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Dear friends,

To set the mood before discussing  Joseph Conrad’s book “Heart of Darkness”. we will be screening part of the movie “Apocalypse Now”, one of the best movies on the Vietnam War.  The movie is based on the book.  As this is a special discussion on 24 December which is on Christmas Eve, there will be a small party after the discussion.  Please bring along a small gift for exchange.    The details:

Date/Time:  2.30pm, Thursday 24 December 2009
Venue:  The Activity Room, Bukit Batok Public Library
Screening of Movie:  2.30pm (45mins)
Title/Author/Call Number:  The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.  Call No.:  CON
Facilitator:  Mr Lawrence Chew, an ex-teacher who taught literature in a junior college.

What the book is about:  A masterpiece of twentieth-century writing, Heart of Darkness (1902) exposes the tenuous fabric that holds “civilization” together and the brutal horror at the center of European colonialism. Conrad’s crowning achievement recounts Marlow’s physical and psychological journey deep into the heart of the Belgian Congo in search of the mysterious trader Kurtz.  (Taken from Amazon.com)

To confirm participation, please email to soon_huat_KWEH@nlb.gov.sg

See you!

With best regards,
Soon Huat
Librarian
Heartlands Book Club
Brought to you by Adults and Young People Services

The Evil Seed
Joanne Harris
London:  Black Swan, 2008.
(All Rights Reserved)
Call No.: HAR
Available at NLB libraries

Better known as the author of “Chocolat”, Joanne Harris brings us her debut novel, which can be said to be a great departure from her usual themes of culinary intrigues and the enchanting small-town life in France. Recently republished with an author’s note, it gives a glimpse into Harris’s early writing style and an interesting background of how this novel developed. While she admits to a few rough spots in the plot and other failings, the story still managed to capture my imagination, especially with her eerie invitation: “Caution. May contain vampires.”

Although vampires may be the key attraction for this book (what with the popularity of the “Twilight” series and other vampire fiction), the main theme that Harris plays on in this story is memory and its power. Memory can be a terrible thing, especially when it is used to dig up a past that you want buried forever. Just ask Daniel Holmes, a studious researcher in Cambridge, just after World War II. When he meets a woman named Rosemary Virginia Ashley, everything he knows will be completely useless, in the face of such ethereal and haunting beauty. But, of course, there is more than meets the eye. Bewitching both Daniel and his best friend, Robert, Rosemary is no simple lady.

Realising the hopelessness of the situation, Daniel pens down all his experiences in a journal – a journal that would be discovered by Alice in modern-time Cambridge. Newly single, Alice is introduced to Ginny by her ex-boyfriend, Joe, as the new love in his life. With her innocent look, Ginny excites a cartwheel of emotions from Alice – jealousy, sympathy and fear. When Alice notices something strange about Ginny’s behaviour and the unsavoury group of friends she consorts with, Alice sets out to unravel the horrifying truth of Ginny’s nightmare world.

This ambitious plot may have been inspired by the fervour for Anne Rice-read-alike novels then in the early ‘90s and it does succeed in some parts. The originality of the plot was quite refreshing to a non-horror fan like me and Harris exercised a subtle hand during the scenes of ‘ravishment’, for which I’m eternally thankful for, as I can get quite squeamish with blood. Furthermore, Harris’s flair for imagery shines through in her maiden novel, albeit not as polished as in “Chocolat” or “Blackberry Wine”.

“Close against his flesh he felt her breath as she laughed. Then, with a sudden crunch, she bit. Blood rushed out as his head lolled; blood soaked the front of his short, blood rushed down the side of the girl’s face and dripped from the stray damp strands of her hair … He tried her name; it burst in a bubble of blood and ran down the side of his shoulder, but he did not feel it. He was alone in the tunnel falling further and further away … When – some time later – she had sated her appetite, the girl wiped her face fastidiously on the dead man’s handkerchief. She always washed after meals.”

However, the pacing of the storyline is rather slow and it feels like Harris is purposely prolonging the tension, much to the irritation of impatient readers like myself. Of course, if your preference is for long drawn-out gothic horror novels, then this story should be next on your reading list. Perhaps this lack of tightness in the plot led me to another criticism – poor character development. Granted, this is a first novel but I felt that there could been more to discover about Alice and Ginny that Harris somehow did not focus on. Much of the story was concentrated on Daniel, leaving me to think that Alice and Ginny were playing supportive roles only, when they could have the “power” to turn the story around.

