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| Bum Bags and Fanny Packs
By Jeremy Smith
Did you know that the term "billion" can mean different things when used in the United States and Great Britain?
Or that the word "bedlam", meaning mayhem, came from the world's first insane asylum in London? Or that if someone calls the wine you bring to a dinner "party plonk", it means the bottle is really cheap?
Say hello to Bum Bags and Fanny Packs, a British-American, American-British dictionary that serves as both an informal reference and a good snarky read.
Originating from an online document where readers outlined the differences between American and British culture and their idioms, Bum Bags and Fanny Packs saw the light of day when the author convinced a publisher "that it was a real book".
Half of the book is a dictionary of terms, but the other half is an interesting look at history, usage and differences that exist in everything from geography to curse words to telling time.
Then there are lists of words that are spelled differently, tables of public holidays in Britain and the US, the different measures and their equivalents in each culture... the list goes on.
Bum Bags and Fanny Packs is an interesting tongue-in-cheek look at differences across the Atlantic, as well as a handy reference for tourists in either country. - David Chew, TODAY
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| The Tent
By Margaret Atwood
The Tent is a collection of stories, some whimsical, some incisive and some plain strange.
Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood's writing is here clear, concise and almost brutal. The prose and poetry seem to offer a glimpse into the mind of the prolific Canadian writer who gave us, among her latest works, sci-fi cautionary tale Oryx and Crake and a retelling of the Odyssey through the eyes of the hero' wife, The Penelopiad.
Perhaps the most revealing story in the collection is The Tent - a tale about a person who hides in a paper tent while monsters prowl outside. Convinced that only writing will save him/her, the person writes until the very light that he/she sees by ignites the tent itself.
The stories are witty and even caustic in humour and tone. Atwood seems to be taking stock of her past works while dispensing insights and observations to her readers. A great read. - Lorraine Lim, TODAY
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Kitchen Confidential
By
Anthony Bourdain
Work Your Appetite The Bourdain Way
'Cooks Rule' wrote the endearing Anthony Bourdain as he signed my husband's copy of 'Kitchen Confidential.' That's something my husband would totally agree, he's ever willing to cook up a storm in a kitchen (much to my dismay) and when 'Kitchen Confidential' was out he felt he'd met a soul-mate. After all the goings on in a real kitchen couldn't compete with even half the mess I had to clear up in our modest kitchen.
Now, if you ever thought great looking and tasting food, steps right out of a super clean kitchen you are bound to get a whole new perspective to food. That's because veteran chef, columnist and food lover Anthony Bourdain who has been there and seen it all, has more than a few surprises in this hard-hitting but immensely readable Kitchen Confidential. But before you get going on it, let me warn you that it certainly isn't for the faint-hearted.
Bourdain, the writer, just like his television persona doesn't for a moment believe in going easy on gritty details. He is an excellent story-teller, unapologetically opioninated and obscenely eloquent.
Not that you have been warned, here's what the chef de cuisine of the celebrated Brasserie Les Halles in New York can offer you - a frank confessional of cooks and restaurateurs. His caveat is clear: "There will be horror stories....But I'm simply not going to deceive anybody about the life as I've seen it." And with that the book unravels at tremendous speed and soon falls into the category of unputdownable. You can read all about the whole Bourdain take on chef's training, personalities, food preparation, cooks' lifestyles, his own history and the art of running a successful restaurant.
It is a story straight from the gut, one that makes absolutely no effort to make it to the bestsellers list. At the start, you might well have second thoughts about wanting to dine out again, but then he begins to tell all about the other side of the story by describing the kitchen of chef Scott Bryan at Veritas, an upscale restaurant down the street from Les Halles. It is here that the 'tell all' book turns into a more sombre and serious exercise.
While most of us might be left with insights like never to settle for fish while dining out on a Monday, the rest of us might just want to choose our restaurants more carefully.
Not that its all fun and no work, here's a serious bit of advice: "Working clean, constantly wiping and cleaning, is a desirable state of affairs for the conscientious cook. That chef was right: messy station equals messy mind. This explains why side-towels are hoarded like gold by good line cooks."
And here's the Bourdain take on why it pays to look at your waiter's face: "He knows. It's another reason to be polite to your waiter: he could save your life with a raised eyebrow or a sigh. If he likes you, maybe he'll stop you from ordering a piece of fish he knows is going to hurt you. On the other hand, maybe the chef has ordered him, under the pain of death, to move that codfish before it begins to really reek. Observe the body language and take note."
Take it all in the right spirit and this could turn out to be more than just another fun read. - Deepika Shetty, Producer, Prime Time Morning
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The Real History Behind The Da Vinci Code
By
Sharon Newman
Another book joining The Da Vinci Code spinoff genre, The Real History Behind The Da Vinci Code, allows readers to delve into the mystery - or myth - behind the search for the Holy Grail.
The book starts with an interesting nugget on Dan Brown's word-play behind the name "Aringarosa, Manuel" - the Spanish Opus Dei bishop in his bestseller that means "red herring" in Italian, just like his role in the plot. Juicy essays by Newman on subjects such as her take on the Holy Grail, build up the book for an excellent read.
