Raw Notes :: by the Rambling Librarian (Singapore)

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2006-03-12T14:59:00.000+08:00

This blog has been moved to RoughNotes.wordpress.com (reasons for the migration posted here).

Books/ Magazines Read in 2005 (amended)

2005-12-31T13:00:00.000+08:00

ll[Compiled & posted on 28 Feb 2006]

The list includes only books and magazines (AV items are excluded).

Total items read in 2005 = 91 items
Fiction Vs Non-fiction = 79% Fiction Vs. 21% Non-fiction
Subject composition (top 3 in terms of %) = Fantasy 23%, Science Fiction 23% (21 items each); Society/ Contemporary Fiction 15% (14 items); Military 4%, Art 4%, Science 4% (4 items each)
Items from Singapore Collection = 9 (10% of total read)
Formats = Books 48% (44 books), Magazines 12% (11 magazines), Graphic Novels 40% (36 graphic novels)
Value of items as per Amazon.com prices (excluding Out of Print items) = USD$1,019.13 (or SGD$1,654.35, as at 28 Feb 2006 conversion rates)

Titles read in 2005:

9-11: Artists respond – Vol 1
9-11: Emergency relief
A bit of earth/ Suchen Christine Lim
A life force/ Will Eisner
A morbid taste for bones (a Brother Cadfael series)/ Ellis Peters
AD & D (Asian Defence & Diplomacy)/ Feb 2005 vol 12 no.2
Aliens: Stronghold/ Dark Horse Comics
American Gods/ Neil Gaiman
Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Jan-Feb 2005
Asian geographic/ n27, issue 5, 2004
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Apr-May 2005
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Feb 2005
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Jan 2005
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Mar 2005
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Dec 2004
Astronomy/ Aug 2005
Astronomy/ Oct 2004
Balzac & the little chinese seamstress/ Dai Sijie
Cities/ (ed. Peter Crowther)
City people notebook/ Will Eisner
Concrete: Killer smile/ Paul Chadwick
Concrete: Think like a mountain/ Paul Chadwick
Digital Painting/ (pub. Ballistics/ digital artists master class)
Dreaming down under/ edited by Jack Dann & Janeen Webb
Fax from Sarajevo: A story of survival/ Joe Kubert
Finding Ben: A mother's journey through the maze of Asperger's/ Barbara Lasalle
Firebirds: Anthology of original fantasy and Science Fiction/ Sharyn November (editor)
Fistful of colours/ Suchen Christine Lim
Getting results: Five absolutes for high performers/ Clinton O. Longnecker & Jack L. Simonetti
Google power: Unleash the full potential of Google/ Chris Sherman
Heartland/ Daren V. L. Shiau
Hellboy: Seeds of destruction/ Mike Mignola
Hellboy: The chained coffin & others/ Mike Mignola
How to draw and sell comic strips for newspapers and comic books/ Alan McKenzie
Insider's Singapore: The alternative city guide/ David Brazil
Iron Council/ China Mieville
Isn't Singapore somewhere in China, luv? Stories about Singaporeans abroad/ Josephine Chia Over
King Rat/ China Mieville
Kite runner/ Khaled Hosseini
Last day in vietnam: A memory/ Will Eisner
Lila: An inquiry into morals/ Robert M. Pirsig
Lonely planet norway
Marching to Valhalla/ Michael Blake
New Spring (A Wheel of Time novel)/ Robert Jordan
Norway rough guide
Orbiter/ DC Comics
Perdido Street Station/ China Mieville
Reading & the reference librarian: The importance to library service of staff reading habits/ Juris Dilevko & Lisa Gottlieb
Reinventing comics: How imagination and technology are revolutionizing an art form/ Scott McCloud
Samurai cat goes to hell/ Mark E. Rogers
Scientific American/ Dec 2003
Seabiscuit/ Laura Hildebrand
Seventeen/ Colin Cheong
Sleeper: Out in the Cold/ Ed Brubaker & Sean Philips
Space Usagi/ Stan Sakai
Star Wars: Chewbacca/ Dark Horse Comics
Star wars: X-wing rogue squadron. Mandatory retirement
StormWatch Vol. 1. Force of nature/ Warren Ellis
Stormwatch. Vol. 2. Lightning strikes
Stormwatch. Vol. 3. Change or die
Stormwatch. Vol. 4. A finer world
Stormwatch. Vol. 5. Final orbit
Stormwatch. Team Achilles. Book 1
Stormwatch: Team Achilles book 2
Tangerine/ Colin Cheong
Terry Pratchett's The light Fantastic
The alchemist/ Paulo Coelho
The complete Concrete/ Paul Chadwick
The dreamer (A graphic novella set during the dawn of comic bks)/ Will Eisner
The Fantasies of Robert A. Heinlein/ Robert A. Heinlein
The fifth mountain/ Paulo Coelho
The five star stories (vol 10)/ Mamoru Nagano
The green man: Tales from the mythic forest/ Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling (editors)
The last heros/ W. E. B. Griffin
The matrix comics Vol 2
The reef/ Nora Roberts
The Sandman: Endless nights/ Neil Gaiman
The Sandman: The wake/ Neil Gaiman
The Scar/ China Mieville
The secret history/ Donna Tartt
The seige of Singapore/ Lim Thean Soo
The Sgt. Rock archives Vol. 1/ DC Comics
To kill a mockingbird/ Harper Lee
Tuesdays with morrie/ Mitch Albom
Understanding comics: The invisible art/ Scott McCloud
Void decks and other empty places/ Colin Cheong
Walk like a dragon: Short stories/ Goh Sin Tub
We, the media: Grassroots journalism by the people, for the people/ Dan Gillmor
Wildcats Version 3.0: Brand Building
Wildcats Volume 3: Serial boxes
X-wing Rogue Squadron: Mandatory Retirement/ Michael A. Stackpole

Almost-read in 2005
Nil - I guess I was pretty selective this year.

Reading & the reference librarian: The importance to library service of staff reading habits/ Juris Dilevko & Lisa Gottlieb

2005-12-23T23:03:00.000+08:00

Published in 2004, the book elaborates on a survey of the reading habits of librarians from academic libraries and public libraries in the US and Canada.

NLB Call No.: q025.52 DIL
Search NLB Catalogue

One key takeaway from reading the book -- the librarians surveyed recognise the importance of reading (for personal and job competencies), but they have no time to read on the job, and most did it outside working hours. Some librarians surveyed do have time to read on the job, but that's the minority.

As I read the book, I wondered how Singapore librarians would fare. I'm sure many of the survey results would be consistent, especially the "no time to read" part. It was interesting to note that this seems to be a problem faced by librarians across the world!

The first part of the book is on academic librarians & second part on public library reference librarians.

The book puts a convincing case that reading gives an edge to the reference librarian (in collection development, programmes & outreach etc). I thought the real question is whether those reference librarians who don't read (or not as often) are less effective than those who do? (chpt 7 addresses this, which says there's a link between effectiveness and reading).

In fact, same applies to "successful" people. I think there definitely a strong positive correlation bet reading & personal effectiveness but it's one's ability to assimilate & apply info that really gives an edge -- and that is something hard to qualify & quantify.

p. 8 - web call centre. Describes how chat works
p. 10 - scathing review of S & Coffman's paper
p. 12 - on the role of librarians & librarianship
p. 21 - "re-intellectualise ref work in the 21st century"
p. 22 - walking resource - role of lib
p. 30 - issue of whether there's value in becoming a mini-expert
p. 31 - pple often ask what they read from newspapers
p. 43 - diff bet an adequate lib & a great one (on reading newspaper & mags)
p. 59 - impact on job specific responsibilities
p. 66 - conversation starters
p. 68 - debunkers
p. 78/ 81 - types of fiction & NF read (NF mostly biographies)
p. 83 - *how reading fiction helps (see also p101)
p. 84 - "it's the totality of reading that is impt" & "it doesn't matter where the content comes from"
p. 95 - on reader's advisory
p. 115 - by inference above 76% read on their personal time
p. 118 - why some don't read/ don't want to read outside work time

p. 133 - PL ref staff/ p134 - successful (pl) ref lib is one with a quizzical mind. 79.2% surveyed don't have paid time to read but are strongly encouraged to during "slow times"/ p135 - reading is part of professionalism & resp of salaried staff so not necc to have paid time

p. 148 - how keeping current helps PL ref (but undelying assump is that users want to ask PL. A chicken-egg issue?)

p. 164 - diff deg of emphasis placed by academic & pl lib wrt reading & ability to relate to the cust they serve. For PL, it is the relationship rather than direct bk knowledge.

p. 177 - 187: char of "impressive ref svc" by academics, why they were disappointed, char of "preferred ref lib"

p. 192 - advice/ feedback from academics to ref lib on what makes good svc/ p202 - on how to stay current

Appendices - methodology & survey questions asked

King Rat/ China Mieville

2005-12-20T22:57:00.000+08:00

The problem with writing about stories like King Rat is that it's easy to give the plot away. But if you don't describe with details, the review's very cryptic. So forget it, I told myself. This isn't a review.

NLB Call No.: MIE
Search in NLB Catalogue

Here are my thoughts/ notes on the book:

Saul was told about his heritage a bit like Harry Potter style.
It cuts from boring fantasy to something weirdly intriguing.
There's a british-fantasy flavour to his writings. A Faery-tale (rather than a fairy-tale).
It's not as grim & grungy as the New Crobuzon stories; it's almost Stephen-King-ish but not quite horror.
A play on the pied piper of Hamelin myth(oops, plot spoiler..)
I find that I actually sympathised with the rodents than humans.
A novel that makes hiphop (Jungle) hip! Rewind!*

* Mieville mentions this in his intro. Why "rewind"? You have to read the book to find out!

The Secret History/ Donna Tartt

2005-12-19T22:46:00.000+08:00

If you enjoy murder mysteries, you're really going to like this. The story takes place around the 1990s, revolving around six college students (five boys and one girl in their 20s) enrolled in a laid back American town.

NLB Call No.: TAR
Search in NLB Catalogue

The story is told from the perspective of a young man, Richard. What's interesting is that by the first paragraph of the novel, you're already told that Bunny is they guy who gets killed, and Richard and the rest seems to have gotten away with the deed (yet you're not quite sure yet).

The novel proceeds at a leisurely pace yet not boring, mind you (quite a delft stroke or storytelling which I thought is refective of the quite and laidback mood of the surroundings in which they meet and form their bonds. The characters slowly develop with complex layers added as the story proceeds.

You learn more about Henry, the quiet intellect and unspoken leader of the group. Francis is a closet gay; Charles and Camille are twins; then there's 'Bunny'. You can't help but dislike the guy (a sponge, taking advantage of the good will of others). Yet halfway after I learn why they killed Bunny, I couldn't help but pity Bunny and thought that no one deserves to be murdered.

Before long, I was asking asking yourself what was it that made them want to murder Bunny and the beauty is that the reason is revealed right smack in my face -- not quite a slap but more like a gust of wind. As suddenly as that.

The story doesn't stop there. It's only halfway. The police and FBI gets into act when Bunny is discovered missing. I started wondering if the five of them get caught? More complex layers are added to the characters as they get caught up in the crime investigation.

The Greek Tragedy also plays itself out, but alas I'm know very little about Greek Tragedies. I'm sure if I did, I'd appreciate the novel even more. I suspect the whole story is a Greek Tragedy in itself. I understand that Greek Tragedies were dedications to the gods... which in a way, that was what they were doing.

Ok, so do they get caught? You'll have to read the book! And then reflect on why the title is called "Secret History"...

Google power: Unleash the full potential of google/ Chris Sherman

2005-12-17T13:40:00.000+08:00

If you want to increase your search productivity using Google, read this book. Experienced searchers might also find this as a good refresher.

The book is obviously about using Google but where relevant, other search features and tools (like those from Yahoo!, Altavista and others) are also introduced. Later chapters include interviews of expert searchers, where they explain their favoured search techniques and resources.

NLB Call No.: 025.04 SHE - [COM]
Click here to check for item availability.

Some notes that I took:

Chapter 1 - mainly on how google works (good diagram to show how the crawler, indexer, and search engine works)
Faster to retrieve cache copy (than click on website) if required info isn't time sensitive
Some "metrics" related to how google retrieves webpages (these could be important clues when designing blogs and websites):

- terms appearing in the title of webpage
- appearing in unique font elements (bold, italics)
- other "prominent" areas of pg, e.g. Bulleted list
- frequency in which the terms appear on a page
- off-page metrics like no of links to that page

Page 25 - Google isn't case sensitive. E.g. NLB and nlb is the same to google
Recommends that you use multiple search terms to make your search more specific. E.g. qi gong will give very broad results Vs qi gong chinese medicine
internal exercises asthma)
Use 32 words or less in your search (Google will ignore any thing more than 32 words)
Use quotes, i.e. phrase searching. E.g. "qi gong" Vs qi gong (it seems that phrase searching is a favoured techique by the experts cited in the book).
You also use quotations to ensure stop words (i.e. the, a, is) are included in your search terms. E.g. "to be or not to be".

32 google translation tool
36 abt boolean searching (common mistake is confusing or and And operator)
38 other operators + - *wildcard ~fuzzy
"Brave new *"
"Dinosaur ~facts" will return "dino info"

Chpt 3 is about understanding google's search results page. Intuitive to most users but if you're planning on how to max the retrieval of your blog post or page, worth a read (e.g. Impt of page title & link, even image alt text)

Chpt 4 - using the advanced search page.
From p.105 on google operators:

cache: www.archive.org (shows most recently crawled version of stored page in google)
related:www.northpole.com (shows similar pages)
link:www.searchengineguide.com (shows all pages linking to a specific URL)
info:www.sina.com (show info about a specific URL)
"burning man" filetype:ppt (restrict results to a file type)
"employee memo" ext:doc (restricts to pages of specific file type)
goliath frog site:www.ssarherps.org (limit to particular site)
allintest:dormedary arabia water (show pages where all search terms appear in the body portion of the page)
allintitle:combinatorial mathematics (show pages where search terms appear in title)
intitle:funicular (show pages where single search term appears in title)
allinurl:crazy eights (show pages where all search terms appear in URL)
inurl:ouagadougou (show pages where a single search term appears in URL)
allinanchor:issaquena county (show pages where all search terms appear in the text of links pointing to the page)
inanchor:neanderthal (show pages where a single search term appears in the text of links pointing to the page)

Chapter 6: searching for images (how google searches for clues for images, and therefore how you can improve retrieval of your images if you want them to be found). Results depend on file name, text surrounding the image. P. 151 - operators like cache:, link:, and related: have no effect on image search. Tip: to limit to Macromedia Flash files, search for "filetype:swf" operator. Try search terms site:research.microsoft.com filetype:pdf

What I like about this book is how it shows tools beyond google. Examples listed (for images):

search.yahoo.com/images
www.altavista.com/image
pictures.ask.com
www.ctr.columbia.edu/webseek
www.davidrumsey.com/collections
flickr.com

Chpt 7 on google groups, various ways of searching (useful if you want to go beyond webpages and into information from discussions). Tip: combine with terms like "forums", "message boards", "discussion groups", "mailing lists".

Chpt 8 on using google tool bar

Chpt 9: google labs (try google scholar)
P. 195 - something called google sets (www.langreiter.com/space/google-set-vista) where it generates a visual image of related terms

p. 198 - On Google WebAlerts (google.com/webalerts)
p. 200 - google.com/webalerts or newsalerts

p. 204 - www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html - snapshot of most popular queries Google received during previous month

Chpt 11 talks about web research managers, collaborative bookmark managers like furl.net, www.onfolio.com

p. 224 - monitoring fav websites:

product update pages: www.mozilla.org
movie trailers: www.movie-list.com
fav blogs: www.researchbuzz.com
radio prog schedules: www.npr.com.org/about/schedules
best selling books: www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller

chapt 12, p.230 - the art of googling people;

p. 231 rules of thumb:

always put person's name in double quotes

google ignores most punctuation symbols, so "john smith" also results "st. john's, smith square". advises that put a plus sign infront of search terms to force an exact match

google isn't case sensitive

use boolean OR to expand results

p. 232 on strategies to search for people (create your own biography, basically build list of terms; start with few terms; eliminate negative words; dont' overlook googlegroups)

p. 241 - finding email address tricky bec google ignores "@" symbol. try things like DOT AT anselATadmasDOTcom or insert space ivanchew @ nlb . gov . sg)

p. 243 - 245 finding personal webpages and blogs (but google just came up with blogger search)
tip like "barbara smith" intitle:"home page" or allintitle: "barbara smith" "home page"
"charles miller" site:geocities.com OR site:anglefire.com

p. 250 - Examples listed:

"charles miller" site:blogger.com OR site:blogspot.com

"name" intitle:"user profile" site:blogger.com (find blogger's profile)

"name" "my web page" site:blogger.com (find blogger's homepage)

"name" "recent posts" site:blogger.com (find recent posts mentioning other people)

Mentions tools like feedster.com, technorati.com, bloglines.com, www.daypop.com

p. 261 - finding reliable health information. good coverage on how to evaluate information

286 - searching googlenews using the advanced news search interface. Other tools like:

www.findory.com
newsbot.msnbc.msn.com
newsnow.co.uk
www.topix.net
news.yahoo.com/fc?
newsblaster.cs.columbia.edu

p. 295 - on "weblogs and nontraditional news sources"... "bloggers have broken numerous news stories before the mainstream media picked them up." [Aside: Librarians need to ask & answer the question "why search for content in blogs?" ~ Ivan]

p. 296 brief mention of RSS (alternative name for RSS - "rich site summary")
Recommends this site for list of news - http://directory.google.com/Top/Reference/Libraries/Library_and_Information_Science/Technical_Services/Cataloguing/Metadata/RDF/Applications/RSS/News_Readers/

p. 300 - on Froogle.com

p. 348 - about discovering relationships with linkage maps TouchGraph GoogleBrowser www.touchgraph.com/TGGooleBrowser.html

p. 351 - 4 : finding out what companies don't want found; "googledorking" - googledork is "an inept or foolish person as revealed by google".
Googledorking - process of trolling the internet for confidential information (that has been placed there by mistake). Some common key words in googledorking - ("total", "profit margin", "salary", "marketing plan", "confidential", "secret", "do not circulate") with "filetype:" operator.

Stormwatch/ Wildstorm Productions

2005-12-15T21:19:00.000+08:00

I normally don't go for SuperHero-type of comics but for some reason, I picked up Stormwatch and I got hooked. Managed to borrow the complete series (over a few visits to libraries).

Maybe it's the gritty and fast-paced storyline. Or the fantastic powers of the superheros fighting against equally powerful and strange superpowered beings. It's kind of like X-men but somewhat more violent.

Ok, a lot more violent.

It deserves a "Parental Guidance" warning label. But then children are exposed to alot more weirder and violent stuff on TV and movies, I must say.

My favourite was "Team Achilles" -- where strangely it's a group of non-superpowered humans who kick the butts of superpowered beings, using hi-tech weapons, skill and plain luck. You just have got to read it to believe it.

Stormwatch. Force of nature (c.1999) - Vol. 1

NLB Call No.: q741.5973
ISBN: 156389646X
Click here to check for item availability

Stormwatch. Lightning strikes (c.2000) - Vol. 2

NLB Call No.: q741.5973
ISBN: 1563896508
Click here to check for item availability

Stormwatch. Change or die (c.2000) - vol. 3

NLB Call No.: q741.5973
ISBN: 156389646X
Click here to check for item availability

Stormwatch. A finer world (c.2000) - vol. 4

NLB Call No.: q741.5973
ISBN 1563895358
Click here to check for item availability

Stormwatch. Final orbit (c.2001) - vol. 5

NLB Call No.: q741.5973
ISBN: 1563897881
Click here to check for item availability

Stormwatch. Team Achilles. [Book 1] (c.2003)

NLB Call No.: q741.5973
ISBN: 1401201032
Click here to check for item availability

Stormwatch. Team Achilles, Book 2
(Last I checked, NLB only has up to Book 2 for Team Achilles)

NLB Call No.: q741.5973
ISBN: 1401201237
Click here to check for item availability

There's also "The Authority" series. Search for "Warren Ellis" in Amazon.
NLB OPAC keyword = "Stormwatch"

Sleeper Vol. 1: Out in the Cold/ Wildstorm Productions

2005-12-15T21:16:00.000+08:00

Imagine being a secret agent, forced to go deep undercover into a criminal organisation carrying out acts of terrorism and killings -- the very things you were sworn to protect against. And imagine the only person who could prove you are one of the good guys is now lying in a coma with little hope of being revived.

"Sleeper" is like that, but with the added dimension of a world where there are humans and superhumans (both good and bad) infused with super-powers.

by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
ISBN 1401201156
NLB Call. No: q741.5973
Click here to check for item availability.

