In our interview, Ms Franham spoke about her inspirations for the novel; why she choose an inter-racial romance for her main characters; and about the labours of research, her fascination with Singapore’s early history, and the craft of writing.

The Red Thread : a Chinese tale of love and fate in 1830s Singapore
By Dawn Farnham.
Call No.: SING 823 FAR

About the novel:
Dawn Farnham brings to life the heady atmosphere of Old Singapore, where exotic beliefs and customs clash and jostle in the struggle to make a life and create mutual understanding between peoples from different worlds. (From publisher’s website).

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Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail shows how the Internet has radically changed our habits and behaviour.

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson
New York : Hyperion, 2006
Call No.: English 658.802 AND-[BIZ]

He illustrates that by showing how our buying habits have always been shaped by big businesses to create the so-called “blockbuster culture”, i.e. the selling of a narrow range of products to the largest possible group of consumers, or what some business people like to term the “80/20 rule”.

However, with the emergence of Internet companies such as Amazon, eBay and Google, this blockbuster culture has radically change that as allows everyone to be more exploratory and specify what we want to buy.

Anderson defines the Long Tail as “a diminishing demand curve in which lesser known products are found further and further down the demand curve”.

Anderson details three ‘forces’ that drives the Long Tail:

1. More stuff is being produced. Technology and the Internet make it cheaper and easier to record and distribute your own songs, publish your own writings or produce your own movie. This lengthens the Tail.
2. There is better access to niches, primarily because of the reach and economics of the Internet. This fattens the Tail.
3. Search and recommendations connect supply and demand, which drives business from hits to niches.

In addition, the book provides a detailed analysis of the relationship of the Internet culture and business and how these intertwining factors have caused an explosion of niche markets.

The niche markets have been developed simply by the ease of creation and distribution. Thus, potentially breaking the stronghold of large manufacturers and retailers that have had control over our purchasing choices since the mid-20th century.

I have personally experienced the Long Tail in my choice of books to read and music to listen to.

Through my ‘travels’ on the Internet, I come across obscure bands that put up their music on their websites and/or MySpace. They allow their music to be freely downloadable.

If I am really interested after listening to their music, I can even make a purchase of the album or send them a donation.

Similarly for books, I have bought books that do not usually hit the bestsellers listing, but are strongly recommended by bloggers and other netizens. Even Anderson’s The Long Tail become a big hit even it was published due to the strong word-of-mouth generated as he put up chapters of his book onto his blog for critique and comments.

Chris Anderson started out as a journalist with The Economist and is currently the editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine. The book, The Long Tail (which is also his personal blog), started of as an article of the same name in October 2004 issue of Wired. He is currently also the host of the sold-out annual conference know as TED (Technology Entertainment Design).

Additional book reviews of The Long Tail:

1. Cassidy, John. “Going Long”. Books. 10 Jul 2006. The New Yorker. 29 Aug. 2008.
2. Wu, Tim. “The Wrong Tail“. 21 Jul 2006. Slate. 29 Aug. 2008.
3. McCrum, Robert. “On Demand“. 13 May 2007. Books | The Observer. 29 Aug. 2008.
4. Elberse, Anita. “Should You Invest in the Long Tail?“. Jul-Aug 2008. Harvard Business Review. 29 Aug. 2008.

And there are more reviews that you can puruse on the Amazon.com site.

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Posted by Isaak Kwok, Associate Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services, Public Library Service

Professor Randy Pausch was just 46 when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. On September 17, 2007, just about a month after he received the news, he delivered his last lecture, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”. He meant the lecture as a celebration of life, and as a parting gift to his three young children. The recording of the lecture quickly became a hit on the Internet, and this book is the result.

Join us as we discuss and share insights on the final testament of this brave and gentle man. For readers who might be interested, you can view interview clips at  Amazon.com. Alternatively, if you have iTunes U, you can download the lecture in its entirety, or you can visit the Carnegie Mellon University webpage for more information.

Do join us then on 18th October, 4 pm, at the Programme Zone, Jurong Regional Library.

The Last Lecture
by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow.
London : Hodder & Stoughton, 2008

Call No.: English 004.092 PAU -[COM]

About the Read to Lead Bookclub

This book club discuss the works of self-improvement authors, management gurus and successful entrepreneurs and managers. It meets every 2 months, at Jurong Regional Library. All are welcome.

~ Contributed by Nur Hakim Low, Associate Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services.

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Meet novelist, short-story writer and children’s author Anita Desai in person! Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to speak to one of the world’s most eminent writers!

