The Dress by Sophie Nicholls

When I got this ebook from Ms Sophie (Librarything Giveaway), I was told that "there's a little surprise waiting for you in the pages of The Dress." Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. In Chapter 10, a character Lady Eustacia Beddowes is introduced! How psyched was I? Very! My name is rare enough that it's hard to find it mentioned in a book. Plus, I become a "Lady".

But I'm sure no one is going to rush out and get it just because my name is there, so here's my hones opinion: even if my name didn't appear (sorry, very excited about this), I'd still love the book and recommend it to everyone.

The Dress has been compared to Chocolat, and there are similarities. But The Dress focuses on vintage clothing and has a slight feeling of magical realism to it, especially with the names like "Old Country" and sewing words into the clothes and of course, The Signals. It reminds me of a fairytale.

But if this is like a fairytale, it's more like their original versions rather than the cleaned-up, Disney ones: it's dark at times. The book isn't all sweetness and light, with not only Fabbia's secret but also with Jean Cushworth and her maliciousness. She reminds me of the evil queen, although I'm happy to see that Katrina, her daughter, has a happy ending.

The dual plots in this book: Ella and her bildunsroman journey with Fabbia (Ella's mom) and her secret (plus her blossoming romance with the Doctor) joins together very well. After all, they are one family unit. And at the right moments, short stories, such as that of the soulskin and La Llorona (The Weeping Woman) add to the sense of atmosphere in the book.

Although I'm really not into clothes, the descriptions of vintage clothing are really marvellous (though I know better than to try them on).

Bottom line: Read this book. And I'm not saying this because I got a free copy and found my name in it.

Disclaimer: If you managed to miss the first two times I mentioned I got a free copy of the book, there's a good chance you didn't read my review at all. But just so you know, I wasn't asked to write a positive review, it just turned out this way.

Matantei Loki

I took my JLPT N4 (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) today and quite naturally, as soon as I got home, I went to read. Manga. To be even more specific, I finished the series Matantei Loki (Mythical Detective Loki).

Matantei Loki is basically about the Norse gods, with Loki the trickster god finding himself human and having to vanquish evil spirits. Along the way, other gods appear, some (unwillingly) to help and some to kill him. And ever present are the Norns, who know the past, present and future.

Despite my rather boring and insufficient description, you really have to read this manga. It's funny, exciting and best of all, all the girl characters are likeable. If you have heard me rant in person, you'll know that I can't stand a lot of girl characters in manga (like all those in Prince of Tennis), because their characterisation is terrible. Here, there is no such thing. This alone should convince you to read it.

Just a small warning. The first few mysteries are particularly gruesome. Like Detective Conan, Matantei Loki is deceptively cute, with the graphics masking the rather bloody (and I mean it literally) mysteries. If this was a live-action, it would definitely be at least NC-16, if only for the body count.

Other than the blood, it's actually a really tame manga, without most of the perverted things that occur in most other stories.

And if you can't find it in a bookshop or library, never fear, sites like mangaeden.com have the series for you to view online.

One Pair of Hands by Monica Dickens

I, rather shamefully, admittedly have not read The Help, mostly because I tend to shy away from the bestseller lists. Instead, I went and read One Pair of Hands, the only similarity being that they are about domestic help (I think).

The premise of One Pair of Hands is interesting, to say the least. It's like a reverse-Cinderella story, only this time, Cinderella chooses to go and slave away. Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens and a debutante, chooses to work as a domestic, simply because she is bored. Through the course of this memoir, she is mainly a cook-general, that is, she does everything + cook.

The writing is witty, and it's entertaining to see how she progresses from a thoroughly incompetent domestic help to a more competent domestic help. Through the course of the novel, she works for many houses (and she freely admits that she seems to attract the worst employers maybe because of her ineptness), and each distinctive house presents its own set of challenges.

The ending, which I will try not to give away, is satisfying, although I would wish for a slightly more disney-esque ending. But that would veer into fiction.

But it is interesting, how she managed to bear all the strains of being a domestic helper, and still continued in that job willingly (looking for other families). In Singapore today, most Singaporeans (including me) are spoilt and expect a maid (to be polite, I will say domestic help). Once the domain of the rich, now the every-man feels entitled for an indentured servant. And people wonder why I'm so cynical about our society.

But back to topic. Living with Josie Jie Jie and Emma Jie Jie (Josie Jie Jie having worked for my family far longer than I have lived) is basically a lesson in how to treat those who work for you. For one thing, she used to be able to discipline me. And another, now that it's not such a viable tool, talking to me works just as well. And basically, this is what I learnt:

THEY ARE HUMAN TOO. Get this into your head. Just because they live under your roof and eat your food doesn't mean you can be unfair. They are the ones who are slaving away, far from their families for your ungrateful brats (trust me, I've been there, done that, and I'm ashamed of it. And I'm definitely not the worse). While there are some truly evil/lazy maids around, I think the majority are good, if you treat them right. Of course, because this is live-in, things are complicated so much more, so clear boundaries/schedules are always welcome.