The term "sleeper agent" refers to an agent who lies hidden until called into action.

Holden Carver is that sleeper agent. What I enjoyed about this graphic novel is that it really tells the story of his dilemmia. He's faced with a boss (the head of that criminal organisation he's forced to work in) named Tao, whose superpowers is actually in manipulation and strategy. You get the impression that Tao suspects and perhaps even knows Holden is a sleeper but for some reason, he made Holden one of his top henchmen.

Another thing I enjoyed is the many plots and sub-plots, like the elicit romance between Holden and Misery (who has to do evil deeds to stay alive!). Along the way, Holden even has to kill some good guys who were on the verge of discovering his double-agent status. He hates himself even more of course and wonders if he's falling into "the dark side".

It's complex storytelling in comic-art form.

I would rate this graphic novel for adults, and not for children. Parental guidance might be required for teens as there is nudity, depiction of sex and swearing. Mild by today's adult standards but something to watch out for in any case.

Holden has a superhuman power too, but I'll leave you to read it for yourself on what it is, and how he got it...

BTW, Tao was mentioned in "WildC.A.T.s covert-action-teams: Homecoming". I learnt that "Tao" stood for "Tactically Augmented Organism".

ISBN: 156389582X
Click here to check for item availability.

d'artiste: Digital Painting

2005-12-15T20:54:00.000+08:00

If you are into computer art, computer drawing or computer graphics, then you'd love 'Digital Painting' featuring the works of Linda Bergkvist, John Wallin, Philip Straub and Robert Chang.

Ballistic Pub., Australia: c2004
Call No.: q750.285
ISBN: 09 750 9655 9
Click here to check for item availability.

Each of the featured artist talks about their style and techniques, where they draw their inspiration and ideas. There's also a step-by-step tutorial where you get to see how the digital canvas is transformed into a picture.

Amazing stuff. I thought the paintings were acrylics or oils but was stunned to learn that it's all digital.

The Fantasies of Robert A. Heinlein/ Robert A. Heinlein

2005-12-15T20:21:00.000+08:00

I was surprised to learn that Heinlein wrote "Fantasy". But reading this, I felt only two of the stories ('Magic Inc.' and 'The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag' fitted the Fantasy Genre while the rest were closer to Sci Fi. But a good read anyway. Heinlein rarely fails to please, at least for me.

ISBN: 0312875576
Click here to check for item availability.

Magic Inc. - About a man who got "cursed" by a syndicated out to monopolise the magic market. Turns out that the "man" responsible for this was a devil...
"-- And He Built A Crooked House" - About a house built along the laws of quantum physics or something (it definitely defied normal physics.
"They --" - A man being treated for mental disorder claims that the doctor, his wife and his life aren't real; that they are the implanted memories...
Waldo - The technology powering the world is failing and it seems only Waldo can help. Waldo is an eccentric & crippled boy-genius. But turns out he can't figure out what's happening, until he receives guidance from an old man.
The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag - Hoag can't remember what he does during his waking hours and hires a private investigator to tail him. But turns the P.I. and his wife can't quite fantom what's happening (they seem to see different versions). The plot turns into the fantastic, involving some god-like beings. Hoag turns out to be a, ahem, "art-critic" of worlds as Heinlein explains.
Our Fair City
The Man Who Travelled In Elephants
"--All You Zombies --" -- A narrative by An Unmarried Mother, who used to be a man, who signed up and joined the Space Corps "Woman's Hospitality Order Refortifying & Encouraging Spacemen" (go figure the acroymn!)

Book Blog Partner - Lansing Adult News blog & High Browse Online

2005-12-08T21:55:00.000+08:00

Earlier, when Kelli and I were IMing about her library podcasts, I told her about High Browse Online and we discussed the possibility of a "sister blog" (e.g. cross posting, referrals etc).

Recently she emailed me to follow up on the idea, and also crafted this short and sweet statement:
Taking advantage of the world wide web's abilities to transcend boundaries, we are teaming up with another library blog to offer you additional book reviews and reading suggestions.

So, High Browse Online and Lansing Adult News Blog are Book Blog Partners. Any other libraries interested in this? It costs nothing. : )

Would love to hear from you.

Tag: book blog

Finding Ben : a mother's journey through the maze of Asperger's/ Barbara Lasalle

2005-10-01T22:28:00.000+08:00

Brutally honest.

That's how the book came across to me. In the preface, Lasalle explains that even though the book was about her, her journey and discovery, she wasn't sure if it was OK for her to write the story so she had to ask for permission from her son, Benjamin. Her hesitation became clear when reading more of the book.

ISBN: 0071431942
NLB Call No.: 618.9289820092 LAS
Click here to check for item availability.

It tells of one mother's experience of discovering her child not behaving like other kids his age, and not quite knowing what exactly was the problem because medical science had yet to give a proper diagnosis and name to the problem.

While much of the story is from the mother's point of view -- of trying to find a school for a son who couldn't quite fit in (none of the teachers understood his condition either); of her strained relationship with her ex-husband and even the second one; of her frustrations of her son's behaviour and weight problem.

Her story is also interspersed with the Ben's personal account of certain specific episodes of his life. Like the part where he was arrested and jailed, being humiliated by the police and prisoners alike. It's especially poignant when told by Ben himself.

Lasalle does not gloss over her disappointment, shame, guilt and bitterness of having a son with Asperger's. It was this brutal honesty that kept me turning the pages.

What's interesting is also Lasalle's account (near the end of the book) of her meeting Jack -- a man who spoke in riddles and in non-linear and logical ways due to an aneurysm. Yet Jack's utterances sometimes made the most sense, in a strange way.

The reader learns that there is no cure for Asperger's. One has to just deal with it as best as one can. That's the medical reality and it is this factual acceptance that enables both Barbara and Ben to cope.

P. 273 has a list of recommended resources:

Books and articles on Asperger's Syndrome
Books on dealing with Issues of Loss and Disappointment
Mother's Accounts
Support Groups

Benjamin has an official website at http://aspergerjourney.com/

The fifth mountain/ Paulo Coelho

2005-10-01T21:10:00.000+08:00

I didn't quite get what Paulo Coelho's introduction alluded to, until after reading the last page of the book. I think that's the beauty of this particular story.

ISBN: 0060175443/ 0722536542
NLB Call No.: COE
Click here to check for item availability.

In his introduction, Coelho gave an example of how he was suddenly dismissed from his job when his career was at its peak. So basically, the story attempts to answer the question of why problems and tragedies seem to befall on people when they are at their most secure and confident time of their lives.

The Fifth mountain tells the story of the Bible's Prophet Elijah from Elijah's perspective -- his escape from persecution and then winding up in the city of Akbar.

The chapters are short and succint. I borrowed this so that I had something to read on my 16-hour flight to Oslo, Norway. Finished it when I touched down in Norway. Perfect timing.

The writing was simply poetry in motion to me. Very Zen.

Little wonder that Coelho's works are labelled as "Spiritual Fiction". Fifth Mountain was my first Coelho's story. If this is representative of Coelho's works, I'm definitely going to read more.

P. 21: Souls too, like rivulets and plants, needed a different kind of rain: hope, faith, a reason to live. When this did not come to pass, everything in that soul died, even if the body went on living

P. 64: The high priest knew that, of all the weapons of destruction that man could invent, the most terrible -- and the most powerful -- was the word. Daggers and spears left traces of blood; arrows could be seen at a distance. Poisons were detected in the end and avoided. But the word managed to destroy without leaving clues.

P. 128: "All life's battles teach us something, even those we lose. When you grow up, you'll discover that you have defended lies, deceived yourself, or suffered for foolishness. If you are a good warrior, you will not blame yourself for this, but neither will you allow your mistakes to repeat themselves."

P. 145: "... Fear reaches only to the point where the unavoidable begins; from there on, it loses its meaning. And all we have left is the hope that we are making the right decision."

P. 180: "... They had achieved everything they desired because they were not limited by the frustrations of the past."

P. 193: "The pain you and I feel will never go away, but work will help us to bear it. Suffering has no strength to wound a weary body."

P. 201: "... I know that children have no past... A child can always teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires."

P. 212: "Tragedies do happen. We can discover the reason, blame others, imagine how different our lives would be had they not occurred. But none of that is important: they did occur, and so be it. From there onward we must put aside the fear that they awoke in us and begin to rebuild."

A morbid taste for bones/ Ellis Peters

2005-10-01T20:22:00.000+08:00

This is the first of the 'Brother Cadfael' series by Ellis Peters, (pen name of Edith Pargeter). I remember staying up late to watch the television series, starring Sir Derek Jacobi.

NLB Call No.: PET
ISBN: 0751517496
Click here to check for item availability.

Set in A.D. 1100 England, the series centers around the main character, Brother Cadfael, who's an ex-soldier of the Crusades turned monk, with a talent for solving crimes.

The story starts with acquisition of the remains of Saint Winifred by the Abbey. It's actually a ploy by the ambitious head of the Abbey, Prior Robert, to consolidate his political power. The remains are in a remote Welsh village and the Welsh are not on friendly terms with the English. Negotiations turn sour when Prior Robert tried to bribe the defacto-representative of the villagers, Rhisiart. Soon after, Rhisiart was found murdered and that's where the story takes off.

The writing is beautiful. It reminded me why I liked to read when I was younger, which was partly to pick up choice words for use in English composition homework:

"'God resolves all given time,' said Cai philosophically and trudged away into the darknesg. And Cadfael returned along the path with the uncomfortable feeling that God, nevertheless, required help from men, and what he mostly got was hinderance."

"His chin was shaven clean, and all the bones of his face were as bold and elegant as his colouring was vivid, with russet brushings of sun on high cheekbones, and a red, audacious, self-willed mouth."

"Brother Cadfael let loose his bardic blood, and rejoiced silently. Not even because it was Prior Robert recoiling into marble rage under Welsh seige. Only because it was a Welsh voice that cried battle."

A very engaging read. The characters are believable and the story is made even more interesting with the sub-plots, like the romance between Sioned and the foreigner Engelard (who becomes the chief suspect); Brother John and the Welsh girl, Annest. What was interesting was that both girls are Welsh and the men are English, and the couples had cultural and language barriers to overcome.

Like all good crime novels, you are kept guessing as to who is the real murderer. You would like this if you also like historical fiction.

Concrete: Think like a moutain/ Dark Horse Comics

2005-08-09T17:15:00.000+08:00

Concrete is this man who was trapped in an avalanche and would have been dead if aliens did not encase his dying body in concrete. So now he's almost indestructable. Almost. But still very human.

NLB Call No.: q741.59
ISBN:1569711763
Click here to check for item availability.

In this story, Concrete is approached by a group of environmentalist who urge him to join their cause to save an old-growth forest from loggers. Concrete eventually agrees to go but only as an observer. He doesn't want to get into any trouble with the authorities by engaging in criminal acts. But soon, he has to decide if he is remains as an observer or active participant.

The story is well researched and gives good insights into environmentalism and eco-terrorism.
I also like the art. The drawing style and colours has this comtemplative feel to it. Come to think of it, that's something that Concrete does a lot -- contemplate.

I'm definitely looking for more Concrete stories. Try searching OPAC for "concrete paul chadwick".

The Sgt. Rock archives Vol. 1/ DC Comics

2005-08-08T01:23:00.000+08:00

This archive covers issues #68 (Jan 1959), and #81 to #96 (Apr 1959 to Jul 1960). It's clearly a "Comics for Boys" type of story and drawings. One could say the plot is cheesy by today's standards but that's not a fair assessment.

This is best appreciated in the context of its time -- the comic series was produced in the 1950s.

In terms of storylines and plots, it's clear things were more straightforward then. It's really like watching old movies. The stories deal with heroism, perserverance and courage under fire. Not a complex "Saving Private Ryan" storyline but something more plain and simple.

NLB Call No.: 741.5973 SGT- [Art]
ISBN: 1563898411
Click here to check for item availability

The foreword by Joe Kubert explains how Sgt. Rock came about, and Kubert mentions the people responsible for the art over the years.

There's also a biographies section at the back -- of the various artists involved in the Sgt. Rock series: Ross Andru, Mort Drucker, Mike Esposito, Jerry Grandenetti, Bob Haney, Russ Heath, Robert Kanigher, Joe Kubert, and Irv Novick.

Reading this gives me the impression that I'm holding on to a piece of comic history here. You certainly get a sense that comics (from North America) have come a long way since the 1950s.

Orbiter/ DC Comics

2005-08-08T01:10:00.000+08:00

The cover and title attracted me. It showed a space shuttle boosted into space. Maybe it was the talk by Astronaut Cady Coleman not too long ago. Reading the backcover blurb made it all the more intriguing:

In the early 21st century, the space shuttle Venture has suddenly returned to Earth after disappearing ten years ago... its crew missing -- save for the catatonic pilot -- with new instrumentation, new engines, and covered in something very much like skin.

And with Martian sand in the landing gear.

By Warren Ellis & Colleen Doran, with Dave Stewart
NLB Call No.: 741.5973 ORB (Graphic Novel/ Art section)
ISBN: 1401202683
Click here to check for item availability

The story mainly revolves around three people -- a psychologist, a forensic specialist, and a jet propulsion engineer -- well, a fourth if you count NASA pilot who was the sole survivor of the mission.

I liked the way their personal lives are revealed as the entire story unfolded. There's enough weird and scientifically intriguing concepts to satisfy the sci-fi reader in me. But lest you mistake this book as purely Science Fiction, I'd say it's really about human hopes, dreams and the drive for self-discovery.

How I felt about reading this: The story started off weird (in a Sci-Fi weird sort of way), there's suspense, then discovery, and finally a hint of something wondrous in the end.

Read it for yourself. I suspect you'll like it as much as I did.

Aliens: Stronghold/ Dark Horse Comics

2005-08-06T13:25:00.000+08:00

This isn't scary at all, and is actually funny! A talking Alien called Jerry... ok, you read the comic for yourself to find out what's the deal.

Here's the gist of the story:
The Strunks are a husband and wife team sent by Grant-Corp to investigate on the bio-tech operations run by Dr Caspar Nordling. Not surprisingly, he's mad (i.e. psycho) and is an ego-maniac to boot. When the good doctor discovers that the Strunks are going to report on him, he attempts to kill the Strunks, but the Strunks have unexpected help...

NLB Call No.: 741.5973 ALI
ISBN: 156971262X
Click here to check for item availability.

Star wars: X-wing rogue squadron. Mandatory retirement

2005-08-06T13:02:00.000+08:00

While I like Star Wars, I'm not exactly a Star Wars fan and don't necessarily pick up all Star Wars -related books. But I picked up this one up as it's an easy read (comic books don't take much time).

ISBN: 1569714924
NLB Call No.: q741.5973
Click here to check for item availability.

Rogue Squadron is one of the Rebel Alliance's Special Ops Forces, with a reputation for pulling off suicide missions. In this story, their mission is to rescue the disposed acting-Emperor Pestage. They get to him but gets stranded on a planet with the Imperial forces in pursuit. The Rebel Alliance can't send anyone to rescue them so it looks like their done for but of course they manage to escape but their missionisn't exactly fulfilled...

This comic book also includes a section called "In the studio with Terese Nielsen". Terese is the artist who did the comic cover, and the section shows how she did it.

Star Wars: Chewbacca/ Dark Horse Comics

2005-08-06T12:31:00.000+08:00

This comic book has an introduction by Peter Mayhew, the guy who played Chewbacca (with picture of Peter Mayhew as well).

NLB Call No.: q741.5973 (Graphic Novel/ Arts section)
ISBN: 1569715157
Click here to check for item availability.

As I learnt from the blurb at the end-cover, Chewbacca got killed off in the New Jedi Order novel, Vector Prime. So this Dark Horse comic book is sort of a commemorative story of the history of Chewbacca, as told by Star Wars characters who knew him:

Chapter 1: Mallatobuck (Chewbacca's wife)
Chapter 2: Attichitchuk (the father of Chewbacca)
Chatper 3: Ssoh (as told by a Wookie Slaver who had a run in with Chewbacca -- and survived)
Chapter 4: Mala Mala (the bounty-hunteress who was saved by Chewbacca)
Chapter 5: Turrdko (a Wookie who's the father of Tojjevvuk the albino Wookie killed by Chewbacca in Chapter 2)
Chapter 6: Wedge (as told by Wedge Antilles on an incident when he was a rookie pilot)
Chapter 7: Lando (as told by Lando Calrissian)
Chapter 8: Leia (she's the Senator now, and interestingly the story she tells is something very human and mundane as jealousy...)
Chapter 9: Luke (his version alludes to how Chewbacca got killed)
Chapter 10: Han (he explains what he regrets not doing...)

If you're remotely interested in Star Wars, you'd like this one.

Reinventing comics: How imagination and technology are revoluntionizing an art form/ Scott McCloud

2005-08-02T22:25:00.000+08:00

If you enjoyed Understanding comics: The invisible art, then you're likely to appreciate more of Scott McCloud's thesis-in-comic-form. And it's really a thesis on the art form of comics presented in (whatelse) the comic art form. This is not a "how-to" manual. Be ready for some serious stuff.

Main chapters

Comics as literature
Comics as art
Creators' rights
Industry innovation
Public perception
Institutional scrutiny
Gender balance
Minority representation
Diversity of genre
Digital production: The creation of comics with digital tools
Digital delivery: The distribution of comics in digital form
Digital comics: The evolution of comics in a digital environment

Beginning chapters "Setting Course: A "low" art takes the high road" (p26) and "Negativeland: The business of comics" (p56) gives more insights into the development of the North American comic business and industry. I now understand how the major players (like DC Comics) and the independents came about.

p62 mentions "Creators' Bill of Rights" for comic artists:

"It seems like some gruesome fairy tale now, but there actually was a time when comic books were literally burned in the streets! In the mid-50s the book Seduction of the Innocent by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham helped trigger a firestorm of anti-comics hysteria."

p86 - persecution of comics in the mid 1950s.

p124 "... it is often those most schooled in life's harshest realities who grow up least inclined to revisit them in fiction"

p125 "but all readers want to be transported by fiction in the end, even if the journey is through a mirror of the world we already know --"

"-- and as long as no one gave us a choice of the world we were born into, a little escape seems a reasonable request, and one of the many that comics can fulfill."

p128. Chapter on "The things about tools: Some thoughts on computers" has interesting condensed version of the development of computers from early 70s to late 90s.

p 138 "Through the door: Digital production" - on the development and use of computers to make art.

p154 "The frictionless economy: Digital delivery" - talks about the internet and the impact, possibilities and issues to the comic industry. In fact, this chapter could very well apply to the publishing business as a whole.

p. 160: "As I write these words, about 16,000,000 domains have been registered worldwide. There are now more sites in operation than there are books in the Library of Congress -- and the Web is growing a Hell of a lot faster!"
(this book came out in 2000)

p161 brilliantly shows why libraries and books are still relevant:

Scott: Imagine anything you could possibly want to know about any subject!
Guy: Anything at all?! Uh... How about fishing?
(Woah! [shows books crashing down])
Scott: You got it!
Guy: (picks up book) Woo-Hoo! Look at all this stuff about fishing!
Scott: No matter how esoteric, no matter how specialized, it's either on the web now or it will be soon... With millions of sites in existence today, and more coming at a rate of --
Guy: (opening a book) Ahem. Why are all these pages blank?!
Scott: Hold on a minute... There. (flips book)
Guy: Oh. I see...
Scott: There ya go. Something's coming in now.
Guy: "Win a free dream Vaca --"
Scott: Oh sorry... No, that's just an ad banner

p175 - gives arguments on the advantages of print over digital.

p200 - "The infinite canvas: Digital Comics" - talks about how new digital medium can transform at how comic art is presented (from printed strip format to hyperlinking). Uses the analogy of "temporal maps". Of comics "being told vertically, horizontally, packed slowly in a revolving cube".

American gods/ Neil Gaiman

2005-07-12T22:30:00.000+08:00

This is one book that you might be better off reading it first without reading any reviews. There's a surprising twist in the end, and you'd go "Ah, now I get it!". I'm mindful not to give anything away in posting this, but you'll never know. So don't say I didn't warn you.

The start of the first chapter already grips you. There is no snail's pace build-up to the plot. The moment I opened the page, I was drawn smack into the story. You are introduced to a convict serving time, but you sensed there was more. I sensed there was a betrayal... and upon hindsight, that theme set the tone for the entire story!

p423 - Conversation between Shadow & Samantha Black-crow sort of sums up the storyline:

"Would you believe that all the gods that people have ever imagined are still with us today?... And that there are new gods out there, gods of computers and telephones and whatever, and that they all seem to think there isn't any room for them both in the world. And that some kind of war is kind of likely."