Details as follows:

Monday, 25 August 2008
7.00 pm
The Pod, Level 16, National Library
Admission is Free.  All are Welcome.

More about Anita Desai:

Now a Professor of Humanities at MIT, Anita Desai was born in India in 1937 to an Indian father and a German mother. She was three-times nominated for the Booker Prize, but ironically, in a twist of fate, her daughter, Kiran Desai, won the prize in 2006 for her book The Inheritance of Loss. In 1993 Merchant Ivory released a film based on one of her books, In Custody. In 1990, she was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s highest artistic honour.

Cry, the Peacock
Call No.: DES
Anita’s first novel in 1963 sets out
the major themes that would
occupy her writing – the tensions
between modernity and tradition,
especially on Anglicized middle-class
Indian women.

The Village by the Sea
Call No.: Y DES
A novel especially written for
young people, this deals with two
teenagers, siblings, who have to
shoulder familial responsibilities
when their parents are unable to
do so.

Clear Light of Day
Call No.: DES
She considers this her most
autobiographical work, and it
earned her first Booker
nomination. It tells the tale of a
family set in Old Delhi.

Fasting, Feasting
Call No.: DES
This 1999 title earned Desai her
third Booker nomination. It tells the
tale of an Indian daughter who
aspires to independence outside of
her family and marriage.

~ Contributed by Nur Hakim Low, Associate Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services.

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Title: Sundays at Tiffany’s
Author: James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
Published by London: Century, 2008
Call No.: PAT -[RO]

Call me a sentimental fool but I have a weakness for anything associated with Tiffany’s, the famed jeweler that Audrey Hepburn made timeless. So, it’s no surprise that this title caught my eye, especially when combined with the name of a best-selling author of many thrillers. This is not James Patterson’s first foray into romance, as he has proved successful in this genre with “Suzanne’s diary for Nicholas”. However, in this collaboration with Gabrielle Charbonnet, a children’s author, the resultant storyline may seem a bit flat, by Patterson’s standards.

Jane Margaux and Michael are best friends – best friends with an extremely wide age gap between them. Thirty-something Michael manages to make the chubby seven-year-old feel like she’s on top of the world every time, deplorable as her family situation may be. With a vain and selfish mother, and a forgetful father, Jane escapes into her dream world with Michael, a strong, handsome and funny…imaginary friend.

But, as Jane grows up, Michael realises he has to let her go into the real world. Their separation is devastating to Jane, to say the least. And she has never forgotten Michael ever since. The memory of Michael is so strong that she creates a play based on their relationship. And who should turn up unexpectedly in her life again? This time around, is Michael just a figment of her imagination or is the man who she fell in love with as a child becoming a concrete reality?

While this tale of love between different worlds may appeal to some romantics out there, the style and tone used was a tad bit childish, in this author’s opinion. Easily readable in one or two days, this book is a great escape from the harsh realities of love; the bitterness and brutality of love’s true nature is somewhat lacking. Perhaps everything ended up a bit too nicely for my own taste, for I do prefer my love stories with a bit more realistic drama.

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

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(Ed’s note: As Singapore celebrates its 43rd national day, it might be useful to reflect on our history and heritage, the unique places and memories that are stamped on our national DNA. Surely, Geylang Serai must rank as one of those places. For readers interested in engaging in a discussion on national identity and shared experiences, perhaps a visit to NDP-themed book discussions might be of interest to you.) 

The Heart of Geylang Serai
Call No.: SING q959.57 HEA
Editor: Saat A. Rahman
Publisher: Nature Services, 2005

Revisit Geylang Serai in its yesteryears, when it was a Malay fishing village, where orang laut dwelled, and many a kampung houses stood, shaded by tall coconut trees. The residents there were among the first to witness the arrival of the British on Singapore’s shores, and then, the rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward to present Geylang Serai, and the swamp is gone, replaced by a thriving Malay settlement. Not only makciks visit Geylang Serai Wet Market for marketing; other races, young adults, teenagers and even yuppies frequent there. The streets light up during Eid ul Fitri, and the shops bustle with the enthusiastic crowd. Who would have thought a simple village would be transformed into a quaint shopping area?

The Heart of Geylang Serai brings readers back through the old Geylang, with tons of pictures and comments from the past. Juxtapose the past and the present, and you will see a wonderful change, where a swamp becomes a slum land, and finally a prosperous settlement.