An award-winning novelist and medieval scholar herself, Newman's book gives compact and clear answers that will leave Da Vinci Code aficionados well-armed for that next debate on how much of Brown's book is based on fact. - Tor Ching Li, TODAY
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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
By
Jonathan Safran Foer
After the death of his father on 911, nine-year-old Oskar Schell finds a key in a blue vase in his father's wardrobe and sets off to find the lock. Armed with only a single clue and impossible odds, he starts out on a journey that will take him all over New York.
Foer crafts a novel about the irrationality of human beings when they are ruled by their emotions. Never heavy-handed, he does not shy away from the issues of sudden death or the search for redemption in survivors.
The author's gift is the ability to convey moments of humour next to moments of heartbreak. Written in his inimitable style, combined with photographs and drawings, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close offers a unique view of a post 911 New York through the eyes of a precocious boy. - Lorraine Lim, TODAY
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Tracing It Home
By
Lynn Pan
Written with clarity, Tracing it Home is a tapestry of life in Shanghai in the '40s and '50s. Blending travel, history and memory, it shows the clash between old and new, the effects of Communism, the brutality of the Cultural Revolution, and paints a vivid portrait of a corrupt and decadent Shanghai during the Japanese Occupation.
In this semi-biographical account, Pan's story centres on a family - the grandfather, a brilliant tycoon, and his mistresses; his relationship with his long-suffering wife; and Hanze, the devoted family servant who paid for his loyalty with 24 years of penal labour.
With the pace of a mystery and the intimacy of a novel, Tracing It Home is moving portrait of three generations living in old Shanghai. - Renessa Teng, TODAY
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
By
J K Rowling
Fans will not be disappointed with the latest instalment in the Harry Potter series. All the elements that have made this series so popular are present and accounted for. Characters' pasts are revealed and fleshed out.
The magic-hating Dursleys make an appearance and the expected Quidditch matches take place. However, Rowling takes a while to get started, meandering from sub-plot to subplot before everything reaches a point and the book hurtles to a close.
Due to this, the first third of the book seemed to be padded with more than a little filler narration - something which a slightly more ruthless editor might have done well to pare down.
Parents might feel that the books have become much darker but Rowling's refusal to paint the concepts of good and evil in simple black and white seems to show that she is aware her readers are growing up, along with Harry himself. - Lorraine Lim, TODAY
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The C Words
By
Mark Mason
The titular "C Words" are every singleton's feared combination of commitment, coupledom and children.
British voice-over artiste Alex - who is described as cute in a "Ben Stiller-ish" way – finds himself mysteriously single at 34 after a string of unsuccessful relationships. According to his last girlfriend, Amy, he has "commitment issues". His good friend Rosie – who predictably has a long-term crush on him - persuades him to buy a self-help guide to relationships.
In the course of a cross-Atlantic work trip, Alex gets acquainted with Tony - a recently divorced and romantically-challenged accountant — and hooks up with charming New Yorker Elisabeth. A tragicomic love triangle ensues, ending with a relationship reshuffle with a slight twist.
It's the book to get if you're too shy to buy a real self-help guide to relationships but wouldn't mind gleaning insights from a secondary source, with an entertaining plot and hints about what to see and do in New York thrown in for good measure. - Tor Ching Li, TODAY
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Confessions of a French Baker
By
Peter Mayle, Gerard Auzet
The entertaining read is part novella, part recipe book and part memoirs of French baker Gerard Auzet whom Mayle befriended and wrote the book with.
Confessions of a French Bakeris surprisingly more than what the book initially touts itself to be: A look at bread-making tips, secrets and recipes. But Confessions is so much more than a cookery book. It's a French-soaked book of bread that turns the ancient trade into an art form.
Mayle clearly feels for the French bread maker, depicting them not as bluecollar workers, but as skilled artisans continuing a tradition that has spanned the millennia.
Oh, and your mouth will salivate. From the makings of a simple French baguette to the makings of a French baker, Mayle chronicles each lovingly and in such detail you almost feel you're there.
And then there are the recipes. Read this book on a Thursday or Friday and you'll be itching to bake bread by the weekend. Personally, the pumpkin bread recipe is to die for. - David Chew, TODAY
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How to Make a Camel Smoothie
By
Gary Rimmer
If you fell from a tall building, you'd have enough time (11.5 seconds) to make a phone call. Bill Gates' fortune of over US$31 billion ($52 billion) is enough for a McDonald's meal for everyone on earth. Stacked in single bills, his fortune would tower 3,388 kilometres.
And if interesting money facts are your forte, then try this one on for size: Tiger Woods earns US$14.16 for every step he takes on the golf course. If a person walked an average of 2,000 steps a day and earned as much as Tiger, he would collect US$28,320 by the end of the day.
All of these facts and figures turn up in Gary Rimmer's How to Make a Camel Smoothie.
The book reveals a world of absurd arithmetic statistics, providing a funny and intriguing read for those who are keen for some mathematical fun.
By the way, the author hopes to live to the age of 3,518,791,200 seconds and one can only wish him the best of luck. How many seconds do you want to live for? - Valerie Law, TODAY
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