NLB Call No.: GAI (Adult Fiction section)
Click here to check for item availability.

The "American Gods" refers to the gods & beliefs that early migrants to North America brought along with them. The gods are portrayed to be as mortal as men.

This book could be described as a sort of Dark Fantasy genre with Horror and Mystery elements to spice things up. Ok, not exactly right to say it's Horror 'cos the Horror here isn't "creepy-horror" and it doesn't overwhelm the story. It serves to spice things up. There is a feel-good closure at the end. Certainly not dull. It may be Dark Fantasy but the book really ends with hope.

As I absorbed the pages, I couldn't help but think that Neil could easily turn the American Gods storyline into comic boo.

Some things made me do a literary double-take though. Neil suggests the English Pilgrims to North America weren't pilgrims but convicts in exile?

The characters are interesting to say the least. The hero is a convict named Shadow, whose wife cheated on him and is now a walking-dead. There's more -- talking dogs, Odin in the form of a man named Wednesday who's a modern-day shyster and confidence trickster. There are two Eypgtian gods who are etching a living in modern-day as morticians.

Some notes:
p127 - Joke about who's Frank Lloyd Wright's evil twin (ans = Frank Lloyd Left. Ouch.)

p146, 147 - Story of how the tiger lost it's testicles to Anazi the Spider (pure fiction? Or really such a legend? Nah, fiction I guess.)

p 202 - Salim meets a jinn (with flaming eyes) who drives a taxi (ok, some might find the final chapter scene a bit disturbing)

p271 - Quote: "... a town isn't a town without a bookstore".

p317/ 325 - Legend of the Thundebirds (thunder & lightning as they flapped their wings). Ok, what if old world legends were true but not what we think? Were they describing rocket ships thundering & flaming across open skies?

p 453 - We meet the King of Dwarfs

p 462 - Shadow meets a modern god named "Media" (implying that we now worship The Media instead of old gods). Which reminds me -- "The Fat Kid" represents Technology (he turns out to be cold-hearted and ruthless but insecure & neurotic)

P474 - We meet Loki

p478 - The characters present gives their eulogy to the slain Odin -- reflecting their individual nature. E.g. Media was just plain spin-doctoring & quoting taglines; Shadow was ever pragmatic; Nancy (a god) obviously belonged to the "old school".

p435 - "Freedom to believe means the freedom to believe the wrong thing, after all. Just as freedom of speech gives you the right to stay silent." (Interesting discussion points. E.g. does freedom of speech means freedom to say the 'wrong' thing?)

p506 - Was there such a book titled Gravity's Rainbow?

p534 -- Macha of the Morrigan (who's she?)

p 574 - So the new gods are afraid too!

p605 - (I don't quite get it -- who's Kobod?)

Another quote from p539 that encapsulates what the conflict is about:

"We have the firepower... They have f*king swords and knives and f*king hammers and stone axes. And like, tire irons. We have fucking smart bombs."

I read the story as a kind of parable between Technology Vs. Beliefs (i.e. superstitions, raw, bloody, barbaric). Which made me think: When future generations look upon our Now, will they say the same thing? Our reliance on technology and trappings of modern life is as much our ancestors reliance on their Old Gods.

Lila: An inquiry into morals/ Robert M. Pirsig

2005-06-07T22:11:00.000+08:00

This isn't a sequel from Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It's a totally different story, although it does make extensive reference to Pirsig's earlier work. I think this book might make more sense if you read the earlier book, but even if you don't, you won't lose too much. I can't help but think this book is even more of an autobiography of Pirsig.

NLB Call No.: PIR
Click here to check for item availability.

Chapter 3, P.33: Starts talking about a Professor Verne Dusenberry (there was such a person) who studied Native American Indian culture. The thesis (I think Pirsig's) was that modern (White) American culture and values (like "freedom") arose from Native American Indian values. Intriguing. I thought this part was like Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, in that it brought on an "intellectual hyperbole" of sorts.

P.34 - 35: Seems to me that Pirsig suggests there is no need, or one is unable, to have "objectivity in anthropological studies. Like saying that it's the same in Journalism . Somehow it reminds me of Carol C. Kuhlthau's Information Seeking Behaviour (see here or here).

Chapter 4, P.55 - This chapter provides that continuity from Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It reinforced that the Phædrus character was a reference to mean Persig 'cos it says Phædrus published a successful book and Lila picks up the story 6 years later. Also mentions that Phædrus/ Pirsig had "enormous problems" (the death of Pirsig's son?), and that the book was on the subject of Quality.

P.66 - More references to Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Chapter 6: Switches from narrative from Phædrus' point of view to 3rd person "the author" - a literary device perhaps... Later I realised chapter 6 was written from the character Rigel's point of view. A bit disorienting but quite an interesting literary device.

p.91 - Rigel admonishes the message in Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig taking a dig at himself? Or mocking his critics?)

p.116 - Interesting point made on the Platypus -- that when the Platypus was discovered, scientists said it was a paradox. But Pirsig's point was it was never a paradox or an oddity. It didn't make sense only to the scientists because they viewed the nature of animals according to their own classification, when nature did not have any.

p.164: Quote:

A thing doesn't exist because we have never observed it. The reason we have never observed it is because we have never looked for it. And the reason we have never looked for it is that it is unimportant, it has no value and we have other better things to do.

p.185 - Quote:

Just as it is more moral for a doctor to kill a germ than patient, so it is more moral for an idea to kill a society than it is for society to kill an idea.

Chapter 20: p.286 - Pirsig makes reference to his schizophrenia.

p.312: Mentions background to the John Scopes "Monkey Trial" (1925), made into a movie "Inherit the Wind".

p.317: Quote:

Morals have no objective reality. You can look through a microscope or telescope or oscilloscope for the rest of your life and you will never find a single moral. There aren't any there. They are all in your head.

P. 331: A glimpse into the root of Lila's neurosis.
See also chapter 30.
End of chapter 31: The link between Rigel and Lila becomes clear... you have to read the book.

P. 342: A discourse on the development of Philosophy.

P.355 - That you cannot deal with crime by talking crime to death. Quote:

Intellectual patterns cannot directly control biological patterns. Only social patterns can control biological patterns. The instrument of conversation between society and biology has always been a policeman or a soldier and his gun. All laws of history... all the Constitutions... are nothing more than instructions to the military and police. If the military and police can't or don't follow these instructions properly they might as well have never been written.

P.442: Quote:
In cultures without books, ritual seems to be a public library for teaching the young and preserving common values and information.

Science goes to war: The search for the ultimate weapon, from Greek fire to Star Wars/ Ernest Volkman

2005-06-05T13:54:00.000+08:00

Found this highly entertaining. A history lesson on the development of war and warfare, from ancient times to modern and speculates what might be beyond.

It reads like episodes from the Discovery Channel -- very entertaining and I couldn't put it down. You have to read it to know what I mean.

This is not just a book "for the boys". I've gained insights to the rise and fall of Greek/ European civilisations, the descent into the Dark Ages, the development and demise of the Arab/ Muslim era, to name a few.

It's like a concise History of the World, from the war perspective.

NLB Call No.: 355.809 VOL (General section)
ISBN: 0471410071
[Check for item in NLB Catalogue]

Understanding comics: The invisible art/ Scott McCloud

2005-06-04T22:43:00.000+08:00

What better way to understand comics than to have a book done in the comic artform. It could have been easily titled "The world of comics, according to Scott McCloud" (p. 214).

Alan McKenzie's "How to draw and sell comic strips for newspapers and comic books" was focused on the practical aspects of comic strips. This book by Scott McCloud focused more on the concept and theory of comic art. Like a textbook on comic theory. But far more engaging than the typical textbook.

NLB Call No.: 741.5 MAC - [ART]
Click here to check for item availability.
(ISBN: 006097625X)

Chapter 1: Setting the Record Straight
Tries to define what is "comics". Very interesting overview on the history of comics -- including interpretation of a pre-Columbian picture manuscript, the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Norman conquest, an Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Chapter 2: The Vocabulary of Comics
I understand this chapter as trying to say that comics can convey meaning using icons, symbols and pictures, rather than just words. That "visual iconography" being the vocabulary of comics.

Chapter 3: Blood in the Gutter
Explains the concept of "Closure" in comics (its grammar). I liked this particular quote:

Every act committed to paper by the comic artist is aided and abetted by a silent accomplice. An equal partner in crime known as the reader.

I may have drawn an axe being raised... but I'm not the one who let it drop or decided how hard the blow, or who screamed, or why. That, dear reader, was your special crime. Each of you committing it in your own style.

Explains various types of sequences (e.g. "moment-to-moment", "aspect-to-aspect"). Analyses the differences in styles from different countries. Pages 84 and 85 show how scenes can be cut and still retain the story in different perspectives.

Chapter 4: Time Frames
Shows how time sequences can be depicted using single panels or a series of panels, or repeat scenes, or even the length of the panel (something I in comics all the time but don't necessarily pay them any attention). Also motion lines etc. There's an interesting panel layout on P105, where reading it from any possible direction would tell you a different story.

Chapter 5: Living in Line
How lines rendered in different ways can convey different meanings.

Chapter 6: Show and Tell
Piecing together the words, pictures, panels, and sequencing to convey the story. Pages 157 to 160 shows how a simple storyline of a person going out of the apartment to buy ice-cream could be depicted in different ways.

Chapter 7: The Six Steps
Details the six steps (or aspects) to be considered in comic art: Idea/ purpose, Form, Idiom, Structure, Craft, and Surface. I found this chapter very theoretical.

Chapter 8: A Word About Color
Short chapter on the concept of color in comics.

Chapter 9: Putting It All Together
Well, as the chapter says, it sums all the previous chapters... Quote (p.199) on understanding comics:

The first step in any such effort is to clear our minds of all preconceived notions about comics. Only by starting from scratch can we discover the full range of possibilities comics offer.

A word to describe this book -- Wow (apparently, Tinkertailor felt the same way too).

This was like an undergrad course on comic art. It's precisely that the theory and concepts were conveyed via the comic artform that it makes it all so convincing.

Dreaming down under/ Edited by Jack Dann & Janeen Webb

2005-05-23T16:47:00.000+08:00

This book has an interesting preface from acclaimed SciFi writer, Harlan Ellison. His following quotes alludes to the quality of the book:

"...I had no idea of the depth of richness that existed in the pool of Australian fantasists... I grit my teeth in frustration at how powerful a collection they have put together..."

The stories truly do not dissappoint. Each story begins with a short introduction to the author, and ends with a short note from the author on how they story came about. Some of the stories are really gritty (as most good Sci Fi is, it seems to me) so what I do is to read one story, then move onto to another different book that's of a lighter read.

NLB Call No.: DRE (Adult Fiction section)
Click here to check for item availability.

To give a review of each story would warrant several posts, so I'll just list them with brief annotation:

Entre les Beaux Morts en Vie (Among the Beautiful Living Dead)/ Sean Williams - Deals with concept of immortality; what it means to be 'Alive' as opposed to 'Living'. Futuristic setting, where only the unbelievably rich (with generations of wealth to support their immortal lifestyles) get to become immortal, through a process which essentially turns them into self-conscious living dead. Great for class discussions.
The Dancing Floor/ Cheery Wilder - Quite a complex story. More to do with societal norms about kinship and family than Science per se. Set in a off-world colony, about the investigation of an Alien species whose culture seems to be based on a dance.
Descent/ Cecily Scutt - Very short story that changes your view of death and Hell. More Fantasy than Science. About a girl's visit to her deceased grandmother who's residing in a Hell that's more like an institution than the fire & brimstone stuff.
The Soldier in the Machine/ Russell Blackford - Reminds me of "Ghost in a Shell", although the story isn't like that. I'd call this a SciFi-military-techno-thriller. Centres around an augmented human who hires himself out as a bodyguard. Has concepts like body morphing/ augmentation, personality uploads, high-tech devices, something called "Flickdancing" (you've got to read it to appreciate it). Interesting stuff, and easily turned into a book.
Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies/ Lucy Sussex - One of my favourites in the collection. This story gives a new twist to the "Waltzing Matilda" lyrics. Told from the angle of the "swamp spirit", it narrates what actually happened to the swagman, the jumpbuck, the squatter...
The Womb/ Damien Broderick - Told from two perspectives -- (1) the woman whose father was a cult leader and proclaimed UFO-abductee; (2) the father, who tells his own story of being abducted and confined by the government. In the end, the story suggests that the father really was abducted, and the woman was the creation of the alien experiments. Weirdly wonderful storytelling.
A Walk-on Part in the War/ Stephen Dedman - Another of my favourites. The Trojan War (of the Illiad), told from a different perspective. This time, it strips away the glory and myth, and makes the whole story very believable. There's still a Trojan Horse, but it's role in the breech of the city of Troy is something down-to-earth, but very different from what we've read in popular texts and stories.
Wired Dreaming/ Paul Collins - A detective story set in the future. The detective investigates a crime, where perverts watching VR porn seem to be dying off under mysterious circumstances. In order to learn more, the detective forced himself to watch the video. The crime was solved in the end. There's an interesting twist to the story in the end (which could be a bit subtle) -- the detective was supposed to have died after watching the VR disc, but didn't...
The Body Politic/ Tess Williams - This story is really about socio-political issues. It's the kind of SciFi stories that I like, where the background context (about the world, the characters) is slowly revealed in the telling. Set in the far future where humans are modified and augmented to have specialised roles. In this story, the woman is a prostitute of sorts, hired by the client but in the end, the client got more than what he bargained for. Nothing sexual or perverse, which makes the story even more interesting.
The Truth About Weena/ David J. Lake - A different version of H.G. Well's The Time Machine that delves more into the parts about Eloi and Morlocks. Specifically, the young Eloi girl (the love interest of the Time Traveller) was brought back to Industrial-age England, and thereby subtly changing the course of European history (where Hitler was a famous painter instead).
The Marsh Runners/ Paul Brandon - A horror Fantasy. Set in rural Australia, it's about a girl who's abused by her father, and how she finally escapes from him.
Prelude to a Nocturne/ Rowena Cory Lindquist - The Nocturnes are a class of humans who have not been modified at the genetic level to not suffer from puberty (i.e. the Preluders). A group of renegade Nocturnes has kidnapped a senator who's a Preluder. They attempt to force her to change back to being a "normal human". It's a story about family conflict and relationships; about class and prejudice.
Real Men/ Rosaleen Love - Well in some ways, I got the story and in some ways, I didn't. I don't know how to describe this. The author explains that the story was written in response to the 1997 Melbourne Grand Prix.
The Latest Dream I Ever Dreamed/ Norman Talbot - This is Hi-tech Military SciFi! About "Corporate Medical Espionage Teams" who raid dreams to scavenge secrets. Where the theatre of war really resides in operating theatres, or specifically in the minds. Funny twist at the end.
Ma Rung/ Steven Paulsen - Set in the Vietnam War, 1968. A "unexplained happenings in times of War" type of story. Reminds me of a Lucius Shepard story that I read before, that's also set in the jungles of Vietnam...
Dream, Until God Burns/ Andrew Enstice - Oooh, this one is really morbid. I'm afraid I'll be giving away the story if I explain what it's about. Let's just say you are in a coma, and actually you are conscious but no one knows...
Night of the Wandjina/ Wynne Whiteford - Another horror-fantasy story, about how a group of geological explorers disturbed a spirit in the Australian Outback.
To Avalon/ Jane Routley - Set in Glastonbury Tor, where Avalon (of the King Arthur fame) is said to have been. A couple of people holidaying there, and well, they see sheep disappear... (sorry, I'm being flippant).
He Tried to Catch the Light/ Terry Dowling - It appears to be high-tech SciFi, but it really deals with the issue of cultural notions of god and religion. Nothing controversial, I think. It's the kind of SciFi that I enjoy, where Science is used to set the context of a larger social topic.
The Third Rail/ Aaron Sterns - I really didn't get this, inspite of 2 readings. Not bad, except that I didn't get the story, so I can't really describe it here. The author says the story is "the dreaming of a lonely Australian amidst the dirt, destitution, and death of the archetypal city."
Jetsam/ Kerry Greenwood - A story involving the myth of the Greek god Dionysus. Woman finds this strange half-drown stranger, who goes away as mysteriously as he appeared.
And Now Doth Time Waste Me/ George Turner - Apparently, this story didn't manage to be completed as the author died of a stroke before it could be completed. The story is about a couple who managed to reverse the effects of ageing, and could live very long (but still equally human). They squander their wealth and that's when their longevity becomes a liability. Basically it points that having a long life isn't enough in itself. Too bad the story is left hanging.
The Man Who Lost His Shadow/ Isobelle Carmody - Nice in its own way. But I didn't get it. Well, the man lost his shadow! He didn't find it. Maybe you read it and tell me what it's about.
Unborn Again/ Chris Lawson - Not exactly a horror story. Maybe more a story where justice is served. Woman has Parkinson and goes for treatment (outlawed in Australia). Treatment supposedly involves the stemcells of aborted foetus. Then she starts experiencing residual memories of the people whom she received the stemcells, and realises the stemcells might be of developed babies. She gets her revenge for herself and the dead babies.
The Evil Within/ Sara Douglass - Set in the Dark Ages, it tells of a village plagued by demons. Interesting tale that suggests how the stone Gargoyles came to be a familiar sight on top of buildings.
Two Recipes for Magic Beans/ Rosaleen Love - No real point to the story (as the author explains). A fun piece that strings some familiar fairytale characters together.
The Doppelganger Effect/ Dirk Strasser - Something about parallel universes, and how it merges together. About the life of this man -- in one, he seems to have killed his wife (by accident) and being punished for it; in the other life, he's part of a team riding an alien-craft hurtling through space. Their paths seem to merge. Can't say I really understand the entire thing. Quite intellectual in a way.
Tamed/ Robert Hood - More horror fantasy stuff. Something about the monsters becoming uncontrolled, and this girl turns out to be the one who could control them.
Queen of Soulmates/ Sean McMullen - A sort of SciFi story in a Fantasy setting. A "recurring atomic bomb" of sorts called Weapon being discovered and detonated, to detrimental effects.
The Last Dance/ Ian Nichols - More fantasy than Science, but entertaining nonetheless. Fans of rock music from the 70s & 80s would identify with this. A small-time rock band playing a gig in a small rural town find themselves literally playing music to save their lives.
With Clouds At Our Feet/ Simon Brown - Interesting twist to the Vampire genre. Set in modern times Australia. Two brothers, half-human and half-vampire, spend a few days with their father (who's a true blue vampire). A kind of "coming of age"/ "self-discovery" story. Sensitively written and very believable.

Keywords (to search in OPAC):
. fantasy fiction, australian
. horror tales, australian
. science fiction, australian

The Reef/ Nora Roberts

2005-05-23T00:23:00.000+08:00

Not my typical read, but I wanted to know why it was so popular with women readers. This was the first Nora Roberts book I read and it's not bad.

Click here or here to check for item availability.
NLB Call No.: ROB (Adult Fiction section)

Main characters:

Tate Beaumont - the heroine who's in love with Matthew. She's got the looks, the brains, and is gutsy to boot.
Matthew Lassiter - the hero, a treasure-hunter who's got almost nothing to his name but his pride.
Buck Lassiter - Matthew's uncle, who after losing his leg to a shark, grew despondent and became an alcholic. But he recovered.
Silas VanDyke - Billionnaire, egomaniac. The bad guy who murdered Matthew's father and is obsessed with the "Angelique's Curse".
Marla Beaumont - Tate's mother. Great cook and seemed to be the perfect mother and wife. She came up with the idea to deal with the evil Silas VanDyke.
Raymond Beaumont - Tate's father. A millionaire in his own right. An amateur teasure-hunter who turned out to be great friends to the Lassiters.

The story & plot, in brief:
The "Angelique's Curse" is a richly jeweled amulet that went down with a Spanish ship. Legend has it that the woman who wore it was wrongly accused of murder and burned at the stake. And though it was found a few times throughout history, the owners always suffered mishaps.

The Lassiters are treasure hunters of ancient sea-wrecks. Matthew has a vendetta against VanDyke, whom he believed killed his father. The Lassiters meet the Beaumount and end up as partners. They find treasure. Matthew and Tate falls in love. Then bad luck struck -- a shark maimed Buck. VanDyke took the opportunity to steal all the Lassiter's and Beaumont's teasure. Matthew and Tate break up with misgivings.

A few years later, the Lassiters and Beaumonts get back together to find "Angelique's Curse". Matthew meets Tate again and they have yet to find closure and they get together, they break up, they make up... ah, it goes on. VanDyke is in the background, plotting to steal from them again. Matthew is adament about killing VanDyke.

