Talk by Sheila O'Flanagan

(Taken from Life!Events)

When: Today, 29 Mar
Time: 8 pm
How much: Free
Where: Borders, Wheelock Place, Orchard Road
What: Best-selling Irish author Sheila O'Flanagan will tell you about her new book, Connections, which is about love and relationships. You can also find out more about her writing experience at this event, which includes an autograph session.

Merde Actually

Merde Actually
by Stephen Clarke
reviewed by Adelynn

This is not the best book to read in public if you're the type who shy away from attention. Your sniggers/snorts/attempts to control your fits will draw curious eyes onto you, then to the title. I embarrassed myself on the bus home this evening when I couldn't stop grinning inanely to myself and nearly went into a silent laughing fit complete with shaking shoulders.

The follow-up to A Year in the Merde, Englishman Paul West continues to run into some (comic) cultural misunderstandings and is facing various troubles leading up to the opening of his English tea room.

This novel is the literary version of a slapstick comedy, high in visual imagery and full of naughty insinuations. It's Mr Bean or Stephen Chow on paper. Some examples which got me biting my lips to prevent the unladylike snorts from emerging:

After having strawberries in the forms of tarts, cakes, mousse, in red wine or just plain, at various houses in the afternoon...

"I struggled gamely through the meal until it came to the strawberries, when I really could not force another one of the shiny, red bastards down my throat."

Meeting his prospective new flatmates...

"'Come into ear.' Fortunately, I was used to French accents and knew that Marie was inviting me into the living room rather than suggesting aural sex."

"'But you like free ends?'
I didn't know how to answer Marie's question. She seemed to be back in her 'come into my ear' territory.
'Free ends?'
'Yes, you know. Hoss, shorn lair.'
A horse with a shorn what? This was getting weirder by the minute."

The hot summer in the countryside...

"I drank a sip of congratulations, and felt it instantly shoot out of my pores as sweat."

Know It All

Know It All
by Sarah Mlynowski
reviewed by Adelynn

This amusing exposition is nestled in a collection of short stories that make up "Ladies Night"; authors include names like Meg Cabot, Faith Bleasdale (whom I found out is based in Singapore!), Anna Maxted, Belinda Jones (author of my favourite "I Love Capri"), Chris Manby and Isabel Wolff, among many others. And looking at the blurb at the back of the book, I see a name that stands out like the thorn among the roses of female authors: Mike Gayle.

Anyway.

This particular story is about intervention. Human sadly, not divine. The protagonist's roommate starts dreaming of her ex-boyfriend meeting a female stranger. The attempts to keep the ex and the stranger from having that first meeting are purposeful and hilarious. The theme running through this somehow brought to my mind that of the Final Destination trilogy: You can't escape Fate!

Read this story to find out if they succumb to fate, and while you're at it, read the rest of the stories in the book as well!

*Update*

Mike Gayle is actually a lady. Her real name is Michaela. Oops.

Book Sales & Book Fairs in March

For book lovers, there are a few book sales and fairs happening this week :

1) MPH 20% Storewide Sale from 10 - 12 March
(not applicable to magazines, concessionaire, nett-priced and promotional items)

2) TIMES the Bookshop 20% Storewide Sale for members (Times Privilege card) from 11 - 12 March
For non-members : Cut out their discount coupons from Saturday's (11 March) copy of The Straits Times - Life Section page 25

3) Kinokuniya 20% Storewide Sale for members (Kinokuniya Privilege Card Members) from 11- 14 March
(not applicable to stationery, fossils, stones & minerals, government publications, 8-Days, I-Weekly, You-Weekly, newspapers, Books Kinokuniya gift vouchers, nett-price items and all other promotions and discounts)

4) Book Fair @ Bras Basah Complex from 10 - 19 March
English and Chinese books (new & used) at great bargains.
Opening hours : 10am to 9pm

5) BookFest@Singapore for Chinese book lovers
The biggest Chinese Bookfest in Southeast Asia from 10 - 19 March
Hall 4 - 5A at the Expo.
Opening hours - 10am to 10pm
For more information, please go to http://www.bookfestsingapore.com

Happy Browsing!

Claudine

Author Interviews - Elizabeth Kostova

Book Alert by Claudine.

Check out this interview with Elizabeth Kostova who wrote "The Historian" which I would describe as a highly interesting modern or alternative version of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Before you bare your fangs at me, it's not a trashy gory horror novel. It got me hooked for days. Just finished her book last night and hope to be able to write something about it later.

http://www.powells.com/authors/kostova.html