When I read this book, I tried to push aside all assumptions I had of Harris’s strengths as an author and to view the story as if with a fresh eye. If I didn’t have the knowledge that it was written by Harris, I would say that “The evil seed” is a decent effort at gothic fiction and my time was quite well spent on reading it. At times, I even imagined that this story might be worth the while translating to a short film even, with the powerful imagery that Harris is usually skilled at. But, my expectations kept pushing the bar for this book and I was left somewhat dissatisfied with the feeble ending. For better reads by Harris, I suggest sticking to her other books “Chocolat” or “Five Quarters of the Orange”.

~ By Elizabeth Lee, National Library Board

Would you like to send us your contribution?
Post your comments, or email to HBeditor@nlb.gov.sg

Dear Readers,

On 1st Dec, you can also ASK! Chat with us online!

How does ASK! Chat work?
Communicate with our librarians via online chat widgets available at:

ASK! blog: http://blogs.nlb.gov.sg/ask/
Public Libraries Singapore http://www.pl.sg/page/PlJustAskContent
NLB eResources: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg

Chat widgets will be available on library catalogue and multimedia stations at Sengkang Public Library and Woodlands Regional Library at a later date.

This is a trial enquiry service running from Dec 1, 2009 to February 28, 2010.

For questions that require personal data to be revealed, for example, your NRIC or your membership number, please call our Helpdesk at 6332-3255 or approach the Customer Service Counter at any public library.

You can, of course, continue to contact the ASK! service through the following channels:

ASK! E-mail: ask@nlb.gov.sg
ASK! SMS: 9184-2015
ASK! Phone: 6332-3255

For an FAQ on the new chat service, please read on. [Read more →]

Dear friends,

We are discussing “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk-Kidd. The details:

Date/Time: 4.00pm, Friday 20 November 2009
Venue: The Activity Room, Bukit Batok Public Library
Facilitator: Mr Lawrence Chew
Title/Author/ Call number “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue-Monk Kidd
Call No.: KID
 
About the book: In Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, 14-year-old Lily Owen, neglected by her father and isolated on their South Carolina peach farm, spends hours imagining a blissful infancy when she was loved and nurtured by her mother, Deborah, whom she barely remembers. These consoling fantasies are her heart’s answer to the family story that as a child, in unclear circumstances, Lily accidentally shot and killed her mother. All Lily has left of Deborah is a strange image of a Black Madonna, with the words “Tiburon, South Carolina” scrawled on the back. The search for a mother, and the need to mother oneself, are crucial elements in this well-written coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s against a background of racial violence and unrest. (Extract taken from www.Amazon.com)
 
About the facilitator: Mr Chew was an ex-teacher who taught literature at a junior college. He has written short stories as a hobby and is currently embarking on writing a non-fiction book on quantum physics.

Kindly note that the date for November book discussion is brought forward earlier that is, on 20th November rather than the last Friday of the month due to the latter falling on a Public Holiday.

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

Here are some photos of the last Heartlands book discussion with Dr Rosaly Puthucheary on her first novel, “The Tessellated Path”.

Armageddon’s Children
By Terry Brooks
New York : Del Rey/Ballantine Books, 2007.
(All Rights Reserved)
Call Number: English BRO

His debut fantasy novel “The Sword of Shannara” in the 70s was the first work of fiction ever to appear on the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list, where it remained for over five months. Terry Brooks has since written a number of best selling epic fantasy trilogies set in his magical world of the Four Lands, which is not unlike Tolkein’s MiddleEarth.

Terry’s fans have often wondered what exactly happened during the Great Wars, that time period where the modern world was destroyed resulting in the birth of the Four Lands. The wait is finally over with his latest novel, Armageddon’s Children that is set 80 years into the future after his contemporary fantasy novel Angel Fire East. [Read more →]

Dear friends,

We are inviting again Dr Rosaly Puthucheary to discuss her first novel “The Tessallated Path”. Our last discussion on her book of poems was most enjoyable and the author shared the experiences in writing her books. The book club is privileged to discuss “The Tessallated Path” before the book’s official launch at the Singapore’s Writers’ Festival in November next month.

Do join us to meet Rosaly and discuss with her on the book. The details:

Date/time: 4.00pm, Friday 30 October 2009
Venue: The Activity Room, Bukit Batok Public Library
Author: Dr Rosaly Puthucheary
Facilitator: Ms Chen Wee
Title/Author/ Call number “The Tessallated Path” by Rosaly Puthucheary
Call no.: SING PUT

About the book: Set in the background of Singapore’s struggle for independence, the narrative explores the notion of predestination. Determined to live a life far removed from that of her mother’s and grandmother’s, the protagonist, Lisa, sets off on her own to discover a life beyond her comfort zone.

Well-known literary critic and writer Dr Kirpal Singh described this book as “This is a must-read: a powerful story with the potential of a great film. This is a feat of literary excellence where art and craft come together triumphantly.”
(Extract taken from the book’s back cover)

About the author: Rosaly, born at Johor Bahru, did her tertiary education in Singapore. She obtained her doctorate in English Literature from the National University of Singapore. Now a Singaporean, she is working on her second novel.