Then Tate and Matthew finds and amulet. VanDyke kidnaps Tate and sends someone to kill Matthew. Tate escapes, Matthew survives. Marla comes up with a simple plan to entrap VanDyke. They succeed. VanDyke doesn't give up and confronts Tate, and he almost manages to steal the amulet...

The last part alludes to some mysterious happenings with the amulet, so I shan't give it away.

To quote a page from the last chapter: '...You've got murder, greed, lust, scarifice, passion, sex--'

The sex scenes, to me, seemed to have been thrown in for good measure because it was a Romance book. More like the garnishing to a dish (i.e. didn't matter if you didn't eat it anyway). The book has a credible plot and storyline, and has enough twists to sustain till the end.

How to draw and sell comic strips for newspapers and comic books/ Alan McKenzie

2005-05-17T22:27:00.000+08:00

Found this to be a practical book on drawing comics for newspapers and comic formats. Even if you don't draw comics, you might still find it useful as it covers (briefly) the development of comics in newspapers. I learnt how comics came to be syndicated.

There's a section that shows the step-by-step development of the story, storyboarding, preliminary drafts, layout planning, inking and lettering.

More details at Amazon.com
NLB Call No.: 741.5 MAC
Click here to check for item availability.

It also covers the tools used, the type and choice of materials. Also the technical aspects of submitting comics for publication. For instance, that you have to draw in larger formats which is then resized down -- I forgot what the term was. Also about colour-separation.

The book was published in 1987. I suspect with current computer technology, some of the more tedious and manual aspects is made a lot easier (like lettering and inserting speech bubbles).

Anyway, if you think producing comics is easy work, read this and think again.

Books on Blogging & Weblogs

2005-04-24T21:22:00.000+08:00

Updated 21 May 05:

Some books on Blogs & Blogging, available at NLB libraries. For more titles, search the online catalogue using keywords like "blog", "blogs", "weblog" or "weblogs" (the pural & singular returns slightly different results).

We the Media: Grassroots journalism by the people, for the people [Available Online]

NLB Call No.: 302.23 GIL
Click here to check for book item availability in NLB libraries.

The cluetrain manifesto: The end of business as usual [Available Online]

NLB Call No.: 658.054678 CLU -[BIZ]
Click here to check for book item availability in NLB libraries.

Never Threaten to Eat Your Co-Workers: Best of Blogs
Bonnie Burton c.2002/ 2003
Call No.: 081 NEV
Click here to check for item availability.

We Blog: Publishing Online with Weblogs
Paul Bausch c.2002
Call No.: 005.72 BAU [COM]
Click here to check for item availability.

Blog On: Building Online Communities with Web Logs
Todd Stauffer c.2002
Call No.: 004.678 STA [COM]
Click here to check for item availability.

Who Let the Blogs Out?: A Hyperconnected Peek at the World of Weblogs
Biz Stone c.2004
Call No.: 006.7 STO [COM]
Click here to check for item availability.

Essential blogging
Cory Doctorow c.2002
Call No.: 005.72 DOC [COM]
Click here to check for item availability.

Blogging: Genius Strategies for Instant Web Content
Biz Stone c.2002/ 2003
Call No.: 004.678 STO [COM]
Click here to check for item availability.

BLOG: 部落格线上出版, 网路日志实作
(BLOG: bu luo ge xian shang chu ban, wang lu ri zhi shi zuo)
艺立协著(Yi li xie; author)
CAll No.: Chinese 005.72 BLO -[COM]
Click here to check for item availability.

- Related post: 10 points on Blogs & RSS (Newsfeeds)

[Tag: rss, blog tutorial]

New Spring: A Wheel of Time novel/ Robert Jordan

2005-04-17T22:22:00.000+08:00

This was the first time I read Robert Jordan. Found out that "New Spring" is a prequel in the Wheel of Time series. There are nine books in the series, if I'm not mistaken. How can I describe this particular book? It's a Fantasy genre, with the Budo-mythos mixed with a tinge of "Dungeon & Dragons" flavour.

Budo = 武道 (see "Definitions of BUDO on the Web" and also FightingArts.com)
武 = "Martial Arts", "Fighting"
道 = "Way", "Philosophy", "Path"

c2004 - ISBN 18 414 9338 4
NLB Call No.: JOR (under Adult Fiction)
Click here to check for item availability.

There's the Aes Sedai, a class of woman "priesthood" trained in the arts of sorcery and magic, harnessing saidar and manipulating elements of Spirit, Wind, Air, Fire. Then there's the warrior-class that Lan Mandragon belongs to -- the Malkier. Also the Aiel, the non-human enemy at war with men.

A child prophesied to destroy the world has been born (see p. 42). The Aes Sedai wants to find this child (Kill him? Neutralise his power? Harness his abilities? This is where I'm a bit hazy). But dissention seems to have broken out among the Aes Sedai, with the emergence of the "Black Ajah" (kind of like how the Sith is to the Jedi Knights in Star Wars). Moiraine and best friend Siuan, newly conferred Aes Sedai, goes out on their personal quest to find the child.

Lan (our hero/ reluctant Warrior King of a fallen nation), returns from fighting the Aiel and goes to confront what he thinks is his destiny. Some political game of sorts. He meets up with the heroine, Moiraine. They can't stand each other at the beginning; they confront the "Black Ajah" near the end of the story; they pair up as Aes Sedai and bonded Warder.

Just to give you a flavour of the fighting scene, where six men are attacking Lan:

"... and Lan danced the forms. Time like cool honey. The graylark sang, and the lean man shrieked as Cutting the Clouds removed his right hand at the wrist, and Lan flowed to one side so the rest could not come at him together, flowed from form to form. Soft Rain at Sunset laid open a fat man's face, took his left eye, and a ginger-haired young splinter drew a gash across Lan's ribs with Black Pebbles on Snow. Only in stories did one man face six without injury. The Rose Unfolds sliced down a bald man's arm, and ginger-hair nicked the corner of Lan's eye. Only in stories did one man face six and survive. He had known that from the start. Duty was a mountain, death a feather, and his duty was to Bukama, who had carried an infant on his back."

(Excerpt from page 219, Chapter 16, "The Deeps")

The book includes a write-up about Robert Jordan. Says that Robert Jordan taught himself to read at aged four. He graduated from the Military College of South Carolina with a degree in Physics, served two tours in Vietnam, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, and two Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry.

You can find out more about Robert Jordan here. I didn't know his real name is James Oliver Rigney, Jr.

BTW, if you're interested in the characters and places in The Wheel of Time, check out this book:

c1997 - ISBN 0312862199
NLB Call No.: 813.54 JOR(under Adult General non-fiction section 800s)
Click here to check for item availability.

And did you know that Robert Jordan wrote this?

c1997 - ISBN 0812531361
NLB Call No.: JOR(under Adult fiction)
Click here to check for item availability.

Search the NLB Catalogue for "Robert Jordan". Last time I checked, there were 10 item listed from the search results. He also writes under these pseudonyms: Robert Jordan, Reagan O'Neal, Jackson O'Reilly and Chang Lung.

The green man: Tales from the mythic forest

2005-04-17T11:12:00.000+08:00

Edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling. Decorations by Charles Vess. A collection of stories & poems about the "Green Man" and other myths of the forest.
ISBN: 0-670-03526-2

Click here to check for item availability.
Call No.: Y 808.80351 GRE (shelved under "Young People" fiction section)

The introduction by Terri Windling, titled "About the Green Man and Other Forest Lore", gives a good overview of the origins of the Green Man myth. Explains that the Green Man is associated with Celtic lore but the true origin is a mystery. It is linked to Christian iconography, to rites and customs of early western societies, to Greek mythology, to Merlin, to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, to the French Valentine and Orson, to Gilgamesh, to Tarzan, to Neil Gaiman, to Princess Mononoke (Japanese Anime), to Charles de Lint...

... I'm not doing justice to what's actually written. The introduction is worth a read if you're into western myths and linkages between different western societies and cultures.

Each story is accompanied by a short write-up about the author, and notes from the author (about the story). Sometimes after reading the author's note, I end up re-reading the story again 'cos I'd missed something, or I see something in a different light.

The illustrative panels by Charles VEss (each story has a unique miniture artpiece) is really interesting too. I felt like drawing one or two of the panels just to get a feel of his style.

This is a book written for teens, although as an 'adult' reader, I liked some of the stories as well. Here's the list of stories & authors (comments in [ ] are mine):

Going Wodwo (poem) - Neil Gaiman
Grand Central Park - Delia Sherman [I quite liked this one. How a young girl outwitted the Queen of Fairies. Blends in folklore into a modern day setting.]
Daphne - Michael Cadnum
Somewhere in my mind there is a painting box - Charles de Lint
Among the leaves so green - Tanith Lee
Song of the Cailleach Bheur (poem) - Jande Yolen
Hunter's moon - Patricia A. McKillip [Any title with "Hunter's Moon" always catches my eye. This story did not dissappoint. About a teenage girl, and her younger brother, who both got lost in the woods. It's Deer Hunting season and hunters with guns are out in the woods. The girl meets this stranger who turns out to be... there's a nice magical ending.]
Charlie's away - Midori Snyder [Seems this story could be used to illustrate a teenager's journey of self-discovery. Can consider this story for a book discussion for teens.]
A world painted by birds - Katherine Vaz
Grounded - Nina Kiriki Hoffman [This is probably my favourite story in the collection. About a young girl whose divorced mother meets a man, and the mum wants to marry him. The man has 2 other kids. So she meets them, feels that they were a bit weird. Well they are but in a good way. A feel-good magical fantasy in a believable modern setting. I liked the piano-scene in the last part.]
Overlooking - Carol Emshwiller
Fee, fie foe, et cetera - Gregory Maguire [Another good one. A re-telling of the "Jack and the Beanstalk" story, but from the perspective of Jack's mother and brother. Very interesting.]
Joshua tree - Emma Bull [I liked this 'cos I think teens would identify with the protagonist, a rebellious young girl who finds herself lost in the wilderness, and apparently saved by a magical tree.]
Ali Anugne O Chash (the boy who was) - Carolyn Dunn
Remnants - Kathe Koja
The pagodas of Ciboure - M. Shayne Bell
Green men (poem) - Bill Lewis
The green word - Jeffrey Ford

[Tag: young people fiction, teen fiction, fantasy books, fantasy, books]

Magazine: Scientific American

2005-04-07T21:35:00.000+08:00

Scientific American - (website: www.sciam.com)

On Science and Technology. Published monthly.

The issue that I read was vol 13, no. 3 (Dec 2003). This issues was on our solar system and its planets. Facinating articles on each planet, including the sun, along with the moons. Spectacular pictures of the sun & other planets like Mars, Jupiter, etc. Not just the planets but also on asteriods, moons of Jupiter etc.

Insights into how unmanned space missions are done. Speculation of possible life on Europa (one of Jupiter's moon). Written by scientists actually involved in those missions. Those who enjoy Analog or Asimov's would love this particular issue. Written in a manner that non-scientific minds like me would still be able to appreciate what they are talking about.

This is a sample cover of the magazine from Amazon.com, although not of the Dec 03 issue:

Look for this in the Magazine section of NLB libraries (shelved according to Alphabetical order, so look under "S"). Click here to check for item availability.

"Do You Blog?" by Sarah Kellogg

2005-04-04T22:04:00.000+08:00

This is the first (of many) "raw notes" about blog articles:

Do You Blog? By Sarah Kellogg, Apr 2005 (via Library Stuff)
Many useful points that Liblogarians-to-be could take note. It makes the case for librarians to blog even stronger. Selected highlights (words in [ ] are my own):

“You could tell early on that web logs would be very appealing to lawyers because we’re uniquely suited to doing this,” says Howell, a lawyer with Reed Smith’s appellate and intellectual property practices in Los Angeles and the publisher of the popular Bag and Baggage. “Lawyers are trained to write . . . and research. The writing they generate tends to have some credibility behind it. That is the crux of web logging right there.”
[Substitute the word "Lawyer" with "Librarians" and it'll make as much sense.]

Experts say that attorneys will find more than companionship in the blogosphere, noting that blogs can boost legal practices, assist in legal research, and turn every attorney into an instant cyberexpert in his or her practice area.
[Librarians want to be recognised as professionals. What better way than to be read and "hear" in the WWW?]

Yet cyberspace and blogging hold their own pitfalls for legal professionals. That’s because, though posting one’s opinions to the World Wide Web can be heady stuff, mistakes made as the world watches can be far-reaching and difficult to erase.
[That's true for librarians too, though I'd say it can only do good to the profession when you know that you have to check and recheck what you blog. And the Blogosphere is not as unforgiving as one might think. If you are wrong, just admit it. I think the problem is when people let their egos get in the way and refuse to admit they are wrong.]

And thanks to a technology called web feeds, blogging has become even more attractive, as home computers are transformed into information hubs with dispatches alerting computer users that favorite blogs have been updated.
[It's RSS that makes Blogging, as a technology platform, complete.]

“Being inside [the blogosphere], you think it’s the greatest thing that ever happened, and it’s going to change the face of law. People don’t feel quite the same way on the outside, but once you’re in, you do.”
[Which is why my current efforts in promoting blogging among librarians is sometimes met with some sScepticism. But a friend told me to press on, and I take heart in that.]

Kennedy says that lawyers have changed the blogging world as they’ve embraced this new medium, adding a certain seriousness of purpose as they explore topics as diverse and dense as intellectual property, white-collar crime, and tax law.
[And so would librarians. Popular perception is that blogging is something that only the very young would engage in, baring their thoughts in the form of a personal online diary. But blogging is just a tool. It's really how you use it. Librarians should not shun it because it's perceived as kids-play. It's just that the "kids" have adopted the platform much faster than most adults.]

Since blogs are what their authors make them, Kennedy believes that there is no limit to the number or topic. The only limit is one’s imagination.
[Exactly!]

The greatest contribution blogs may make to the legal profession is their ability to reveal talent and expertise often hidden in courtrooms and boardrooms.
[Even more so for librarians. I mean, ask anyone what a librarian does and chances are they don't know.]

The blogosphere is teeming with topic-specific blogs that have won kudos from legal experts for their ability to supply timely information that is unique and hard to find.
[My vision is to see a critical mass of librarians -- in Singapore and Southeast Asia -- blog. And then a directory of SEA Liblogarians.]

“Sometimes in your practice you’re doing a lot of stuff that’s not your first choice of things to do,” says Kennedy. “If you have a plan for the future, and you’d like to do more work of a certain type, start a blog on that subject and grow it over time. You can become known as somebody who has some authority in it, and gradually you can transition over time to that new area.”
[I couldn't have stated it better. My colleagues now and then would say that they can't do this or that, and that the organisation doesn't support them. That's reality. So rather than mope and complain, do something constructive about it via blogs.]

Blogs and the Client - Forget about the telephone, the postal service, and couriers—the best way to communicate with clients today and in the future may be the blog, observers say. It is a cheap, effective, and efficient way to disseminate information.

“In any kind of communication, especially when it’s related to the law, you have to be careful whether that’s a chat room or a web site or even an e-mail to a stranger,” says Trautz. “If you’re out there with an asbestos law blog, you’ve got to be concerned about making sure you’re not violating anybody else’s rules. That’s why it’s important to have disclaimers in place.”
[Though not as stringent as legal practice, it would be worthwhile for libraries to set some simple guidelines or ethics in place.]

There's a list of lawyers who blog at the end of the article.

Tag: blog article review

The Da Vinci Code/ Dan Brown

2005-03-23T00:00:00.000+08:00

I figured so many bloggers have written so much about this book that I just need to post something here, just for the heck of it. I found The Da Vinci Code very readable, a page-turner, and basically enjoyed it as a piece of fiction. Found the ending an anti-climax though.
NLB Call No.: BRO (under Adult Fiction section)
Click here to check for item availability.

Here are some other books by Dan Brown, available in NLB libraries (at this time of posting):

Deception point - c2001

Click here to check for item availability.

Angels & demons - c2001/ 2000

Click here to check for item availability.

Digital fortress - c1998

Click here to check for item availability.

Chances are, these books are also on loan. Our NLB members are so hungry for Dan Brown these days. So try these "Read Alikes" and search to see if they are available in our libraries. Here's a website featuring Da Vinci Code "Read Alikes" (picked from the web in random).

Firebirds: An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction

2005-03-22T12:23:00.000+08:00

Edited by Sharyn November. Total of 16 stories. Writers are: Delia Sherman, Megan Whalen Turner, Sherwood Smith, Nancy Springer, Lloyd Alexander, Meredith Ann Pierce, Micheal Cadnum, Emma Bull (with Charles Vess), Patricia A. McKillip, Kara Dalkey, Garth Nix, Elizabeth E. Wein, Diana Wynne Jones, Nancy Farmer, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, and Laurel Winter.

NLB Call No.: Y 808.838762 FIR (Go to the YP section, under the 800s collection)
Click here to check for item availability.

This is a YP book, i.e. for Young People (15 to 19 year olds). It reminded me of why I love to read when I was younger -- the stories are, well, sophisticated in an uncomplicated way. They just get to the point. And more important, I get a sense of escaping to another place, of being in the story. It's strange but come to think of it, whenever I read YP Fantasy and SciFi literature, I get the same -- for lack of a better word -- "buzz" when I watch films like The Neverending Story, or even The Dark Crystal.

Easy to read, cos the stories are pretty short. But definitely not kiddish. I also like that they provide brief information about the authors (including website) and also the Author's Note (i.e. the author's comments about how and why they wrote the story).

My favourite stories from the book, some of which would be great for discussions:

The baby in the night deposit box/ Megan Whalen Turner - Tells of this baby who was deposited at the bank for safekeeping. She turns out to be some fairy princess. I love the part where her method of overcoming her fear of shadows was to point her rattle at the shadows and say "You're a bunny". This quote has great significance in the ending.
Max Mondrosch/ Lloyd Alexander - About this man who just never seems to be able to succeed in getting a job. Quite weird.
Medusa/ Michael Cadnum - The tale of Medusa (of Greek Mythology) told from the view point of Medusa herself. But in this story, Medusa isn't evil as what we are familiar with. She turns out to be a victim. Makes one wonder about perspectives.
The black fox/ Emma Bull & Charles Vess (illustrator) - This was cool. An adaptation of a traditional ballad presented in comic form. Beautiful illustrations.
Byndley/ Patricia A. McKillip - About a wizard who stole something from the fairies and was running away. He thought he'd escape them but turned out to be trapped all along. Again, it made me wonder about perspectives.
Hope chest/ Garth Nix - This one is really cool, but has sort of a tragic ending. Tells of a young girl (in the wild west setting) who turns out to be the babe version of Rambo, killing the evil "Master".
Remember me/ Nancy Farmer - Ooh, this one gave me goosebumps. I interpreted the story as one about loss and rememberance.
Flotsam/ Nina Kiriki Hoffman - Really liked this one. A girl finds this scruffy kid, who turns out to be from Fairyland or something. The kid can speak the language of water and other stuff, i.e. control water and make things move. Touching ending, particularly the bit about the girl's mother finding herself again.

Getting Results: Five absolutes for high performance

2005-03-21T21:53:00.000+08:00

University of Michigan Business School (UMBS) management series. Written by Clinton O. Longenecker (boy, what a surname!) and Jack L. Simonetti.

Preface - p.xiv. "This book is for managers of all levels who are looking for ways to improve the performance not only of themselves but also of the people they are directly responsible for."
NLB Call No.: 658.314 LON - [Biz] (under "Business" section)
Click here to check for item availability.

The authors posits that there are 5 "absolutes" (defined as "something that possesses the characteristic of being complete in nature") for high performance. Extracted from p.6 (comments in [ ] are my own):

Absolute 1 - Get everyone on the same page: Focus on the purpose of your organisation.
[Manager to create & maintain focus on desired results for him/ herself, staff, and operations. Also to create a means to measure performance.]

Absolute 2 - Prepare for battle: Equip your operations with tools, talent, and technology
[Hire good people, develop effective planning practices, have ongoing training, ensure staff gets the tools they need to do their jobs.]

Absolute 3 - Stoke the fire of performance: Create a climate for results
[Create the climate to continually and systematically measure performance, solicit feedback, a climate that motivates people, and removes barriers to performance.]

Absolute 4 - Build bridges on the road to results: Nurture relationships with people
[This chapter talks about building trust and communicating with staff in meaningful ways. Suggests there are 4 key practices: forge effective 360-degree work relationships, demonstrate trustworthy leadership, practice all facets of effective communication, and fostering teamwork and cooperation.]

Absolute 5 - Keep the piano in tune: Practice continuous renewal
[Basically advocating the need to continually review and improve. Also talks about maintaining worklife balance. Being willing to develop others, and to develop a balanced worklife for ourselves.]

Observation -- the "Absolutes" are progressively harder to achieve. E.g. building in performance measurement on continual basis is relatively easier than nurturing relationships with staff.