~ Contributed by Yasmin Ally, Associate Librarian, NLB

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Comics are getting darker – that seems to be the vibe going around for quite some time now. Personally, when reading comics from the 70s right up to current issues, one does get the impression that comics then were more brightly optimistic in outlook. Now optimism seems couched in a more subdued or qualified way. But comics have always pushed topics for serious discussion.

Wonder Woman (first appeared in All Star Comics #8, 1941) certainly forwarded the frontiers of feminism when the character was first introduced and the scruples of Superman (first appeared in Action Comics #1, 1938) in the very early days may rival those of current day vigilantes in comics. There was also a story arc (Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85-86, 1971) of early Green Arrow in which his sidekick, Speedy, got hooked on heroin! More recently, the newer female version of the same character, Speedy (first appeared in Green Arrow vol2 #2, 2001), is an ex-prostitute who is HIV- positive.

The Legion of Superheroes had a black superhero, Tyroc, join them in their early days (Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes #216, 1976), as did the Green Lantern corps in the form of John Stewart (Green Lantern/Green Arrow #87, 1972). And who can forget the X-Men (starting from X-Men #1, 1963) who, with almost every story, personify prejudice against those different from us. Comics reflect the times and sometimes push the frontiers.

That comics were a much brighter ray of sunshine or naïveté before may also be an anachronistic impression. We impose our current day sentiments upon the publications then and then label what is different with all sorts of adjectives. Certainly I do think comics have changed, perhaps in relation to its reader profile. What was perhaps then a wide base of children may now have blossomed into a readership spanning different age groups. Many comics now delve more into the various complex motivations of the protagonists and in creating the mood and feel of say, the graphic novel.

Personally, I think it is a reflection of the way we read comics these days. As with most media, comics reflect the times. So if it is true that they are much darker now, the bigger issue may be how we have created and arrived at a much darker society.Very little is done simplistically these days. Batman may resort to extreme measures but the effects of his childhood trauma are often emphasized even as the characters are drawn with gory, gruesome injuries. Gory graphics are often accompanied by thought provoking reflective text. While Batman is lauded as the world’s greatest detective (in the world of DC comics) – he is also castigated by his peers for his extreme methods. And Batman never kills – a fact emphasized even as he beats criminals into pulp. The Punisher may kill but a look at what happened to those he loved provides insight into what could drive a person to such extremes. (Why, some of us want to strangle our in-laws!)

Is it sensationalistic? Well, certainly far less so than many other things, such as the Edison Chen saga for one. As with most things, I guess, it all boils down to how well we are able to choose and evaluate the things we read.

~ Contributed by Lim Sieu Pin

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Salman Rushdie has been installed as the favourite to win by the British betting house, Ladbroke, for his book “The Enchantress of Florence“. The main reason is because Rushdie was crowned in February 2008 as the “Best of the Bookers” to celebrate the Man Booker prize’s 40th anniversary. He was also previously crowned the “Booker of Bookers” as part of the prize’s 25th anniversary.

The longlist is as follows:

• The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (Call No.: English ADI)
• Girl in a Blue Dress by Gaynor Arnold
• The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
• From A to X by John Berger
• The Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser
• Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh (Call No.: Call No.: English GHO)
• The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant (Call No.: English GRA)
• The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher
• Netherland by Joseph O’Neill
• The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie (Call No.: English RUS)
• Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Call No.: English SMI)
• A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz (Call No.: English TOL)

The shortlist will be announced on 9 September and the winner will announced on 14 October at an awards ceremony at Guildhall, London.

Two doctors are coming in August! No, the Heartlands Book Club has not diversified into clinical therapy though discussing books is a therapy for some! Two authors with Phds are discussing their books.

For the first book discussion, meet Dr Nigel Barley as he discusses “In the footsteps of Stamford Raffles”. The details:

Date/time: Friday, 4.00pm, 8 August 2008
Venue: The Activity Room, Bukit Batok Community Library
Author in appearance: Dr Nigel Barley
Co-facilitator: Ms Margaret Brinham
Title/author of book: In the footsteps of Stamford Raffles by Nigel Barley
Call no. of book: SING English 325.21092 BAR

What the book is about: In this enchanting pastiche of history, biography and travelogue, the British Museum’s assistant keeper and director of the Museum of Mankind resurrects the “real” Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), founder and British governor of Singapore. Following in Raffles’s footsteps, Barley plays the known facts about his life against the contradictory local myths and gossip about him in a witty portrait of a man now known primarily by the name of the famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Born poor, Raffles was dubbed “the Duke” by an aunt for his elegant airs. From a menial job at the East India Company, he rose to a position that enabled him to help take Java from the cruel rule of the Dutch to the more (controversially) beneficent one of the British. The book is also an entertaining visit with the intrepid author and a host of high and low characters Barley drew into his adventure. (Taken from Publisher’s notes).

