The Places You Will Go

Consider Death

And life. That’s what this book makes you do. It also makes you see your neck in a whole new light....

Wrong or Right?

To work or not to work? That's a question that most mothers have asked themselves. Leslie Bennetts, in The Feminine Mistake (which alludes to and is inspired by Betty Friedan's seminal work The Feminine Mystique), says women should hold on to their jobs no matter what.

A Beauty School with a Difference

Offering cosmetics and perms to the hungry and oppressed may seem a bit Marie Antoinette-ish but what value can one place on a smile where, before, there wasn’t any?

Swedish Meatballs Optional

How many pieces of Ikea furniture do you own?

The Real Happy Feet

I wonder what Malaysian parents, teachers etc would make of And Tango Makes Three, a picture book based on the true story of Central Park's "gay" penguin couple Roy and Silo.

Personally, I have no problems with homosexuality. The main point here, in my opinion, is that these penguins, whatever their sexual orientation, are fantastic parents!

Read about the controversy in the Guardian Unlimited website.

The Secret of My Success

What success you might ask? Well, let me tell you that it isn't easy for someone like me to turn into a bright, happy, positive bunny overnight.

It takes enormous effort, but when I'm in the zone and I can look at the bright side, be thankful for all the good things in my life and be very focussed on exactly what I want to happen, things actually do look up, become better, and work in my favour.

I'm talking about The Secret of course, the book (left) about the law of attraction and the power of positive thinking.

Here is my review of the book, the full-length version which had to be cut to fit into the space allocated in StarMag, 29th April 2007.

Junior Reading Room

This week's Junior Reading Room features books that are both informative and engaging. Cut out the coupon (available only in the newspaper) to enjoy 25% discount, on the featured books, at Kinokuniya Bookstore.

Endearing Memoir

First published on 14th June 2002 in StarTwo.

Review by DAPHNE LEE

ELEGY FOR IRIS

By John Bayley

Publisher: Picador, 288 pages

(ISBN: 978-0312421113)

Floyd in Singapore

I was in Singapore from 9th to 11th April to interview Keith Floyd who was in town for the 2007 Gourmet Summit.

Before Nigella, Jamie and Bourdain, there was Floyd. I used to enjoy his TV shows (in the 90s) and still watch him from time to time on Discovery Travel and Living. What I didn't realise was that some of the episodes aired now, were actually made several years ago. And so, I wasn't quite prepared for Floyd to look quite so weathered.

He's a very funny, interesting and charming interviewee and when he hosted his dinner, Uncorking Keith Floyd, he was hilariously, entertainingly irreverent, downing glass after glass of wine, breaking for "a fag, not a faggot" and calling all TV directors and producers prats and wamkers.

His latest book is A Splash and a Dash: Cooking with Keith Floyd, which celebrates a joyful, intuitive approach to cooking, sans measuring jug and weighing scales ... something he learnt from his mother. The book is dedicated to his parents.

Eats, lives, breathes books

Originally published on Sunday, 30th January, 2005 in StarMag.

SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME: A YEAR OF PASSIONATE READING

By Sara Nelson

Publisher: Berkley Books

(ISBN: 0425198197)