The book contains worksheets for self-assessment and practice. Each chapter has a summary. Easy to read, and fairly practical as far as management books go. Writing style is kinda conversational. Pretty useful book. I'd recommend it.

Insider's Singapore/ David Brazil

2005-03-20T11:10:00.000+08:00

My wife recommended this book to me. Wish I had this as a textbook when I was in school. Singapore History lessons would've been much more interesting. Well OK, maybe not as the only textbook, but it would have served as an excellent alternative to the texts where it's just facts and dates.

Insider's Singapore - NLB Call No.: SING 959.57 BRA - [HIS]
The "SING" prefix means it's located at the Singapore Collection (i.e. books with the Red Lion Head logo).

See book cover from Select Books (no, I don't have a share in the company).

Click here to check for item availability.

There are 30 stories, most about little known facts about Singapore's landmarks. The first story got me hooked -- I didn't know there was an "Early Founders Memorial Stone" at Collyer Quay.

Here's a listing of the content page (this was the 1999 edition published by Times Books International). Remarks in [ ] are my own:
The City and Chinatown

- A sadly unfinished monument [The Early Founders Memorial Stone. Picture on p11.]
- The benign face of empire [About William Pickering and the setting up of the Chinese Protectorate. p15 - 17: how Pickering dealt with the issue of prostitution]

The Padang and Fort Canning

- A present from a king [How the black brass elephant outside Parliament House came to be. Also about the visit by King of Siam to Singapore in 1871]
- That man Raffles [About the Raffles statue. Side stories titled "Was Raffles a Playboy?" and "Indian National Army", and Napoleon's penis (yeah! now you interested, right?) ]
- A true war hero [Concise story of Lim Bo Seng's life. Side story about Elizabeth Choy, Singapore's war heroine]
- They will not be forgotten [The Memorial to the Civiliam Victims of the Japanese Occupation. Summary of the Japanese invasion in 1941, the Sook Ching operation, account of the civilian massacre, side story about the issue of Japan's wartime guilt]
- Mutinous Daze [The 1915 Sepoy Mutiny]
- Five kings of ancient Singapura [Discussion about the tomb at Fort Canning Hill]
- Drama under the stars [The ex-National Theatre that was demolished in Aug '86. Picture on p.73. How it was built , its history]
- Forgotten founder [Major-General William Farquhar. Discussion on whether he's been unfairly sacked by Raffles (now why didn't they tell me that during History lessons?). Overiew of his life and times. Side story of how he dealt with the issue of rats , giant centipedes, and of his dog who was eaten by a crocodile]

The Orchard Road Area

- The door gods of Orchard Road [How the two statues at Orchard Road came to be. Side story of the 1974 Hilton Hotel murder of Mrs Linda Culley by her husband, Michael Charles Culley]
- Geomancy lives on [About Feng Shui and its association with several Singapore landmarks like Hyatt Regency Hotel, Pinetree Town and Country Club, American Club, OUB Centre]
- Grand old hotel tales [Interesting story of the painting of a barebreasted woman of the Goodwood Park Hotel. Also a story of Goodwood Park Hotel and its rivalry with Raffles Hotel. Side story of Anna Pavlova (the world famous ballerina) and her apparently not so pleasant experience in Singapore]
- The worse fire disaster [The 1972 fire at Robinsons Raffles Place Department Store and its history]
- A neighbour declares war [The 1965 Konfrontasi and bombing of MacDonald House and other places in Singapore. Side story "Who was MacDonald?"]
- The first skyscraper in town [The 1939 Cathay Building and basically the film and cinema industry in Singapore from 1930s to 1950s. Side story "Mountbatten: The Man, The Controversy"]
- The curry murder [The still unsolved 1984 murder that took place in the Penang Road Presbyterian Church caretaker's house]
- The tiger of France [About Clemenceau Avenue, and about George Clemenceau]

Eastwards Towards Geylang

- Not just a playing field [Farrer Park, and it's history as a horse-racing course, Singapore's first airplane flight in 1911, Indonesian POWs of the Japanese. Mentions the Indian National Army (INA), Subhas Chandra Bose., and the Malay Regiment's final stand at Pasir Panjang]
- When this was Sin-Galore... [The 1930s - 1960s sex-trade in Singapore, Comfort Women, Bugis Street transvestites, measures to curb sexually transmitted diseases]
- Informal royal palace [Istana Kampong Glam, Raffles and his dealings with Sultan Hussein and his heirs, controversy for the Istana Kampong Glam and issue of compensation. Side stories on Munshi Abdullah, "Hussein's Sex Slaves". P.163 shows picture of the Istana Kampong Glam circa 1999]
- Singapore's airports [History of the various airports in Singapore from 1930s. Cites the crash of Qantas BOAC Constellation jet, killing 31 passengers in 1954. Zhou Enlai "cheats death" in 1955. Side story of Beatles landing at Paya Lebar airport in 1964; Mick Jagger and wife Jerry Hall being turned away from the then Black Velvet disco in 1979; the Concord landing that was not to be]
- The end of the worlds [The beginnings and demise of early Entertainment Parks of Singapore -- Gay World, Great World, and New World. Cites striptease acts (including Rose Chan), cabaret girls, boxing matches]
- Singapore goes berserk [An account and short discussion of the 21 July 1964 race riots that lasted for 6 days. Side panel "The Maria Hertogh Riots" in 1950; "Ahmad Mattar's Narrow Escape" (ex-PM of Malaysia). Last part cites the background of the Geylang Serai Malay Village]

The Rest of the Island

- For whom the bell toll [The life of Joseph Balestier (1820s - 1840s), Singapore's first American Consul. Side panel "Great Bells!" -- the only Paul Revere Bell outside the US; "Crime of Passion" -- 1880 murder at Balestier Road]
- A hospital is born [Tan Tock Seng's life and the history of TTS Hospital]
- The sultans from Telok Blangah [The rise and fall of the Malay Kings of early Singapore. Side panels - "The tragic tale of Radin Mas", "Johor Bahru - A city for the future", "Let there be light - and fire" (Sultan was one of the first to have home lit up by electricity]
- A waxwork model [General Tomoyuki Yamashita - his conquest of Singapore, his political gaffe that led to his exile to Manchuria, and his last days when put on trial for war crimes. Side panels -- "Kranji Beach Horror" (defence of Kranji River); "The Surrender Room"; "Where's the Surrender Document?"; "Tojo Okays Brothels"; "Tojo's Teeth" (his teeth were engraved, unknown to him, the words "Remember Pearl Harbour"; "Yamashita's Treasure"]
- Good as gold [The beginnings and development of local brewery Tiger Beer, including brief mention of its marketing strategy]
- The end of a movement [Life and times of Tan Chay Wa, his role in the Communist Party of Malay, his arrest and trial. Mentions Chin Peng and Chia Thye Poh]

Marching to Valhalla/ Michael Blake

2005-03-07T23:19:00.000+08:00

When I was younger, I learnt that General George Amstrong Custer was an American who was killed by Chief Sitting Bull. I didn't think very much of Custer then. In fact I rooted for the American Indians cos they were the underdogs. Years later, I learnt that Custer distinguished himself during the American Civil War of 1860s. At 23 (I think) he was the youngest to be made a General. But he was still a name to me.

Then came this book -- Marching to Valhalla by Michael Blake. If like me, you like war stories and the like, then you'll probably like this one too.
Call No.: BLA (found under Adult Fiction section)
Click here to check for item availability.

Valhalla is a Warrior's Heaven, stemming from Nordic mythology. The Vikings believed that warriors who died bravely in battle would be carried by Valkyries to the halls of Valhalla, where they would enjoy unlimited food and company in their afterlife. And according to this book, Custer saw himself as a warrior and little else (apart from being devoted this his wife).

This is a work of fiction but based on historical facts. It is written in the form of journal entries written by Custer. It's interesting bec through the first-person narrative, I learnt more about Custer the man, than Custer the name -- which I think was the whole point of the book.

It delves into what Custer might have thought or felt, about his courtship and marriage to his wife, his subsequent endearing relationship with his wife, and also a brief affair with a Cheyenne captive. It also gave insights to Custer the Soldier and Warrior -- what drives him to win. Certain chapters could serve as case studies for Leadership (how he treated deserters), the dilemma between duty and human emotions. There were also insights to how Custer might have felt during his role in the Civil War, and the political games that he was naively drawn in later. And it suggests that Custer's defeat at little Bighorn had something to do with the low-point in his career at that point, having been made a political fool.

After reading this book, George Armstrong Custer was no longer just a name but someone who's human - who lived, loved, worried, rejoiced, felt sad.

This book not only tells a story but also makes Custer's voice just speaks to you. Not necessarily directly. It was more like how Custer spoke to himself and I'm a voyeur to his thoughts and slowly immersed myself into the story.

If you like historical fiction about the America Civil War, I recommend these two other books:
The Killer Angels/ Michael Shaara
Gods and Generals/ Jeff Shaara

I would not have wanted to read a history book about the American Civil War but these two books made history come alive, just like Marching to Valhalla. It's not history per se but the lives of the men who fought in it, from their individual point of view. That's what made the (his)story more powerful.

Books/ Magazines Read in 2004

2005-01-08T23:48:00.000+08:00

This time round, I've listed them by title and in alphabetical order. In addition, I've included a list of items that were almost read, i.e. I didn't complete them because I lost interest (it's funny, but it actually took conscious effort to give up a book halfway!)

My favourite reads are indicated in bold. All items were borrowed borrowed from NLB public libraries, unless otherwise indicated. Check the NLB Online Catalogue for availability.

Read in 2004

1982, Janine/ Alasdair Gray [You can’t miss this book – its cover features a drawing of an anatomically-correct man. I didn’t quite get this book, though I finished the book out of curiosity more than anything else]
Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Jan-Feb 04
Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Mar 04
Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Apr 04
Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Jun 04
Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Jul-Aug 04
Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Oct 04
Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Nov 04
Angela's Ashes: A memoir of a childhood/ Frank McCourt [Call No. 929.20899162073 MAC. The Pulitzer prize winner that was made into a movie of the same title. It’s witty, sad, moving… ah, read it for yourself. Highly recommended, and so is its sequel – “‘Tis”]
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Feb 03
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Apr 03
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Jul 03
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Aug 03
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Sept 03
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Dec 03
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Feb04
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Mar 04
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Apr - May 04
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Jul 04
Asimov's Science Fiction/ Sept 04
Backfire: A history of friendly fire from ancient warfare to the present day/ Geoffrey Regan
Becoming a manager: How new managers master the challenges of leadership/ Linda A. Hill [I'd go as far as to say all managers should read this book. Call No. 658.409 HIL -[BIZ]]
Beyond certainty: The changing worlds of organizations/ Charles Handy [This book offers serious food for thought on organizations and management. Call No. 658.406 HAN -[BIZ]]
Blood & water: Sabotaging Hitler's bomb/ Dan Kurzman
Catcher in the rye/ J. D. Salinger
Chaotic thoughts from the old millenium/ Sim Wong Hoo
Chicago for dummies (2nd ed)/ Laura Tiebert & Kathleen Cantillon
Citizen soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy beaches to the Bulge to the surrender of Germany, June 7, 1944-May 7, 1945/ Stephen E. Ambrose [If you love “Band of Brothers”, you’d love this one as well. Call No. 940.5421 AMB -[WAR]]
Clinton on Clinton: A portrait of the President in his own words/ Bill Clinton (edited by Wayne Meyer)
Collected stories of Vernor Vinge/ Vernor Vinge
Command legacy: A tactical primer for junior leaders/ Lt. Col. Raymond A. Millen
Complete Star Wars chronology/ Kevin J. Anderson
Corporate turnaround: Nursing a sick company back to health/ Michael Teng
Creating the full-service homework center in your library/ Cindy Mediavilla
Deepness in the sky / Vernor Vinge [Amazing ideas in this SciFi novel. Call No. VIN -[SF]]
Deferring democracy: Promoting openness in authoritarian regimes/ Catharin E. Dalphino
Don't sweat the small stuff...: Simple ways to keep the little things from taking over your life/ Richard Carlson [Personally, I need to read books like this to remind myself on what life is, or isn’t. Every married couple should own this book. Call No. 306.7 CAR]
Dropsie Avenue: The neighbourhood/ Will Eisner [Graphic novel. A glimpse into city life in early post-war US. Call No. 741.5973 EIS -[ART]]
Dune: The machine crusade/ Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson [This was disappointing. Somehow, all the Dune sequels just don’t quite have that kick of the first one]
Engels: A very short introduction/ Terrell Carver
Extreme management: What they teach at Harvard business school's advanced management programme/ Mark Stevens
Fantasy & Science Fiction/ Sept 03
Fantasy & Science Fiction/ Jun 04
Fahrenheit 451/ Ray Bradbury [I liked this book for the very intriguing ideas. For one, a Fireman was a destroyer of books by fire. If not for the hype about Michael Moore’s film of the same title (though totally different content), I wouldn’t have read this one. Call No. BRA]
Flags of our fathers/ James Bradley [I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I mean, I loved it but after reading it, I didn’t experience the same emotions when I look at the picture of the US Marines planting the flag on Iwo Jima. Call No. 940.5426 BRA -[WAR]]
Frindle/ Andrew Clements [A Children’s book, for older children. Decided to read this after attending a workshop. Adults could learn a thing or two from this book. Call No. J CLE]
Harnessing complexity/ Robert Axelrod & Michael D. Cohen
Hellboy: Conquerer worm/ Mike Mignola
Holes/ Louis Sachar [YP Fiction. This was my second reading. There are plots within plots. I loved it when all the seemingly unrelated plots all fell into place in the end. Call No. Y SAC]
How to manage training: A guide to design & delivery for high performance/ Carolyn Nilson
How to succeed at being yourself: Finding the confidence to fulfill your destiny/ Joyce Meyer
How to talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere: The secrets of good communication/ Larry King [Now I know Larry’s secret to success as a broadcast journalist. Call No. 302.346 KIN]
Liberty/ Stephen Coonts
Library: An unquiet history/ Matthew Battles [Not everyone's cup of tea, but I think librarians ought to at least glance through it]
MacArthur's undercover war: Spies, saboteurs, guerrillas & secret missions/ William B. Breuer
Managing at the speed of change: How resilient managers succeed and prosper where others fail/ Daryl R. Conner
Managing telework: Strategies for managing the virtual workforce/ Jack M. Nilles
Maus: I, A survivor's tale: My father bleeds history/ Art Spiegelman [The story of the Holocaust, in graphic novel form. Call No. 741.5973 SPI -[ART]]
Maus. II, A survivor's tale: And here my troubles began/ Art Spiegelman [The second and final part. Call No. 741.5973 SPI -[ART]]
Microserfs/ Douglas Coupland [Highly entertaining and witty book. The title is a pun on “Microsoft”. Call No. COU]
Midnight mass/ Paul Bowles
Minor Miracles/ Will Eisner
New thinking for the new millenium/ Edward De Bono
New York: The big city/ Will Eisner
Now all we need is a title: Famous book titles & how they got that way/ Andre Bernard [A must-read for all book lovers. Self-explanatory title. Call No. 820 BER]
Overlord: General Pete Quesada & the triumph of tactical air power in World War II/ Thomas Alexander Hughes [An insight of the development of air power doctrine. It is a complementary read to the book “Citizen Soldier” by Stephan Ambrose. Gives you the other perspective to the war, from the pilot’s viewpoint. Call No. 940.54214 HUG -[WAR]]
PC magazine Singapore/ Jul 04
PC magazine Singapore/ Nov 04
Prince of lost places/ Kathy Hepinstall
Reinventing the brand: Can top brands survive the new market realities?/ Jean-Noël Kapferer
Roverandom/ J.R. R. Tolkien (edited by Christina Scull & Wayne G. Hammond)
Saucer/ Stephen Coonts
Science goes to war: The search for the ultimate weapon, from Greek fire to Star Wars/ Ernest Volkman [Highly entertaining read about the development of warfare through the ages. This book reads like episodes from the Discovery Channel. Call No. 355.809 VOL]
Six degrees: The science of a connected age/ Duncan J. Watts
Skydancer/ Geoffrey Archer
So many books, so little time: A year of passionate reading/ Sara Nelson
Strategy + Business/ Fall 04
The age of unreason/ Charles Handy [Another must-read for those interested in the future development of organizations. I’d be surprised if it doesn’t set you thinking. Call No. 658.406 HAN -[BIZ]]
The aviators (book viii): Brotherhood of war/ W. E. B. Griffin
The Burying Field/ Kenneth Abel
The chocolate war/ Robert Cromier [Another YP book I learnt from the same workshop. This has a bleak ending. Has been a recommended book for teens for ages. Call No. Y COR]
The Cluetrain Manifesto: The end of business as usual/ Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, David Weinberger [Wish my colleagues at Corporate Communications would read this. Call No. 651.84678 CLU]
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time/ Mark Haddon [Excellent YP book. I can now understand why this was on Amazon.com’s bestsellers’ list. A story that is told from the perspective of a boy afflicted with Asperger's syndrome. Don’t let the title fool you. It has a serious side to it. Call No. Y HAD]
The Da Vinci code/ Dan Brown [Discovered this on the shelf one day. Honest! I didn’t specially reserve it for myself. Certainly a very entertaining read, though the ending was quite an anti-climax. Still, it’s not on the bestseller’s list for no reason. Call No. BRO]
The Eyre affair/ Jasper Fforde [The beginning can be a bit slow, but stay the course, and you’ll find this a witty book, full of literary puns. Those who have read “Jan Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte would appreciate this one. Classified under “Mystery”. Call No. FFO -[MY]]
The giver/ Lois Lowry [Another YP book that is considered a classic of sorts. This one has a Sci Fi theme. Call No. Y LOW]
The league of extraordinary gentleman/ (novelisation by) K.J. Anderson
The library's legal answer book/ Mary Minow & Tomas A. Lipinski
The mammoth book of 20th century Science Fiction vol1/ Edited by David G. Hartwell
The playboy book of science fiction [No, this does not contain erotic Sci Fi! The stories happened to be published in Playboy Magazine, that’s all. Hmm… I realized younger folks who grew up with the Internet as a given may not know what was all the hype about Playboy. Contains vintage Sci Fi stories]
The power of losing control: Finding strength, meaning, & happiness in an out-of-control world/ Joe Caruso [One of the few books that really made a positive change in how I view life in general. Call No. 158.1 CAR]
The remains of the day/ Kazuo Ishiguro [There are management insights to be learnt from this book! Call No. ISH]
To the heart of the storm/ Will Eisner
Under fire/ W. E. B. Griffin [I think the author has a thing against General Macarthur]
Walden & Civil Disobedience/ Henry David Thoreau [I read this only because there were many references to it from “Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”. Didn’t really take to this one. My personal collection. Bought it at a booksale]
War music: An account of books 16 to 19 of Homer's Iliad/ Christopher Logue [This was really interesting. The author’s interpretation of parts of the Iliad that were more action-packed. Call No. 821.914 LOG]
What if? The world's foremost military historians imagine what might have been/ (editor Robert Cowley)
Where there's smoke/ Sandra Brown [Men should read Sandra Brown once in a while]
Youth.sg: The state of youth in Singapore/ Ho Kong Chong, Jeffrey Yip
Zen & the art of motorcycle maintenance: An inquiry into values/ Robert M. Pirsig [This was recommended by a fellow online poetry group member. Excellent book! Those who appreciate Jostein Gaarder’s “Sophie’s World” would like this one. Call No. 973.920924 PIR]

Almost-read in 2004

The gossamer years: A diary of a noblewoman of Heian Japan/ Kagero Nikki (translated by Edward Seidensticker)
The Bourne supremacy/ Robert Ludlum [Surprise, surprise! I actually gave up on a military thriller. The plot was too dated to be believable]
La Salle & the discovery of the great west/ Francis Parkman

Angela's Ashes: A memoir of a childhood/ Frank McCourt

2005-01-02T22:57:00.000+08:00

As the title says, it's an account of the author's childhood in improvished Ireland. One wonders how he managed to survive at all (I've inadvertently paraphrased the author's words) -- here's the second para of the opening page:

"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood... Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood."

On the same page, the third para just about sums up the essence of the book:

"People everywhere brag and whimper about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bully schoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred long years.
Above all -- we were wet."

One does not have to be Irish or poor to appreciate this book. It's one of those "unputdownables" (I didn't invent this word!) -- you just keep looking forward to the next page, and the next, and when the story finally ends you feel a twinge of sadness that the tale has ended.

The writing style is conversational, spiced with colloquiums and laced with self-effacing humour. McCourt coveys the poverty, injustice and bleakness without moralising.

