the grime and the sticky humidity.

And facing Julia is a daunting question – did she ever know her father?

Contributed by Carmen Wong, Associate Librarian, Public Libraries Singapore

Fewer epic historical novels are published these days, though a few has been on my radar these couple of years, such as Only Time Will Tell( series) by Jeffrey Archer, and Fall of Giants(The Century Trilogy) by Ken Follett. The following are a few set in different points in history to suit your fancy:

The Ancients – Greek, Roman, etc

Roma : the novel of ancient Rome
author: Steven Saylor
Publisher: New York : St. Martin’s Griffin, 2008, c2007
Call No.: English SAY
Length: 555 paperback pages

When we were gods : a novel of Cleopatra
author: Colin Falconer
Publisher: New York : Crown Pub., c2000
Call No.: English FAL
Length: 462 paperback pages

Manhunt
author: Christian Jacq
Publisher: London : Simon & Schuster, 2007
Call No.: English JAC
Length: 345 paperback pages
Note: Christian Jacq is also the author of the celebrated Ramses series.

The Dark Ages and Renaissance

The Other Boleyn Girl
author: Philippa Gregory
Publisher: New York, N.Y. : Pocket Star Books, 2007
Call No.: English GRE
Note: The is the 2nd book in The Tudor series, and was made into a feature film.
Length: 735 paperback pages

Sacred Hearts
author: Sarah Dunant
Publisher: London : Virago, 2009
Call No.: English DUN
Length: 471 paperback pages

Civil Wars

Rise to rebellion
author: Jeff Shaara
Publisher: New York : Ballantine Books, 2001
Call No.: English SHA
Length: 492 paperback pages

Winter in Madrid
author: C J Sansom
Publisher: London : Macmillan, 2006
Call No.: English SAN- [TH]
Length: 536 paperback pages

The Asians

Shogun
author: James Clavell
Publisher: London : Hodder, 2006
Call No.: English CLA
Length: 1125 paperback pages

The Good Earth
author: Pearl S Buck
Publisher: London : Pocket Books, 2005
Call No.: English BUC
Length: 357 paperback pages

Post-Industrial Revolution, World Wars

Outlander
author: Diana Gabaldon
Publisher: New York : Delacorte Press, c2011
Call No.: English GAB
Length: 662 paperback pages

New York : the novel
author: Edward Rutherfurd
Publisher: New York : Doubleday, c2009
Call No.: English RUT
Length: 862 paperback pages

gone case: A. Someone or something which cannot be rectified or redeemed. B. Irredeemable, irreparable, not rectifiable, too far gone.
- from A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English

I came across Gone Case by chance at a bookstore. What caught my attention was the very local-sounding title. As expected, the contents are indeed very local, so this is a book Singaporeans can easily relate to. I’m not saying that a foreigner won’t be able to enjoy this. In fact, I think this is a good read for anyone (local or foreign) as the story speaks volumes about Singaporean society.

Set in a Housing Development Board (HDB) estate, Gone Case presents the experience of growing up in Singapore as seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy, Yong. Juggling school life and taking care of his younger sibling, Yong has to deal with family troubles, a gang in his neighborhood, infatuation, and challenges to a close friendship.

Dave Chua (writer) and Koh Hong Teng (illustrator) have accomplished an amazing job of letting readers feel the emotions of the characters. The narrative flows so well that I felt like I was watching a movie. A picture does indeed say a thousand words here as I enjoyed those moments when I could dwell on the details of each frame, often finding something close to my heart. Koh’s illustrations are detailed and clean, giving the reader enough room to digest everything in the frame, ultimately creating greater impact.

Though the narrative is a simple one, it is both powerful and moving, invoking memories and inviting us to reflect on our own relationships, which we sometimes take for granted.

Gone Case is based on Chua’s novel of the same name which won the Singapore Literature Prize Commendation Award in 1996. Highly recommended.

Contributed by Hwee Fang

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” words. Grown-ups – especially journalists, politicians, therapists, and those in advertising – often use euphemisms to put a “spin on things to make them sound good to their target audience.