Please send an email if you wish to join the book discussion to: soon_huat_KWEH@nlb.gov.sg

English novelist Hilary Mantel has won the 2009 Booker prize for Wolf Hall, which is based on the fictionalised life of Thomas Cromwell.

Wolf Hall has been the bookies’ favourite since the longlist was announced in July 2009. Set in the 1520s, Wolf Hall tells the story of Thomas Cromwell’s rise to power in the Tudor court. Hilary Mantel has been praised by critics for writing ‘a rich, absorbingly readable historical novel; she has made a significant shift in the way any of her readers interested in English history will henceforward think about Thomas Cromwell.’

Mantel spent five years writing Wolf Hall and she is currently working on a sequel, which will be titled The Mirror And The Light.

Wolf Hall was picked from a shortlist of six titles. The other contenders were, A. S. Byatt for The Children’s Book, J. M. Coetzee for Summertime, Adam Foulds for The Quickening Maze, Simon Mawer for The Glass Room and Sarah Waters for The Little Stranger.

The winner of the Man Booker Prize as well as the other five shortlisted titles are available for loan in our public libraries under these call numbers:

Wolf Hall / Hilary Mantel.
Call No: English MAN

The Children’s Book / A.S. Byatt.
Call No: English BYA

Summertime : Scenes from a Provincial Life / J.M. Coetzee.
Call No: English COE

The Quickening Maze / Adam Foulds.
Call No: English FOU

The Glass Room / Simon Mawer.
Call No: English MAW

The Little Stranger / Sarah Waters.
Call No: English WAT

Other works by Hilary Mantel include:

Beyond Black / Hilary Mantel
Call No: English MAN -[TH]

Fludd / Hilary Mantel
Call No: English MAN -[AW]

Eight Months on Ghazzah Street / Hilary Mantel
Call No: English MAN

Sources cited:

The Guardian
URL: www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/oct/06/booker-prize-hilary-mantel-wolf-hall

Booker Prize Foundation
URL: www.themanbookerprize.com/news/stories/1291

(Image from: The Guardian)

Have you read these books? Do you have something else to recommend?
Post your comments, or send a longer book review to HBeditor@nlb.gov.sg

 (Editor’s note: We are re-producing here an earlier, unpublished review of this title). 

Betrayal: The Life and Lies of Bernie Madoff
By Andrew Kirtzman
HarperCollins, 2009.
(All rights reserved)

It should surprise no one, that Mr Bernie Madoff’s US$65 billion Ponzi scheme fell under the radar for decades. After all, why should Mr Madoff’s exclusive club of high net worth investors, captivated by consistent returns of 10 to 15 percent in good times and bad, kill the golden goose?

Mr Madoff, also known as the “Jewish T-bill”, was fully aware of this and preyed on the greed of investors with his charm and nonchalance to create an air of mystery over himself and his secret sauce.

[Read more →]

Relentless
By Dean Koontz
Harper Collins
(All Rights Reserved)
Call No.: KOO-[TH]

Relentless is Koontz’s 2009 novel, following Your Heart Belongs to Me. Written in the first person, which is certainly more personalized and easy-going, it gives a fast-paced feel and is relentless in its storytelling.

Bestselling author, Cullen ‘Cubby’ Greenwich, receives a bad review on his latest work, by Shearman Waxx, a highly respected and feared literary critic. He manages to find the critic at a local restaurant, where the author’s 6-year-old prodigy son nearly pees on Waxx in the restaurant’s men’s room.

Waxx seems to ignore Cubby’s apologies, but before he leaves the restroom, he says a word to Cubby, “Doom”. Puzzled and slightly worried, Cubby goes home and relates everything to his wife. Brushing aside the incident, they go to sleep, only to find out that they are in danger, as Cubby wakes up from sleep to find Waxx in their marital bedroom. After Waxx tasers them and leaves, Cubby recovers and bundles his family and their dog out of their house, and in time too, as the house blows up just seconds after.

Although the plot deals with serious issue of an intent to murder, Cubby, the protagonist, enlightens the mood by his humour and banter with his wife. But a comedy this is not; instead like most of Koontz’s thriller novels, it has some near-death experiences and some gory details of violence. There is a science fiction element nearer to the end, which almost explains everything that’s going on, but not nearly. Still, this is an entertaining novel by Koontz and hard to put down, very much like his previous thrillers such as Phantoms, Lightning and Watchers.

~ Contributed by Yasmin Ally, National Library Board

Would you like to send us your contribution?
Post your comments, or email to HBeditor@nlb.gov.sg