Some who read the story may feel genuine sadness in the death of his siblings. Or baulk over the terrible living conditions; feel a sense of injustice in the mockery of the poor by those who think that they are of a higher station. We may share a sense of brotherly pride when we read how the young ones share what little they have with each other. Perhaps we may laugh with the young Frank when he worries over what to tell the priest over his first confessional.

We may even find voyeuristic embarrassment over his discovery of what might be real love, as well as his fumbling explorations of his developing (but dogmatically repressed) adolescent sexuality. It wouldn't surprise me if we share his anger and hate over the man who took advantage of his mother's vulnerability.

A tragic and sad story, no doubt, yet ultimately it's really a story of hope. What makes it remarkable is that it's a real human story -- at least I don't doubt a word of McCourt's account of his childhood. Even if parts of it were made up, it made such wonderful reading that I can't imagine him making any part up. I can understand why it won the 1997 Pulitzer.

Angela's Ashes: A memoir of a childhood/ Frank McCourt
Call No.: 929.20899162073 MAC (General Non-Fiction section)

RELATED BOOKS available at NLB libraries:

The sequel -- 'Tis: A memoir (Call No.: 974.710049162 MAC) -- is also an excellent read. It continues his story of his further coming-of-age in 1949 U.S.A.

Another related book: A monk swimming by Malachy McCourt, brother of Frank McCourt (Call No.: 304.873 MAC)

At the time of this post, all 3 titles mentioned were available at NLB libraries, under the General Non-Fiction section.

Becoming a manager: How new managers master the challenges of leadership/ Linda A. Hill

2005-01-02T21:52:00.000+08:00

An extremely insightful book to what it means to become a manager, particularly for "new" managers (e.g. been in management positions for a year or two). I highly recommend this to anyone involved in "management", particularly where you have to lead people.

The book deals with the transition, of a new manager, from an individual contributor/ specialist to being a manager. Though the research involved people in brokerage & IT industries, the problems & issues faced are the same -- trust me, I know.

The value of this book, I feel, is not so much in revealing anything new (most managers would instinctively know what the issues are when working with a team). What it did for me was to give me assurance that the trials and tribulations that I've gone through (some of which are daily occurances) are normal. That told me that I AM NOT ALONE! -- for management is a lonely business.

It also made me pay more attention to certain aspects of my job as a manager. This book took me sometime to finish (440 over pages) but a very readable book. Not overly academic.

Notes/ excerpts from the book (in bold) - Words in [ ] parenthesis are my own:

p3,6,8 - [In essence, there a very simple premise to being a manager. The Job Holder (i.e. subordinate) essentially does things with individual competencies while a Manager has to get things done through otherss. The manager's work is therefore highly dependant on their job holders' competencies. In many ways, it does reinforce the notion that effective managers focus much of their efforts in supporting and developing the capabilities of their job holders.]

p15/ 21/139 - [new mgrs "did not appreciate the distinction between being primarily responsible for people rather than the task" - This is significant. Hence the tendancy for managers is to micromanage (or at the other extreme, being too "hands-off") at the expense of developing staff competencies.]

p140 - [Managers, being competent individually, suddenly find that they are at the mercy of the subordinate's competency. Often, managers are also surprised that the subordinate is less skilled and motivated than they (the managers) were. The manager's competency is somewhat reduced, which is definitely scary & therefore stressful. Which was why some managers don't want to delegate because of the perceived further loss of power.]

P43 - [Learning how to be a manager was a formidable task. The managers in the study reported that they had to make sense of complex, often conflicting, and demanding expectations from both subordinates and their own bosses.]

p44 - "what it means to be a manager: in their own words" - [Table showing the different levels of expectations by different levels of people in the organisation. What was clear was that there was little overlap. E.g. New managers saw themselves as administrators but their subordinates expectation of the manager was to ensure the subordinate's "personal agenda were fulfilled". The manager's bosses saw the new manager as a business person.]

p88 - [Managers were often "promoted for their technical competence, not their mgt or interpersonal skills. Getting things done through a significant number of other pple takes a diff order of skills from working w just two or three people"; - "learning to exercise formal authority & to create a productive, satisfied workforce" was another challenge]

p116 - [On accepting diversity (i.e. Live w the good & not-so-good staff) - "you have a whole range of pple who are very marginal or poor performers, who have no business being there, all the way up to pple who can operate on their own." - This really sounded familar to me!]

Chapter 5 - [The inexperienced subordinate wants guidance; experienced ones want cooperation]

p133 - [On managing the problem subordinate - most new managers deem this as most stressful. It's very true. I'd say experienced managers also see this as a problem.]

p134 - [On non-performing subordinates - the most difficult situation was when the subordinate lacks ability or motivation. Or sometimes, the manager was the problem, as in having much too high expectations on their subordinates]

p. 167 - [Prime qualities the managers saw as part of managerial character:

Self confidence;
Willingness to accept responsibility;
Patience;
Empathy;
Ability to live with imperfect solutions

Most said such factors of temperament were critical in making the transition successfully.]

p.178 - Acquiring managerial competence meant sacrificing some of their technical competence. As managers learnt to delegate, their technical knowledge and ability grew obsolete [Which meant managers must upgrade skills and knowledge like everyone else]

p. 181 - managers had to learn that their subordinates were not all as motivated or competent as they themselves had been. Thus a major managerial responsibility was dealing with the problem employee.

Chpt 8 - "Critical resources for the First Year" - [Something HR peopel should note to get ideas or insights regarding the support structures for managers. E.g. peer networks were more critical than formal ones, e.g. between Job Holder and Reporting Officer.]

p 227 - Becoming a manager is both an intellectual and emotional exercise.

p229 - Becoming a manager required a profound psychological adjustment - a transformation. To make the psychological adjustment, they had to address four tasks:

Learning what it means to be a manager;
Developing interpersonal judgement;
Gaining self-knowledge;
Coping with stress and emotion.

Becoming a manager was largely a process of learning from experience. New managers could only grasp their new role and identity through action, not contemplation. The transformation was iterative, slow, difficult, both intellectually and emotionally.

p231 - The process of developing a manager is a paradoxical proposition. Those responsible for it cannot tell new managers what they need to know, even if they know what to tell them. And the (new) managers cannot understand what they have to say [until they have experienced it, which by then might not be as insightful - reminds me of this joke that says experience is something that you have when it's too late]

Chapter 9 - [Suggests ways to ease the transformation. Includes the content of mgt training, pedagogy.]

p 237 - "Is Management Really for Me?"

p. 238 - Criteria for selecting managers:

Technical,
Human,
Conceptual,
Analytical competence,
(Those who) find managerial work intrinsically rewarding,
(Those who) exhibit the managerial character
Display self-insight,
Penchant for learning,
Learning from experience,
Introspective and show resilience under stress.

p. 239 - How to select managers

p. 241 - Many companies found that motivation is the most common mistake for managerial failure. Have they sought or initiated tasks that were managerial? Do they seem to enjoy thinking about and working on people problems?

p244 - [Should also develop the new manager's superiors. Equip senior management to be better coaches.]

p283 - chapter 11: Building an effective team

p309 - [offers a sort of checklist, questions that a person can ask themself to assess their own suitability to be a manager.]

p325 - Mangement development should be viewed as 'Development of the fittest' rather than 'selection of the fittest'. It means encouraging self-directed learning, sponsoring stretch-assignments

Chpt 12 - [In developing a person, do you give an important task to someone who needs to develop these skills, or to one who already can do it (and thus assuring greater chances of success?) ]

p328 - it is not about throwing them into the deep end of the pool to sink or swim; it is about matching the indiv dev needs and capacities to a well-sequenced set of specific, meaningful opportunities. These allow performers to acquire expertise while also establish relationships with people who can help them make the most of those relationships.

p337 - Appendix: [Research design and methods. Explains her research strategy and methods, background. The research strategy can be desribed as "evoluntionary, qualitative, descriptive, and inductive." Includes a cover letter, the interview agenda, detailed explanation of how she went about observing, following them around.]

Becoming a manager: How new managers master the challenges of leadership/ Linda A. Hill
Call No.: 658.409 HIL -[BIZ] (Business section)

The remains of the day/ Kazuo Ishiguro

2005-01-02T02:50:00.000+08:00

Before there were robots, there were English butlers!

I thought I'd find this book boring (I mean, how interesting can a butler's life be? Ok, maybe they tend to be witnesses to sordid affairs but I didn't think this was such a book). In any case, I was wrong -- it was an intriguing study of human relationships and emotions.

The book I borrowed was published by Penguin Longman (2000). The cover featured Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson (the 1993 movie of the same title). I admit the cover was the main reason why I picked up the book. I'd not seen the movie in its entirety (I vaguely remember the late Christopher Reeve had a part in it, or was I mistaken?)

I formed several impressions very quickly into the book:

How in heck would an author with a Japanese name know so much about English butlers and their habits? The answer -- Ishiguro grew up, and was schooled, in Britain.
English butlers (at least this particular one) have no life. They could sure use our SDU's services
This wasn't just a novel about an English butler in post-war England -- this was a book illustrating management principles. I'd rename the book "The remains of the day: Lessons in management"

Notes & excerpts (if the notes seem a little cryptic, go read the book!):

p32 - p38: The handling of the "tiger beneath table" incident - an example of how to act under pressure

p40 - An excellent example of how to handle difficult customers

p43 - On professionalism

p146 - On ways to find meaning & pride in our work. Or could it be a form of self delusion? Maybe. But then, it might not.

P148 - Examples of cultural differences in employer expecations of English butlers

p153 & 211- Showing how one could be blind to an employer's wrongdoing out of a sense of duty (i.e. sacking the jewish employees). The butler was making excuses for his employer whom he obviously respected. He considers it a professional honour to do what the employer instructions without question. From that incident, it made me respect the butler less. Up till that point, I thought he was a very admirable chap for sticking to his principles. However, as I considered further, I wondered how many of us would have the moral courage to say 'No' to our bosses, in today's context? Even Ms K. (played by Emma Thompson) vented anger on the butler, Stevens , rather than confront his employer. So in the final analysis, are we so different from the butler?

p162 - That sometimes bosses have to lose the pretence of rationality & show their human feelings

p188- A total lack of EQ by the butler!

p230 - Ms Kenton likes Stevens?

p193-4: On what makes a person dignified - "being dignified doesn't mean being high & mighty".

p206- The idea that implementing democracy without educating the masses is foolhardy

The novel was an intriguing insight to an aspect of English life not intially apparent to me. It was also a study into a very believable aspect of human behaviour, albeit brought to extremes by the Stevens character. I had mixed reactions towards him as a person, some not very flattering. However, by the end of the book, I felt sorry for him. He was, in my opinion, trying to make sense of the world as best as he could.

As much as he tried to detach himself from human emotions (his own coping mechanism towards the complexities of human relationships), in the end he reveals himself to be very human simply by showing regret.

Why did I say that? As D.H. Lawrence wrote about "Self Pity":
I never saw a wild thing
sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself.

This book would make a great discussion topic for bookclubs. For further analysis of the characters, see this page from Sparknotes.com

The remains of the day/ Kazuo Ishiguro
Call No.: ISH (Adult Fiction section)

Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age/ Duncan J. Watts

2005-01-01T22:06:00.000+08:00

I read this book because it received a favourable review in Asimov's (or was it Analog?). If you're wondering if there's any relation to the "Six degrees to Kevin Bacon" game, well, yes, there is -- though this book does a lot more than just explaining the game.

Though I'm not into "Graph theory", "Network analysis" or "Social networks Mathematical models", I still found this book insightful. Certain chapters could be rather heavy going though. But there's enough "layperson" content for this book to be useful to non academics. There's a useful reference list on recommended readings, ranked by the author based on level of readability (i.e. whether you need a background in Network Theory or not).

I would've liked it better if the book explained how one could really tap on the effect of "social contagion of ideas". But to be fair, it did say there's much work to be done, and the author does a credible job of explaining a complex theory for laypersons.

Notes/ excerpts from the book (in bold) - Words in [ ] parenthesis are my own:

p162-7 - [Discussion on biological virus & computer virus: Ebola & melissa. Good overview. Very informative].

p196 - [Interesting story to the 1634 Dutch Tulip Bubble. The idea of "Social contagion", or the "epidemics of ideas". Some parallels to the Dot.com crash.]

p204 - [The idea of "Information cascades" - where individuals stop behaving like individuals & more like a coherent mass.]

p207 - [Examples of social experiments. Interesting & weird stuff by this researcher called Solomon Asch - proved that an individual starts having doubts when s/he is the minority.]

p224 - [Concept of "Social Contagion" - spread of beliefs & ideas.] "... a highly contingent process, the impact of a particular person's opinion depending, possibility dramatically, on the other opinions solicited."

p230 - [Suggestions on how to exploit knowledge to enhance the likelihood of a cascade.]

p235 - [About "cascades & percolation" - conditions necessary for global cascade]

p289 - Although the problem (of organisations) dealing with ambiguity is not fully understood, "it appears that a good strategy for building org that are capable of solving complex probs is to train indiv to react to ambiguity by searching thru their social netwks, rather than forcing them to build & contribute to centrally designed prob-solving tools & databases".

p292 - How the Sept 11 incident "exposed the hidden connections in the complex archictecture of modern life"

p(?) - Case study of the Toyota-Aisin crisis 1997. [How a fire at the Toyota factory almost ruined the company (the crisis affected Japan's economy), but yet intriguingly Toyota was able to recover back to normal production levels within days, even though there were no contingency plans in place.] The more "networked you are, the more subseptible to risks but the better you are at recovering".

p299 - The science of networks: "Distance is deceiving"

Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age/ Duncan J. Watts
- Call No.: 511.5 WAT (Non-fiction General collection)

(Re)inventing the brand: can top brands survive the new market realities?/ Jean-noël Kapferer

2005-01-01T21:40:00.000+08:00

Published in 2001, translated from French. Marketing students would find this book useful, particularly if they are looking for case studies of European brands. The brands mentioned are: Adidas, Ariel, Décathlon, Coca-Cola, Orangina, Vache-Qui-Rit, Danone, L'Oréal, Nestlé, Nike, Nivea, Pepsi, Perrier, Peugeot, Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, Virgin, Vivendi, Volkswagen, Yoplait.

Notes/ Excerpts from the book (in bold) - Words in [ ] parenthesis are my own::

p. 59 - Advertising costs have soared but no tangible proof of the return of investment in those sums.

p. 69 - consumers are no longer the source of innovation & motivation that they once were (christensen 1999)

p. 74-77: The "service challenge"

Don't waste their time
Everything should be easy
Recognise that different users have different needs
Direct them to information at the level & amount they need
The internet store is open 24 hours a day
Allow users to communicate w other users freely on subjects of common interest
'Word of mouth' publicity

p. 83-84: [Talks about the "truths" of the internet economy -- I found it consistent with the " Cluetrain Manifesto".]
The internet has created a culture of partipation; direct access; fast response; truth (cracks are more likely to be made known); a "me" focus (consumers expect to be treated as individuals)

p. 97 - [I learnt that the word "portrait" comes from the french words "porter" (to carry) & "trait" (characteristics). Hence, "portrait" means "to carry certain characteristics".]

p. 123 - [Examples of how successful companies empower employees to leave their personal touch. E.g. Saturn mechanics leaving their personal notes on cars they have serviced.]

p. 135 - Studies show that "(market) penetration & loyalty are correlated" - i.e. (Advertising that involve customers either at emotive or rational level, image value syst, pdt push & in-store promotion -- all still relevant). Also, "in a world increasingly dominated by the Internet, the more virtual the goods & services on offer, the greater the need to re-emphasise tangible & sensory aspects, which are necessary catalysts for gen involvement."

p. 136 - 142: [Explains "upstream & downstream" advertising].
See p.142 for pointers for implementation:

Brand energy must be focused downstream at contact points w customers
Communities must become involved at behavioural level
Must create public, inter-community commitment
Encourage & create opportunities for 'dialogue' bet communities & marketing environments in the chain of recommendations

p. 143 - "Strategic energization matrix"

p. 149 - Examples of the "Cola Wars" - Sucidial brand strategy

p. 166 - "Marketing is an experimental discipline. It is simply not possible to know all the parameters in advance."

p. 179 - rejunivation is vital for a brand to stay competitive & "prototyping" (innovate/ new pdt) is vital to rejunivation

p. 180 - brand should make the consumer look good - not the company or brand - [Libraries ought to take note.]

p. 223 - brand is built on it's determination to promote it's distinctive values & mission

(Re)inventing the brand: can top brands survive the new market realities?/ Jean-noël Kapferer
Call No.: 658.827 KAP -[BIZ] (Business Collection)

The Power of Losing Control: Finding Strength, Meaning and Happiness in an Out-Of-Control World/ Joe Caruso

2005-01-01T21:09:00.000+08:00

This book shifted my perspectives about "Control". It’s one of those books that I come across once in a while that makes an impact on how I work, think and live.

There's a story behind how I discovered the book: At a monthly manager's meeting, held in a library, my boss announced that I'd be taking over yet another library to manage (btw, in case you were wondering, that came with no extra pay). I was stressed me out, to say the least (not the pay but the fact that I was responsible for another branch). Then during break time, while walking back to the meeting room from the washroom, I chanced upon the book on the shelf -- the spine was facing out. I certainly was losing control, so naturally I picked it out.

The title itself was interesting – the power of losing control. Sounds oxymoronic, right? How could anyone gain power by losing control? What I understand now is that there wasn’t any power to exercise in the first place. As Caruso wrote, what we really have is an “Illusion of Control”.

Which reminds me of this song I learnt when I was about nine. I think it’s an old British marching song, which goes like this:

Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And smile, smile, smile
If in your world you come across a snag,
Smile boys that’s the style
What’s the use of worrying?
It never was worthwhile, so—
Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And smile, smile, smile

The book made a lot of sense to me. I could relate to it from my personal experiences. Also, the author should know a thing or two about what he is writing. After all, he is a cancer survivor and he has applied what he espouses. Plus the book has a label that says “As Seen on PUBLIC TELEVISION” so I knew this was something. The heck with “never judge a book by its cover”.

It's true that "The more you try to control, the less you actually do". I highly recommend this book.

Excerpts from the book (in bold) - Words in [ ] parenthesis are my own:

p. 75: The Four Rules of Engagement

Everyone is always right
Everyone’s greatest desire is to be right
You can’t change another person’s mind
You can help people shift their perspectives

[It’s very true, in my experience so far. I’ve not been a manager as long as some people have, but in whatever I’ve experienced, I know that very rarely was I able to change a person’s mind or personality. Almost impossible. I could not undo, in 2 hours or 2 months time, the opinions of that person that took perhaps 20, 30 or 40 years to form.

We prefer to stick with a circle of friends or colleagues because ultimately, they make us feel good. Not necessarily flattery of course. It could be that they validate what makes us think are important, that they share a common view – therefore validating our own perspectives and sense of self.]

p. 87: Leadership, because it is determined by those in our secondary world, is an out-of-control experience.

p. 88: “It’s not important that people like you” – “People like you because when they’re with you they like themselves better. They like you because being with you elevates their own meaning”.
[I need to think hard about this, in relation to how to promote reading and the use of libraries.]

Quote from the book:

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.”

~ Scottish writer W.H. Murray (The Scottish Himalayan Expedition)

p. 207: “… practice being more passionate about the solution and less passionate about the problems.”

p. 214: We must be more like parachute jumpers. The moment they jump off the plane, they knew they were never “on course”. While falling, they constantly adjusted and responded to the surroundings. What they had was an objective in mind (the spot to land) that never wavered.

The Power of Losing Control: Finding Strength, Meaning and Happiness in an Out-Of-Control World/ Joe Caruso
- Call No. 158.1 CAR (Non-fiction, General section)

Prince of lost places/ Kathy Hepinstall

2004-12-13T20:40:00.000+08:00

I read this book in Oct 04. It was one of those books where giving a summary would be giving the plot away, so I'll be deliberately vague about the story. I'll just state what would be obvious to the reader - it's about a woman who runs away from home with her son, her estranged relationship with her husband, and a detective (hired by the husband) who has a past.

You can guess more about the plot from the subject headings: (1) Mothers and sons Fiction; (2) Kidnapping, Parental Fiction'; (3) Cave dwellers Fiction; (4) Rio Grande Valley Fiction.

In its essence, I see the story as how a person's love can make one unwilling to let go -- the husband's love for his wife; the woman's love for her son. And perhaps part of the story illustrates a person's selfishness -- the main characters' willingness to go to extremes, to give up everything, just to hang on to their lost dreams.

It's a fairly short book to read. The beginning may seem a bit tedious (just a little) but it gets interesting towards the end, where everything falls into place & the reader would probably go "Ah, I see!".

The author makes it obvious that the woman has some sort of mental illness. But as the story progresses, one might start wondering if it's the husband who's ill and not the woman. The story is spiced up with the detective falling for the woman.