About the author: Nigel Barley is the author of 10 books with Penguin, Monsoon, Time Warner and Little, Brown, including three set in Singapore/Malaysia: ‘White Raja’. ‘In the Footsteps of Stamford Raffles’ and ‘Rogue Raider: The tale of Captain Lauterbach and the Singapore Mutiny’. With a PhD in Anthropology from Oxford University, he spent many years working at the British Museum in the Ethnography Department.  He is now a writer and broadcaster and divides his time between London and Indonesia.

UPDATE (11 August 2008) - Some pictures from the book discussion:

The second book discussion is by local poet Dr Rosaly Puthucheary . The details:

Date/time: Friday, 4.00pm, 29 August 2008
Venue: The Activity Room, Bukit Batok Community Library
Author in appearance: Dr Rosaly Puthucheary
Co-facilitator: Mr Lawrence Chew
Title/author of book: Footfalls in the Rain by Rosaly Puthucheary
Call no. of book: SING English S821 PUT

What the book is about: Footfalls in the Rain, in four cantos, is a long poem about the journey from youth to age. Each canto deals with one aspect of the psychological journey. However, many of the individual poems are reflections inspired by actual trips made between 1989 and 2001 to different parts of the world. The musing in each poem is grounded in the reality confronted by the poet during her travels. The inroads into her emotion convey the underlying tension, giving the sequence a certain poignancy (Taken from Publisher’s notes).

About the author: Dr Puthucheary, an octogenarian, is a prolific author and still continues to write. In the midst, she has several unpublished works which she is sourcing for publishers. One of them is “Singaporeans/Malaysian novel: Different voices” will be available this year. She completed her Phd in English Literature in 2006 at the National University of Singapore. Former teacher at ACJC for 17 years, she does art, painting and writing for leisure.

UPDATE (01 September 2008) - Some pictures from the book discussion:

If you are interested in participating, please email Soon Huat at Soon_Huat_KWEH@nlb.gov.sg.

Contributed by Kweh Soon Huat, Adult and Young People’s Services

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There’s a lot of hype now about Japanese anime, like D-Grey Man, Hellgirl and so on. You can probably rattle off a longer list than me, but what about Japanese films? Do you still remember the horror hit of 1998, The Ring by Hideo Nakata, and scenes of the creepy long haired woman crawling out of the tube? Simply hair-rising experience of many of the movie-goers then.

Besides The Ring, there are several other Japanese films that cover diverse themes, such as:

Tokyo Godfathers by Satoshi Kon (2003)
Call No.: Other 791.433 TOK
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

Three homeless friends find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve and try to locate her parents.

Hana & Alice by Shunji Iwai (2004)
Call No.: Other 791.4372 HAN
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

Hana and Alice are inseparable friends until Mark, a cute boy they spot at a train station, comes between them. Tricking Mark into believing that he is suffering from amnesia, Hana claims that she is his girlfriend. A baffled Mark struggles to regain his memories as he is drawn to the prettier Alice. When their bond deepens, the girls’ lifelong relationship begins to fray, propelling them apart.

Bushi no Ichibun / Love and Honor by Yoji Yamada (2006)
Call No.: Other 791.4372 BUS
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

A look at the relationship between a young blind samurai (Takuya Kimura) and his wife (Rei Dan), who will make a sacrifice in order to defend her husband’s honour.

Onna ga Kaidan wo Agaru Toki / When a Woman Ascends the Stairs by Mikio Naruse (1960)
Call No.: Other 791.4372 ONN
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

The widowed Keiko manages a hostess bar in Tokyo’s Ginza district. She remains faithful to the memory of her husband and supports her mother, brother and his son. The smiling mask she wears allows her to make a living, but the pressure to sell herself is unrelenting. Her business is failing and she must decide whether to raise the money to buy her own bar, or marry one of the admiring affluent patrons.

To celebrate Japanese films (and reward you for squeezing your scholarly juices), the library@esplanade has partnered with the Embassy of Japan and the Singapore Film Society to give aways tickets to the Japanese Film Festival 2008 (22 - 31 August). For more information, see here.

Contributed by Goh Peck Keong, Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

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