Ralph Keyes’ Unmentionables: From Family Jewels to Friendly Fire – What We Say Instead of What We Mean documents both universally known euphemisms as well as obscure ones. To understand why we “mince words,” the author charts the use of euphemisms from the earliest recorded usage by early societies in Northern Europe, India, and Papua New Guinea to the Victorians’ propensity for euphemistic speech as well as the many contemporary examples we use in our daily lives. According to Keyes, the demand for euphemisms increases as society progresses and the meanings of some euphemisms have changed over time. The book goes on to talk about the various subjects that have attracted the most creative use of words. Body parts, substances secreted from the body, medical conditions, and even food have many associated euphemisms.

The most interesting and insightful section of the book dissects the motives and reasons we use euphemisms. In the author’s opinion, we use euphemistic words most frequently to shield ourselves and others from embarrassment. However, the author is quick to point out that as long as we think our anonymity is assured, we are prone to be less discreet with words. This is perhaps evident in online environments where people feel less compelled to mince their words. The other reason we euphemize is because humans are creative with language. We do so because we can. The complexities of our languages allow us to play around with words.

One need not be a linguist to read this book and appreciate the pliability of human language and our creativity in manipulating words. The lucid writing style of the author and the funny anecdotes help make this book informative and hilarious at the same time. It is interesting to note that “If we accept the pure logic of natural selection, a capacity to euphemize may have arisen and stuck around because of the adaptive advantage it gave human beings who were good at it. From this perspective, those who best demonstrated an ability to express themselves euphemistically gained an edge in the evolutionary sweepstakes. We are their heirs.”

Let’s not stop euphemizing.

Contributed by Shirley Lim

According to the Orange Prize for Fiction webpage, among these is a mixture of debut and seasoned writers. The Song of Achilles is Miller’s debut novel on the Trojan War. Conversely,Foreign Bodies is Ozick’s 7th novel. Also shortlisted is Ann Patchett, who won the Orange Prize in 2002 for Bel Canto. With a mixture of such talents, this prize is something worth watching for. The prize will be awarded on 30 May.

Date: Friday, April 27, 2012
Time: 5:00–6:30 pm
Venue: Activity Room, Bukit Batok Public Library
Facilitator: Kweh Soon Huat, Librarian
Title: Cultural Tourism and Tourism Cultures: The Business of Mediating Experiences in Copenhagen and Singapore
Call No.: SING 338.4791 OOI

About the author: Dr. Ooi is an Associate Professor at the Copenhagen School of Business

To participate, please send an email to: soon_huat_kweh@nlb.gov.sg

Departed from “How-To” books, stunt non-fiction have a more personal tone and shares with readers the stumbling blocks and emotional rides along the journey. They read almost like first-person narrative fiction (and of course poetic license is duly taken in most of these books). Stunt non-fiction books are not only informative, but also largely humorous.

There is no DDC classification for these books; they are classified based on their subject topic so they can appear anywhere from Cookery (think Julie and Julia), Memoirs, Sociology, Psychology … that’s also why this book list should help if you are interested.

The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an experiment
Author: A. J. Jacobs
Publisher: New York: Simon & Schuster, c2009
Call No.: English 817.6 JAC
In this book, Jacobs takes on several life-altering challenges in the spirit of experimentation, such as posing as a famous actor at the Academy Awards, outsourcing his daily communications to a call centre in India, and practising Radical Honesty, a movement that promotes “speak what you think”. Jacobs puts himself in the test beds and present to readers an inside look of these events. Jacobs has also written several other stunt fiction such as Know It All and The Year of Living Bibically.

The Happiness Project
Author: Gretchen Craft Rubin
Publisher: New York: Harper, 2009
Call No.: English 158 RUB
Rubin decided to spend a year to make herself happier. As a researcher, she delves into various past theories and axioms of Happiness means, and tries these out in her own life. In her one-year project, she discovers what Happiness means and how she can achieve it by making small changes in her life.