Page158 has a line that gives an insight of the title of the book. P165 explains the reason why she is running away.

This book is by the same author who wrote "The absence of nectar".

Where there's smoke/ Sandra Brown

2004-11-24T22:46:00.000+08:00

Sandra brown seems to be a favourite among women readers -- that was how I remembered it when I was doing my "tour of duty" at the reference desk some years past. A few months ago, I happened to see this book on the display table and decided to read it to understand what the fuss was about.

She's not someone I'd normally read but I figured it might be an interesting experience. My female colleagues teased me about reading this. Someone told me this was "trashy stuff" (which I found out that it means it deserves a RA label of sorts -- I guess that's why it's so appealing!). Anyway, I told them that a good salesman has to know all his wares, so...

In this story, we have the following characters:

A beautiful, strong, determined -- but misunderstood -- heroine.
A suave, testosterone-charged "living-on-the-edge" macho man, whom all women seem to find irresistable. He appears to be a rascal with a devil-may-care attitude but has a heart of gold.
A powerful but bitter & manipulative mother
A rich and vindicative vamp -- beautiful but conniving and unfaithful. She has a thing for the hero but spurned by the hero.
Sub-plot: Romance between the hero's Plain-Jane "Suffer-in-silence" sister (with an inferiority complex) and a righteous and chivilarious ex-con.

The hero falls for the heroine, and she for him. But they have a love-hate relationship because apparently she's the married woman who seduced the hero's brother -- an up-and-coming US senator -- and subsequently ruined the brother's career.

OK, I realise this isn't much of a book review or summary, but I'm sure people read Sandra Brown not for the plots but more for the element of escapism.

It's entertaining, really.

It doesn't set out to be intellectual stuff in the first place, and like any adult Romance novel, it has its fair share of love scenes. All in clean fun, and some love scenes are quite amusing 'cos it's so cliched. A good read for those who want to just lose themselves for a few hours on the train, or before bed.

I can now understand why it's popular among women readers. Heck, men should read such books once in a while. A companion read to "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus". If you can't get "Sex In the City", try Sandra Brown -- Woo-Hoo! Ahem...

Imagining Singapore

2004-10-17T13:26:00.000+08:00

Edited by Ban Kah Choon, Tong Chee Kiong, and Anne Pakir. This book is a collection of essays relating to Singapore, by a group of writers from various disciplines (what's more subtle is that the collection of writers are also multi-racial, thus another relection of Singapore).

The topics range from histrography, resource and recreation planning, bilingualism and population management, religion and politics, and gender. This 2004 second edition (first edition was in 1992) features two new essays "Imagining Freedom" and "Imagining the Singapore Exonomy in the Next Lap", in addition to revisions and updates to the original essays.

Featured essays

Narrating Imagination - Ban Kah Choon
Singapore: The City-State in History - Yong Mun Cheong
The National past and the writing of the history of Singapore - Albert Lau
Singapore's quest for a National Identity: The triumphs and trials of government policies - Hussin Mutalib
Imagining Freedom - Simon SC Tay
A small state's quest for security: Operationalising deterence in Singapore's strategic thinking - Bilveer Singh
Mapping the concept of the Singapore leadership - Chua Fook Kee
Imagining the Singapore economy in the Next Lap - Linda Low
The ecomonics of a population policy - Lim Boon Tiong
Singapore's Environmental ideology - Victor R. Savage
Demand for recreation and leisure - Euston Quah
English-knowing bilingualism in Singapore - Anne Pakir
Towards a centre of study of world Chinese literatures - Wong Yoon Wah
The rationalisation of religion in Singapore - Tong Chee Kiong
Religious truth and the meaning of life - Chong Kim Chong
Women and knowledge/ power: Notes on the Singaporean Dilemma - Nirmala PuruShotam
Conclusion - Edwin Thumboo

Some articles can be quite academic (like the one on Singapore leaders), but on the whole I found them readable and insightful.

For instance, Singapore's policy on Bilingualism in the education policy (it's a weird but pleasant feeling reading this now, and going "So that's why I had to study those subjects in school"), the Singapore population policy, insights into the planning of recreational facilities (something I wasn't aware until I read the article), and the issue of a National Identity.

I thought it was interesting to have the article on "Religious Truth and the meaning of life" in this collection. Contrary to my expectation, it's not about politics or the workings of the government (as I thought it would, since the collection of essays are somewhat quite academic in nature). But it's really about philosophy, and increasingly as the Singapore society gets more sophisticated, more and more people would start articulating thoughts of such a nature. Now I bet our forefathers thought about the meaning of life too, but just not presented in this way.

This book would appeal to those who want a deeper insight into the workings of Singapore; what makes Singapore and Singaporeans tick.

Intimate Exchanges - Alan Ayckbourn

2004-09-15T22:46:00.000+08:00

Thanks to my colleague, David Lie for the following contribution:
===================================================
Title - Intimate Exchanges: A Play
Author - Alan Ayckbourn
NLB Call Number - 822.914 AYC
Year of Publication - 1985

The play is in 2 volumes and are available at EPCL and NRL.

What attracted you to read this book?
The opportunity to see how the experimental French director Alain Resnais approached the source material for his 1993 twin films “Smoking/No Smoking” was simply too irresistible.

What do you like about this book/author?
The play is imaginatively conceived and boldly innovative in its attempt to reinvigorate theatrical forms or styles by pushing those boundaries within popular tastes. While the play may be characterized as a comedy that satirizes suburban middle class lifestyle, pretense and human folly, it is also a poignant, penetrating study of marital discontent and the oppression between the sexes. Written for two actors, a male and a female, the play requires the performers to play all ten different roles, a theatrical feat that few works, if any, can match.

What do you dislike about this book/author?
None.

Summary/Main Plot
“Intimate Exchanges” is actually as a series of 8 related plays. Each play follows a four-part structure and concludes with one actor making a decision—sometimes trivial (to smoke a cigarette or not), sometimes significant (to divorce a spouse or not)— and the outcome of that choice will propel the play into one direction or another. In the course of the entire work, at least a dozen “what ifs” scenarios/possibilities are explored, allowing each of the various strands to comment on one another and to expand on the play as a whole. By revisiting similar situations by way of alternatives, the play demonstrates how the smallest of decisions can sometime lead to vastly different outcomes.

Would you recommend this book to others?
Absolutely. If nothing else it can be treated as comic therapy!

David Lie - 13 Jul 04
===================================================

Muscle Media Magazine (contributed by "Rojak" Librarian)

2004-09-10T01:26:00.000+08:00

A good friend of mine started his own blog recently. He goes by the name "Rojak" Librarian. Here's his review of Muscle Media Magazine. Hey, cool review man. I like your personal "voice".

Deepness in the Sky/ Vernor Vinge

2004-08-22T18:49:00.000+08:00

Rarely do I find a Sci-Fi story whose central character has a Chinese/ Vietnamese-sounding name like Pham Nuwen. I’m re-reading the novel for the second time and it’s still as exciting as ever.
The Qeng Ho (sounds like the explorer-eunuch Admiral Zhenghe of 15th Century China) is a human space-faring trading culture. They clash with another space-faring human society called the “Emergents” (the baddies in this case) while trying to explore the developing alien Spider society. The Emergents pulled a fast one on the Qeng Hos, became top dog and subjugated the Qeng Hos.

The Emergents has a tyrannical ruling class that exploits its own people by turning some of them into specialised, but not mindless, network-slaves. Some of their own people and the vanquished Qeng Ho are subject to something called “Focus”. It’s like deliberating making a person compulsively-obsessed over an area of study or task (e.g. Linguistics, or Office Security). Each human becoming dedicated human computing processors. Of course the Qeng Hos kicked-ass in the end. The interesting and exciting part was how they did it.

Meanwhile, the Spider society is also engaged in a war. The Spiders are portrayed as very human in thinking and emotions. The interesting thing is that every 50 years or so, their Sun would turn cold, and all Spiders have to hibernate. They wake maybe 10 years later, develop for another 50, and then the cycle repeats itself. The Emergents basically want to dominate Spider society as well.

So there’s something happening in space, and on Spider-world. The finale draws it all together. The novel can certainly give any Hong Kong drama serial a run for the money. There is adventure, political intrigue, conspiracy, love-lost and found, the virtue of patience, the development of capitalism, victims to heroes, tyranny, triumph of good over evil, justice and retribution. It’s a feel-good story.

I found it fascinating how a technologically advanced species could manipulate the development of another alien culture. For instance, along the way, the evil Emergents sped up the development of the Spider society by setting up a software company that subsequently made itself pervasive in the Spider society’s computer networks (sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Is Bill Gates an alien?). The Emergents even started a nuclear war by making one of the Spider-nation think that the other side initiated an attack (they were fooled because their computers told them so). It was food for thought on our reliance on computers and the Internet. Information can be manipulated. Our identities are real only if there’s some record in the computer database.

That’s why I read Sci-Fi again and again. It’s not about the science. It’s about the ideas and dreams, about social interactions and change and possibilities. I often find that well written Sci-Fi stories add to my understanding of human behaviour and the development of society. Deepness in the Sky--like many good Sci-Fi stories--is fiction, but it’s not science per se. It has to tell a good story, first. The science just adds to the flavour.

A short reading list for managers: On Management, Leadership, Life and Sci-Fi(?!)

2004-08-18T03:05:00.000+08:00

I'm attending a course on "Managing Libraries" (it’s the 2nd day of the course as I post this), organised by the National Library Board Institute. Like all courses, if I go with an open mind, I find there are always things to learn.

The course jogged my memory of useful learning points I've learnt through the last 2 years in managing two libraries (concurrently). I was able to add another 10 additional points to my list of "Things I've learnt over the years in managing and leading a team" (this is still Work-in-progress. Who knows, I might publish a book later).

Anyway, during the discussions, it occurred to me that I should share some books that I've found really useful to me. The following books (by no means exhaustive) have helped me cope with the pressures of managing a library, and working with (and for) people in general:

(In no particular order)

Becoming a manager: How new managers master the challenges of leadership/ Linda A. hill
Managing at the speed of change: How resilient managers succeed and prosper where others fail/ Daryl R. Conner
The age of unreason/ Charles Handy
Not bosses but leaders: How to lead the way to success/ John Adair
The power of losing control: Finding strength, meaning, & happiness in an out-of-control world/ Joe Caruso
Don't sweat the small stuff...: Simple ways to keep the little things from taking over your life/ Richard Carlson
Ten ancient scrolls of success/ Og Mandino
Citizen Soldiers/ Stephen E. Ambrose
Panzer commander: The memoirs of Colonel Hans/ Hans Von Luck
Deepness in the sky/ Vernor Vinge

I repeat--the list is by no means exhaustive, as I tried to keep to only 10 titles. It occurred to me that I read perhaps 3 or 4 main types of books where managing and leadership is concerned.

The first type has to do with what I call “Management & Leadership: Practice & Ideas” (items 1 to 4). Item 3 has lots of ideas on what it means to “manage” for the future (it’s written in the 80s and still as relevant as ever). I would consider item 4 a must-read for all managers.

The second type has to do with “Motivation and Inspiration” (items 5 to 7). I highly recommend item 5, because it really helped me reframe what “control” really meant. I also highly recommend item 6 & 7 because they helped me to reframe and were very inspiring. They don’t espouse loud or flashy concepts. I’ve found that they suggest simple and quiet truths about how I can live my life as a better person (before I can even consider being a better manager).

The third type (item 8 & 9) would be about “Life-and-death Do-Or-Die Leadership-Under-Fire” kind of books. Ok, lest you think I treat staff as mere soldiers to command in the Library Battlefield, I must explain that I recommend those books not for the War aspect but for the parts about Leadership, Unity and “Courage under fire”--war is where you really separate the "leaders" from the "managers". I find them relevant for another more subtle reason: the management and organisational theories that we find so familiar today have been directly or indirectly influenced by those survivors of WWII--the grunts and officers who went on to build Corporate America, Britain, Japan etc.

The last type (item 10)—ok, this would really be strange. A science fiction book considered as relevant reading? Ok, Sci-Fi may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But to me, Sci-Fi is about social change, ideas and human relationships. It just happens to be in a science setting. I get my creative juices flowing by reading Sci-Fi, plus it’s a good way to relax.

The Cluetrain manifesto: The end of business as usual

2004-08-10T23:05:00.000+08:00

By Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, & David Weinberger.

I read the 2000 edition and it's still as relevant as ever. (Thanks, Shel, for the book recommendation). This is a witty and flippant book that takes a dig at Big Business. It makes sense in many ways.

Amazon.com provides a decent review. Better yet, check out the book from your library or read the online version at http://www.cluetrain.com/

I’ve included my favourite quotes from the book in this blog (in colour & bold). The page numbers refer to the book edition that I’m holding. Hyperlinks are to the online book chapters.

There’s a new conversation between and among your market and your workers. It’s making them smarter and it’s enabling them to discover their human voices. You have two choices. You can continue to lock yourself behind facile corporate words and happytalk brochures. Or you can join the conversation. (p. ixi - Foreword)

What if the real attraction of the Internet is not its cutting-edge bells and whistles, its jazzy interface or any of the advanced technology that underlies its pipes and wires? What if the attraction is an atavistic throwback to the prehistoric human fascination with telling tales? (p. xxi – Introduction)

I buy the argument that the Internet is popular because it allows each individual (read that again – A PERSON, me, you) to have a presence. To rediscover our voice again. The authors make a convincing case (to me at least) that markets of today are all about relationship-building. Customers don’t just want buy a product. They want a voice; to be heard; especially if the product or service falls below their expectations.

Singapore’s best example of how this is happening is probably the Yahoo! Ministry of Complaints. Companies can continue to ignore the complaints (justified or otherwise) posted there at their peril. I mean, no matter how objective I am, I’d probably think that there’s some truth to the complaint about XYZ outlet (or GASP! No! The Library!)

The implication for PR and marketing communications: Join the conversations. Recent example – Microsoft's Channel 9, as I learnt from Shel’s blog The Changing Face of Microsoft. Regardless of whether we love or hate Microsoft, the point is when King Kong jumps, you’d want to see where it lands. Here's another example of how the Web (or blog) is used to engage the customer in conversations - see Robert Scoble's blog.

The concern by organisations (particularly government agencies like NLB) can be summed up by this line in Chapter 4 (p. 107) – But what about the risk? Suppose a “lowly clerk” speaks for the company in public and says something wrong? Something actionable? Something confidential, or sensitive?

The authors’ response: It’s going to happen. It’s already happening. And it’s always happened. The mail clerk describes the corporate strategy to the stranger next to him on the bus, then provide a critique.

It’s true that it's already happening. How many of us can truly say we do not say anything about our work (positive or negative) to our family or friends? And then they would talk to more people. Heaven forbid, that friend of yours could end up talking to a Singapore Cabbie, who might talk to an overseas visitor on the way to the Airport!

Let me stick to what I know more – Libraries (which isn't a lot, BTW). I'm of the view that as technology makes things a whole lot easier for the individual consumer to obtain information without the librarian as the human intermediary, it’s the human Voice (not necessarily Touch) that will make the difference between the individual choosing Borders over a trip to the public library.

See Chapter 5 (p. 123): Business is a conversation because the defining work of a business is a conversation—literally. And “knowledge workers” are simply those whose job consists of having interesting conversations.

Most librarians I know are very passionate people. We can take heart that:
To have a conversation, you have to be comfortable being human—acknowledging you don’t have all the answers, being eager to learn from someone else and to build new ideas together. (p. 123)

That sounds like what relationship-building is about. I can imagine a future where NLB's Customer Service courses for library staff would not just be limited to the finer art of face-to-face dealings with irate customers. It would also teach staff how to 'insert' themselves into a conversation, knowing how NOT TO BE AFRAID in saying that “Oops, I got that wrong but don’t worry Angry_Angel_481, I’ll quickly get back to you on that.”

The official structure becomes less relevant. The most valuable employee is the one who, in response to a question, doesn’t give a concrete answer in a booming voice but says, “You should talk to Larry… Oh, and there’s a mailing list on this topic I ran into a couple of weeks ago…” (p. 129)

The above statement could be a little hard to accept -- it seems that we're asking librarians to “dumb-down” their answers. We librarians pride ourselves in giving correct and complete answers in the shortest time possible. The above example suggests a lowering of our standards and professionalism.

But I could argue otherwise.

The world has changed. Information is even more readily available to customers than before. The “answers” that librarians pride themselves in giving are readily accessible by any child. Heck, librarians even prefer Google—I’m not saying Google is the answer to everything, but who are we kidding? Google (or it’s next reincarnation or successor) is treated as the default search engine, even for librarians for a simple fact that it works adequately. I didn’t say it’s the best, but users don’t necessarily need the BEST. They can survive with adequacy.

Basically I’m making a case that the typical information-seeker don’t think that they need Librarians anymore. And what they think, counts. But here’s what I see as a paradox — the Web enables individual consumers to be independent. However, the less reliant they are on human contact, the more they actually will crave for it.

That being said, the presence that librarians project can no longer be the “Thou knoweth more than you-eth” attitude. To connect with our average information-customer, we need to show them that we’re as human as they are; as fallible, and there’s nothing to be fear from us.

I don’t see NLB scrambling to adopt the Cluetrain Manifesto. I’m even hesitant to go all out and say all employees are now allowed to comment on the organisation’s behalf. It’s tricky. I think we have to reach a halfway point. Not all employees should go and give the "official" voice. We should instead establish an organizational culture that each employee is given enough information to be able to know what is the right thing to say (not necessarily the official line).

The urge to manage is deep in our culture. It ultimately is defeated by the fact of human fallibility (p. 152)

To paraphrase a line from p. 153: The organisation doesn’t have to be always right. It means being more human, and therefore less threatening.

Just when I’m all gushy over the book, I get a slap in the face (figuratively speaking) in Chapter 7 (p. 181): Will Cluetrain be the next big thing? Not if we can help it… Let’s not start another frickin’ club. The only decent thing to do with CLUETRAIN is to bury the sucker now while there’s still time, before it begins to smell of management philosophy.

And there we have it -- the inherent dilemma of any good idea: Once institutionalized, it tends to sink. This book provided lots of food for thought.
~~~~~~~~~
(Related blog - Differentiating the Public Service Librarian - 24 Sept 04)
~~~~~~~~~

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An inquiry into values/ Robert M. Pirsig

2004-07-30T22:37:00.000+08:00

A fellow Seeds O'Light member mentioned this book in one of the email discussion. The title made me curious (I mean, Zen and Motorcycles?) so I quickly obtained a copy from my public library.

I found it to be about attitudes towards life. It weaves a story of a father's journey with his son on a motorcycle trip, ending in a re-awakening and discovery of the author’s real sense of self.
First published in 1974, the book is Philosophy explained using the analogy of motorcycle repair and maintenance, interspersed with a series of "lecture-essays" - Chautauqua (explanation on p.15: a form of traveling tent-show in early America).

It's quietly brilliant - I'd honestly say it's a timeless classic. Thoughtful, metaphysical (a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of existence, truth and knowledge), movie-like quality, reflective, and insightful.

But it's not an easy read. Parts of it are heavy going. But hey, skip the tough parts and go to parts you like - but stay the course! The ending is worth it. There's a feel-good quality to it.

The 25th edition that I'm holding has a Reader's Guide at the end. I particularly enjoyed the excerpts of correspondence between Robert Pirsig and his editor, James Landis. The letters are a mini-story by themselves, telling you how the book was shaped and eventually published (from June 1968 – Aug 1973).

In the Afterword section, Pirsig shares more about the writing of the book. He also tells of the murder of his son and his eventual closure (p.415 – p.418), much like the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, explained from another perspective.

My favourite passages:
P.61: The idea that people get upset because it's an intrusion into their reality. "It just blew a hole right through his whole groovy way of looking at things and he would not face up to it because it seems to threaten his whole life style." I think that's why people resist change and/ or get upset when proven wrong, or told of what to do etc.

p.152: "You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow... When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it's always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt." Hmm...

p.272: What I'd consider as the best advice any parent can give to their child.
Son: "What should I be when I grow up?"
Man: "Honest".
Son: "I mean what kind of job?"
Man: "Any kind."
And I think to myself, it's really just as simple as that.

p. 314 (on the "Trap of Ego"): "If you have a high evaluation of yourself then your ability to recognize new facts is weakened. Your Ego isolates you from the Quality reality. When the facts show that you've just goofed, you're not as likely to admit it. When false information makes you look good, you're likely to believe it... You're always fooled, you're always making mistakes..." - Sounds exactly like the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes"

There's a related discussion forum - http://www.moq.org/

If you enjoy this book, you might like Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder (1995):

So many books, so little time: A year of passionate reading/ Sara Nelson

2004-07-29T01:01:00.000+08:00

An interesting account of the author's reading interests. She shares her thoughts about the books she'd read, her motivation to read, her personal history, about her family and friends, her relationships with them (read about her fight with her husband in the "June 22" Chapter), her associated memories and feelings that each book elicits, why she reads what she reads.