The 100 Thing Challenge: How I Got Rid of Almost Everything, Remade My Life, and Regained My Soul
Author: Dave Bruno
Publisher: New York: Harper, 2010
Call No.: English 306.3 BRU
Dave Bruno chronicles his campaign called The 100 Thing Challenge in which he reduces his worldly possession to just 100 items. In a bid to resist consumerism, Dave challenges himself to declutter his space and in doing that, declutter his life.

The Winter of Our Disconnect
Author: Susan Maushart
Publisher: London: Profile, 2011
Call No.: English 303.48330994 MAU
For a winter, Susan, a technophile, pulls the plug on gadgetry in her family in an effort to remedy their addiction to technology, and the consequent detriments to familial relationships. This book chronicles the family going cold turkey with access to cell phones, video games and the Internet.

No Impact Man : saving the planet one family at a time
Author: Colin Beavan
Publisher: London Piatkus, 2009
Call No.: English 363.70525 BEA
In light of eco-friendliness, Colin and his family attempt to leave zero carbon footprint by eliminating several modern-day comforts from their daily lives, such as airplane rides, air-conditioning and the toilet.

Don’t Eat This Book
Author: Morgan Spurlock
Publisher: London: Penguin, 2005
Call No.: English 394.12 SPU
Can a man survive on fast food alone? This question spurred Spurlock on his 30-day mission eating nothing but fast food for sustenance. This book provides the background and omitted portions to his 2004 documentary on the effects of a fast food-only diet.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Author: Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L Hopp and Camille Kingsolver
Publisher:New York, N.Y. : HarperCollins Publishers, c2007
Call No.: English 641.0973 KIN
Imagine leaving your urban life behind and starting a farm in the rural hills. This is exactly what Barbara did to her family. Learning to farm from scratch, Barbara recounts funny anecdotes of getting turkeys to mate, dealing with the prolific zucchini during zucchini season, preserving her own food and even composting. In this book, Barbara reiterates the charm and importance of eating natural, and eating local.

The featured book covers are copyright of their respective publishers.

Contributed by Lo Wan Ni, Associate Librarian, Public Libraries Singapore

London Calling is a first novel by journalist James Craig. A body was found in a luxury London hotel room. Investigating this murder led Inspector John Carlyle of London’s Metropolitan Police to uncover the sordid ongoings in British ruling classes. Edgar Carlton, the man set to become Britain’s next prime minister, had to manage the disclosures that threaten to upset his election. In the meanwhile, the murderer was still on the loose, systematically picking off his victims one by one.

In the previous blog post on British mysteries, I commended the sense of place as a charm of British mysteries. The other charm is how the author lets you follow the key character’s actions, almost as though you are at the scene watching the characters. However, one feels that the detailed description is taken too far in London Calling, especially when the author delves into the frivolous details of Inspector Carlyle using his Blackberry, which only serves to slow the pace.

In spite of the clumsy interjections of unnecessary detail and some clichéd sentences, London Calling has a fairly engaging key character. Finding out his backstory, beginning with his constable days in Yorkshire, becomes a reason for reading the novel as is the murder mystery. Be warned though, of the fairly graphic sexual violence that intersperse the book. If you take a liking to Inspector Carlyle, keep a look out for its sequels, “Never Apologise, Never Explain” and “Buckingham Palace Blues”, coming in first and second quarters of 2012 respectively.

London Calling
Author:James Craig
Publisher: New York: Soho Constable, 2011
Call No.: English CRA -[TH]

For more British detectives, check out the following:

The Inspector Banks series by Peter Robinson. Inspector Banks has a working class background, and moved to Yorkshire to escape the materialism of London. The first novel, Gallow’s View, was published in 1987. The latest novel, Bad Boy, was published in 2010.

Bad Boy
Author: Peter Robinson
Publisher: London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2010
Call No.: English ROB -[MY]

The series starring forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway and Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson by Elly Griffiths. A relatively new series that comes alive with humorous writing.

The House at Sea’s End
Author: Elly Griffiths
Publisher: London: Quercus, 2011
Call No.: English GRI -[MY]

All book covers featured are copyright of their respective publishers.

Contributed by Tan Wen Sze, Librarian, Public Libraries Singapore.