Tone is conversational; as if you and the author are having a cuppa while she's regaling you with her account of a year's worth of readings (she didn't read them all though, which gives hopes to those of you who think reading is about completing all the books you want to read). Certain chapters are witty, while some simple rambles.

There are snippets of book reviews interspersed through various chapters. From another angle, it's less of a book review but a travelogue of her literary journey.

I liked the July 20: Reading Confidential chapter (p.134). She comments on Anthony Bourdain, and I could relate to the chapter bec. I've watched Bourdain's "A Cook's Tour" on cable.

The September 11: Oh, God chapter(p.153): She shares her thoughts about the anniversary of the attack by relating it with books. Chapter kind of rambles, really, but it kind of works in the end.

Chapter on p. 159, September 18: Kid Stuff: Liked this one bec. she talks about one of my favourite children's book - Charlotte's Web. *sniff*. This chapter is typical of Nelson's book - it's not about the book "Charlotte's Web" per se, but the linkages and associations with the book, e.g. memory of reading with her parents, her relationship with her child explained by relating her account of how she was trying to get her child to read Charlotte's Web, her son's transformation from a reluctant reader to an interested reader. Ending brought me a smile. Kids always say the darndest thing.

Overall impression:

This book reads like a blog!
Something like "Bridget Jone's Diary" meets the "Library Journal" book reviews.
Good for a quick read and scan. chapters are short enough. No compunction to read the book in its entirety.
It's personal, direct, gossipy, philosophical, intimate, rambling, conversational, self-depreciating, contemplative.

Prudes, don't read chapters Sept 25: Sex and the City (p.167) and Oct 2: Sex and the City - across the pond (p. 174). (Aha! I bet now you're interested). As an experiment, I tried to search the NLB catalogue for the books mentioned in the chapters. Guess how many I found :)

Favourite lines from the book:
"... not only were books cheaper than movies and easier to find than suitable human dates, they could take me with them to fabulous places." (p.5)

"Part of the appeal o books, of course, is that they're the cheapest and easiest way to transport you from the world you know into one you don't... Reading's ability to beam you up to a different world is a good part of the reason people like me do it in the first place - because dollar for dollar, hour per hour, it's the most expedient way to get from our proscribed little "here" to an imagined, intriguing "there". Part time machine, part Concord, part ejector seat, books are our salvation." (p.12)

"Allowing yourself to stop reading a book--at page 15, 50, or even, less frequently, a few chapters from the end--is a rite of passage in a reader's life... the moment at which you can look at yourself and announce: Today I am an adult. I can make my own decisions." (p.55)

The copy I'm holding is the 2003 edition by G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York).
Subject headings:
(1) Books and reading--United States.
(2) Nelson, Sara--Books and reading
NLB call No. 028.90973 NEL

Isaac Asimov - Robots, Foundation & Jokes

2004-07-25T22:01:00.000+08:00

Mention 'Asimov' and I think of Robots, Foundation & Jokes. Lest you think I meant "Robots are the Foundation of all jokes", let me explain:

I discovered Asimov as a 14 year-old. Whenever I visited the library then, my routine was to rove the Fiction shelves labeled ASI. Much later, I discovered that he wrote non-fiction as well. Along the way, I also learnt he wrote Fantastic Voyage (an adventure involving miniaturised humans sent into a live human body).

I'm aware of three screen adaptations of Asimov's books - the first was 'Fantastic Voyage', which I watched as a child years ago (except that I didn't know it was called 'Fantastic Voyage'). The second was 'Bicentennial Man' (starring Robin Williams) and the latest 'I, Robot' (starring Will Smith).

Screen adaptations are never as good as the original stories in books (I thought LOTR was the exception but alas!). The disappointment stemmed from having read the book before watching the movie. Naturally I was not happy with 'Bicentennial Man' and 'I, Robot' (this one, I only caught the trailer and disliked it instantly).

'Fantastic Voyage', on the other hand, was a different experience. I remembered watching the movie on TV when I was very young and only realised who the author was only much later. So when I read the book after the movie, the whole experience was much more enjoyable. Gee, could this explain why people are not reading as much nowadays?

American movies & books tend to have anti-robot themes & espouse robot-paranoia, while the Japanese have just the opposite views. Many years ago, I'd watched a TV documentary explaining that post-WWII Japan had to turn towards automation and robotics to meet productivity requirements. Recognising people's aversion to robots, the Japanese cleverly embarked on an ingenious PR campaign - namely, comics (Manga) and animation (Anime).

They portrayed robots and automation more as tools and complementary - even heroic - machines rather than potential usurpers of humanity. This made robots more acceptable to the masses. Even when later versions of Anime had robot-awakening themes (like Ghost in the shell), the robots were less destructive to human society than presented in American storylines (e.g. opening episodes of The Animatrix). In Japanese stories, if anyone or anything is to blame, it's humans.

The recent 'I, Robot' movie sparked off my early memories of Asimov's books. Here are some Asimov titles that I remember reading in my youth. Perhaps it'll explain the significance of the three points I mentioned earlier in the post.

ROBOTS, FOUNDATION & JOKES - A SELECTED READING LIST
(or BOOKS I REMEMBER FROM MY YOUTH)
===========================================

Robots

Robot visions (1996)
The robots of dawn (1994)
Isaac Asimov's The ultimate robot (1993)
The positronic man (1993) - [This, I believe this was my very first introduction to the "Three Laws of Robotics". It was probably one of those books that sealed my interest in Sci-Fi. The appeal of the 3 Laws was in its logic, which I thought was extremely well thought out]
The caves of steel (1991)
Robot dreams (1988)
The robots of dawn (1984)
The bicentennial man (1978) - [One of the early Asimov book I read. The subsequent movie just did not do the book justice. This book made me question the whole idea of 'sentience' and what it meant to be human]
I, robot (1967)
The naked sun (1958)

Other science fiction

Gold: The final science fiction collection (1995)
Pebble in the sky (1992)
Nightfall (1991)
Foundation (1991) - [I didn't read the entire 'Foundation' series. Was intrigued by the notion of 'Psycho-history' - I understand it to be a system of mathematically charting the progress of human history and anticipating the probability of certain future outcomes. Which meant that one could take certain actions in the present to influence future outcomes with some degree of certainty. No wonder Sci-Fi appealed to me!]
The Mammoth book of classic science fiction (1988)
Fantastic voyage (1979) - [When I saw the screen version, I was much too young to understand what it was about, other than some story of people inside a human body. Later, I discovered it was Asimov and the book made much more sense]
The 13 crimes of science fiction (1979)

Fiction

The Union Club mysteries (1983)
The best of Isaac Asimov : 1954-1972 (1977)

Non-Fiction

I. Asimov: A memoir (1995)
Isaac Asimov's book of facts (1992)
Isaac Asimov's treasury of humor: A lifetime collection of favorite jokes, anecdotes, and limericks with copious notes on how to tell them and why (1991) - [You'll better appreciate Asimov after reading this. Hence, the reason why I thought of 'Jokes' when I think of Asimov]

More on Isaac Asimov
I'm not aware of any "official" Asimov websites, but these are quite informative:

For NLB members, try searching the online catalogue using the following keywords & phrases:

"asimov" - works by or about Asimov. Includes fiction and non-fiction, as well as translations to Chinese and Malay.
"foundation asimov" - for the Foundation series

New links added to 'My Singapore' section

2004-07-24T01:16:00.000+08:00

Two new links to the "My Singapore" section of this blog, namely the Yahoo! Message Board on Books, Comics & Magazines and the SG govt Feedback Unit.

I should explain that this section is to show both the good and bad/ ugly side of Singaporeans (or about Singapore and Singaporeans).

My grouse about the Yahoo 'Books, Comics & Magazines' message board is the lack of book discussions on the board. Seems that Singaporeans are more fond of selling stuff than talking about stuff. If you've been to the message board, you might have guessed that "Write_in_anger" is me.

Magazines: Sci-Fi & Fantasy

2004-07-18T23:15:00.000+08:00

These are the 3 magazines that I like, where Science Fiction and/or Fantasy genres are concerned. By "magazines", I mean there's stories and stuff, not entertainment news. Actually, they're pretty much it for SciFi and Fantasy serials - at least in NLB public libraries. Not many of such magazines around.

The magazines are great companions when going on long trips (like on a plane). The stories are short enough so that you don't get bored with just one story; they are compact in size; they don't just contain stories - all 3 magazines have reviews (of new writers, books, websites) which is a great source of further reading list for Sci Fi/ Fantasy fans.

Asimov's Science Fiction - I'd recommend this for readers who like the Year's Best SciFi series and/ or the Mammoth book of Science Fiction series. Stories from Asimov's frequently make it to those series, but it could be that Gardner Dozois was the editor in all three (Dozois stepped down recently though). I can't quite say why I prefer stories from Asimovs than Analog... the stories in 'tend to be more contemplative perhaps.
Website - www.asimovs.com
They have a searchable index of everything that has appeared in Asimov's.

Analog Science Fiction & Fact - I love the thought-provoking editorials by Stanley Schmidt. On the whole, the "flavour" of Analog is different from Asimov's, even though they have SciFi stories. It has regular columns on science facts - speculative but rooted in real cutting-edge science - on topics like Space Exploration, Nuclear Science, Bio-tech, Nano-tech etc.
Website - www.analogsf.com
They also have a searchable index.

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction - From the website:
... founded in 1949, is the award-winning SF magazine which is the original publisher of SF classics like Stephen King's Dark Tower, Daniel Keyes's Flowers for Algernon, and Walter M. Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz. BTW, read "Flowers for Algernon" if you have not done so.
As implied from the title, the stories are more skewed towards Fantasy. Its SciFi stories are perhaps less of the 'Hard Science' type compared with, say, Analog.
Website - www.sfsite.com

Comic - Maus a Survivors Tale: My Father Bleeds History/ Art Spiegelman

2004-07-17T21:40:00.000+08:00

I chanced upon Maus while serendipitously looking over the graphic novel section at the Teens Library at Jurong Regional Library. The cover sports a prominent Nazi Party swastika with a stylised cathead, poised above two mice cowering under the glare of a spotlight.

It's a Holocaust survivor's tale as told by the artist’s father to him. The Nazis were the cats, while the persecuted Jews were the mice (I suppose "Maus" was German for 'mouse'). The story reminded me of this installation piece at the Singapore Art Museum years ago. It was a lot of canvas paintings of lambs' heads, and all spread out upright on the floor, much like a flock of sheep. The museum guide explained that artist was expressing his frustration at how the Jews could have let themselves be led like lambs to the slaughterhouse by the Nazis.

Reading 'Maus', with its analogy of the Cat and Mouse game, again makes me question how one human being could let themselves be led to the gallows by another. In the story, apparently the Jews knew that people were being gassed in Auschwitz, but they still let themselves be led there, perhaps in a state of denial.

The scary thing is that it's quite possible (I'm sure there are books and articles on social dynamics that would explain how it's possible). It's even scarier when you read that there are people who deny that the Holocaust ever occurred.

The graphics are in black & white, which gives it a more surreal feel. The story is told like a docu-drama. There is a second part to the story, which I haven't gotten my hands on it yet. Check it out at NLB online catalogue.

Books read in 2003 (May - Dec)

2004-07-16T11:40:00.000+08:00

First posted: 14 Jul 04 /
Re-posted: 16 Jul 04
It was only after May'03 that I recorded what I read. Why not earlier? 'Cos I finally got off my procrastinating butt by then. Items in blue or hyperlinked denotes my personal favourites. Words in [ ] parenthesis & italics are my own. All items were borrowed from the public library.

May03
1. Lost soldiers/ James Webb [Read Fields of Fire - a damn fine story on the realities of war vis-a-vis the Vietnam War.]
2. world's great rifles/ roger ford
3. palm for dummies/ bill dyszel
4. palm computing for dummies/ bill dyszel
5. creating the innovation culture/ frances horibe
6. analog scifi & fact/ may2003
7. me times three/ alex witchel
8. Why Don't You Have Kids?: Living a Full Life Without Parenthood/ leslie lafayette [Even I was surprised that the library had such a book, considering that Singapore is trying to encourage people to give birth. Goes to show you the value of the library!]
9. analog scifi & fact/ mar 2003
10. analog scifi & fact/ apr 2003

JUNE 03
1. Why is everyone so cranky? The ten trends that are making us angry & how we can find peace of mind instead/ C. Leslie Charles
2. Checklist of library building design considerations/ William W. Sannwald
3. Patton on Leadership: strategic lessons for corporate warfare/ alan axelrod
4. the way of the leader/ donald g. Krause
5. Leading change/ john p. Kotter
6. Gentleman Jim: the wartime story of a founder of the SAS & special forces/ lorna almonds windmill
7. Future wealth/ stan davis & christopher meyer
8. The Wizard of Quarks: A Fantasy of Particle Physics/ robert gilmore
9. Slacks and Calluses: Our Summer in a Bomber Factory/ constance bowman & clara marie allen
10. Prelude to Leadership: The European Diary of John F. Kennedy - Summer 1945/ intro by Hugh Sidey

JULY 03
1. the ballad of the sad cafe/ Carson McCullers
2. The Mahathir Legacy: A Nation Divided, a Region at Risk/ ian steward
3. Socrates: a very short lntroduction/ C. C. W. taylor
4. Aristotle: a very short lntroduction/ jonathan barnes
5. Night Watch/ terry pratchett [One of the funniest in the 'night-watch' series, IMHO. In fact, this one could even be classified as Sci-Fi/ Fantasy, 'cos time travel is involved]
6. Conspiracies & cover-ups/ david alexander
7. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson/ louise rennison [A teens read; highly entertaining even for adults]
8. A Storm of Swords part2: Blood & gold (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3)/ george r.r. martin
9. It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers!: Further Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (Angus)/ louise rennison

AUG 03
1. Analog (may03)
2. Analog (jul/aug03)
3. knocked out by my nunga-nungas: further, further confessions of georgia nicolson/ louise rennison
4. Dancing in my nuddy-pants: more confessions of georgia nicolson/ louise rennison [There can be too much of a good thing]
5. The Lovely Bones/ alice sebold [I forgot how great this book was til I read the review again. It's a bit out of this world, like Sci-Fi/ Fantasy, but very REAL at the same time.]
6. The Secret Life of Bees/ sue monk kidd [One of those rare books that is intelligent, touching and extremely moving. It brought tears to my eyes, seriously.]
7. Atonement/ian McEwan
8. Not not while the giro/james kelman
9. the Stargate conspiracy/lynn picknett & clive prince
10. Management challenges for the 21st century/peter f. Drucker
11. Who moved my cheese/dr spencer johnson
12. The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from Ideo, America's Leading Design Firm/ Tom kelley

SEPT 03
1. the buffalo soldier/ chris bohjalian
2. Bukit merah: from a hilly kampong to a modern town
3. the jossey-bass guide to strategic communications for nonprofits/ kathy bonk, henry griggs, emily tynes
4. The bear & the dragon/ tom clancy
5. What Makes You Tick?: The Brain in Plain English/thomas b. czerner, M.D.
6. The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization/ thomas friedman [Probably THE book to read to get an understanding of the Globalisation phenomenon]
7. S'pore's foreign policy: coping with vulnerability/ michael leifer
8. Strategies of s'pore's economic success: speeches & writings by hon sui sen
9. all the right moves: a guide to crafting breakthrough strategy/ constantinos c. markides

OCT 03
1. Future Wars/ edited by martin h. Greenberg & larry segriff [If you are into Military Sci-Fi]
2. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers/ mary roach [Funny, witty, informative. A page-turner. No wonder it was on Amazon's bestseller list.]
3. Fengshui & destiny for managers/ raymond lo
4. The dirty dozen: the world's greatest financial disasters & frauds/ margaret allen
5. mammoth bk of best new SF 14/ gardner dozois (ed) [The 'BEST OF' series is always a fav. of mine; Dozois is my fav. Sci-Fi editor]
6. Courage is contagious/john kasich
7. Simpsons comics royale
8. Helping the difficult library patron: new approaches to examining and resolving a long-standing and ongoing problem/ Kwasi Sarkodie-Mensah (ed)
9. War and American women: heroism, deeds, and controversy/ william b. breuer
10. knights in white amour: the new art of war and peace/ christopher bellamy

NOV 03
1. Rushing to paradise/ j. g. Ballard
2. Scarlet memorial: Tales of cannibalism in modern china/ Zheng Yi
3. The Wit and Wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt/ Alex Ayres (ed.)
4. Future Shock/ alvin toffner
5. Tis: A Memoir/ frank McCourt [By the guy who wrote 'Angela's Ashes']
6. Panzer Commander: The Memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck/ hans von luck
7. A Blood-Dimmed Tide: The Battle of the Bulge by the Men Who Fought It/ gerald astor

DEC 03
1. analog scifi & fact/ sept 2003
2. analog scifi & fact/ oct 2003
3. analog scifi & fact/ dec 2003
4. Asimov's science fiction/Oct. Nov03

Software - Call of Duty (Activision)

2004-07-16T02:06:00.000+08:00

Answer the Call of Duty! A first-person shooter game based on the exploits of the WWII Allied forces (US, Brit, Russian) in the European Theater of Operations. If you thought Medal of Honor was good, man this is better.

Best part of the US storyline was the assault and subsequent defense of the town against German counter-attacks, and the clearing of german trenches ala Band of Brothers style. No Normandy Beach landings though (I guess they didn't want to duplicate Medal of Honor).

The British episode - I liked the capture and defense of Pegasus Bridge; experienced a crash landing in a Horsa gilder (so that's how it looked like!). But I felt this was the most tedious storyline of all.

The Russian storyline was reminiscence of the movie Enemy at the Gate, where Judd Law played a Russian sniper. I liked the Russian storyline. The assault to break into Lenigrad was just so real - I can better appreciate how some people just go comatose in combat.

The graphics are superb - guys who'd served in NS would really appreciate it. You really get to experience the chaos of war - enemies shooting back; you're so numb and busy looking after your own ass; and you realise you basically get killed (many times over) if this was the real thing. War sucks.

I've never fought in combat. I know that war is hell etc. But still I just can't help it. The pea-brained and chest-thumping part of me just enjoy playing such games. But beyond that, there's actually a positive side to playing the game. It made me better appreciate stuff I read in books like Citizen Soldiers and Band of Brothers (both by Stephan E. Ambrose), The Forgotten Soldier (Guy Sajer), just to name a few WWII themed books.

Comic Review - The Compleat Moonshadow

2004-07-15T22:51:00.000+08:00

[Contributed by fellow Liblogarian, GahGah.]
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Gist: Boy Moonshadow, the protagonist, is a bastard from the coupling of Sunflower, a hippy flowerchild with one grinning blob of alien light bubble - a G'L Dose. Moonshadow was born and grew up in a galaxial zoo till his father booted him off on a journey accompanied by Sunflower, the moth eaten cat Frodo and the lecherous farting fur shitball Ira (hmm.. IRA - Inland Revenue...)

Genre: Science fiction, Fantasy, Adult fairytale. No superheros wearing underwear on the outside. Each issue begins with the aged Moonshadow writing with a quill pen.

What's haunting: Adult fairytale. Lyrical William Blake, Byron, Keats and Shelley poetic stuff, Spectacular illustrations in Watercolors by Jon Muth.

Keywords: Coming of Age, Death, Drugs, Insanity, Justice, Nudity, Peace, Romance, Sex, War. In short, all about life's journey.

By the way, Jon Muth has written kids stuff e.g. "Stone Soup" and illustrated several other kids books. He also illustrated for Batman's Dark Secret and The Crow (made into a film). JM Dematties, author of Moonshadow, writes for many DC comics such as The Defenders, Cap America, Batman, Superman etc.

[BTW, GahGah is now the proud owner of "The Compleat Moonshadow" comic series. ]

What this blog isn't

2004-07-13T23:03:00.000+08:00

This blog isn't about writing book reviews. As the name implies, it's RAW notes, i.e. unpolished, unfiltered, written-under-no-pressure. For book reviews, you might want to refer to the following instead:
<> Indiana University
<> St. Cloud State University
<> Queen's University Library
<> Dalhousie University Libraries
<> College of Staten Island Library

Incidentally - Difference between Book Reports and Book Reviews

Strange though - I can't seem to find any Singapore pages on how to write book reviews (in stark constrast to overseas libraries and academic institutions). I've just suggested to my colleagues that NLB ought to have something at the very least.