Before this becomes a discourse on how to treat your employee (which I am unsuited for), let me just end by recommending you a book from my Church library. It's called I Am a Filipino Maid by Geok Loo Bee and it's the best way (best book anyway) to walk a mile in their shoes.

Reading in Hong Kong

If anyone has read my previous post, then yes, I did buy more books in Hong Kong. And read a decent number in that time, considering the fact that I did spend most of my time doing vacation-related activities (in my family, reading books does not count as a vacation-related activity). And to make things easier (for me to write and you to read), I'm limiting myself to actualy books I read, not ebooks.

Before I even got on the plane, my family had a one or two hours to kill at the airport (midnight flight you see). So basically, my 'reading count' was at 2 even before I set off. Has anyone heard of the Arcane Society? Well, you should. Aunty Florence introduced me/lent me two books set in that society: The Perfect Poison (Book 6) and Burning Lamp (an Arcane society novel and also, rather confusingly, Book 2 in the Dreamlight Triology), both by Amanda Quick.

The Arcane Society deals with psychical gifts. Something like the gift of Hunting/Strategy/Blending into Shadows, etc. I don't fully understand what it's about, but I take it that they're talking about 'powers' of a form, and I just don't bother pretending it's real. It's a good narrative vehical, and makes for an interesting alternate reality, but still, definitely can't happen.

That being said, both books seem to revolve around romance. While I tend not to like 'adult' romances, since I have no interest in reading about two people and uh, how physical they can get, I managed to stomach the minute amount of scenes. Admitedly, the romance thing is integrated nicely into the plot, and I managed to skip the worst. Basically, this is a caution not to let little kiddies read this book, unless you feel they're ready. But really, there are worse books (in terms of this sort of content).

Plot-wise, the books are fantastic. The Perfect Poison deals with poisonous plants, and Lucinda, the protagonist is wonderfully crafted. In fact, I liked this book better because there there was more plot, Burning Lamp seeming to consist more of action scenes. And like the Discworld novels (yes, it's coming up), the way the novels interact is really enjoyable. Oh, and Burning Lamp is more psyschical, which may be why I don't like it as much. 

Skipping over the first few days, which is mostly yam cha (basically, dim sum) and some insane amounts of shopping (my feet died). And oh yeah, Hong Kong Disneyland (I need to brush up on my photography skills). To those considering going there, don't expect much thrill rides, but there is a really adorable ride: The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, that takes you through a book. Amazingly, both my sisters considered buying books, and one of them, Eugenia, actually followed up on it. I think my influence is growing ^^

I only start to properly read when we stay at my grandmother's place. She lives in the countryside (yes, Hong Kong does have a countryside), in a village, so I managed to walk to the nearby farm and such. There, I read The Diary of Amos Lee: I'm Twelve I'm Tough, I Tweet (Eugenia's purchase) and The Apprentice Smurf comics (Eusebius's purchase).

The Diary of Amos Lee: I'm Twelve I'm Tough, I Tweet by Adeline Foo is a made-in-Singapore product, and if you ask my, way better than the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. While unrealistic (I don't think it represents the Singapore Student well, although I could be just an anomaly), it's quite fun and Amos Lee reminds me of Paddy Clarke (good with words). In this installment, Amos juggles his new magazine 'Poop Fiction' while trying to run for his school's Tween Idol contest, dealing with bullies in the process. Reading such books, I think that Singapore is starting to produce better quality books (sorry Catherine Lim, I don't like your books much).

The Smurf Apprentice is a comic my brother saw and fell in love with. Being a smurf comic, I don't need to say much, but that if you are hesitating: IT'S IN COLOUR!

On one of the last days (second last day), we went to an outlet mall. In a typical manner, the only things I bought was from the bookstore (yes, and Outlet Bookstore!). I managed to buy my sister's Birthday Present: The Sister's Book (Which I can't read until after her birthday), and a photography guide specifically for my camera (I really need the help).

Lastly (I hear sights of relief), as per the newly minted tradition that started when I went to US, I bought a Terry Pratchet book at Hong Kong International Airport's Page One bookshop. And one other book called The Practical Napper.

The Practical Napper has no coherent content, but is a fun book of quotes/facts/tips about napping. Needless to say, I laughed out loud when reading this. My favourite quote? "Nap Long and Prosper". After this, I should go take a nap (well, I would if taking naps was a habit).

Making Money by Terry Pratchet is a Moist von Lipwig novel. He has apparently starred in Going Postal (sadly, I haven't read it yet), but here, he is tasked (ok, coerced) into taking over the Royal Mint. What happens is a humourous saga that pokes fun at how banks are run. The plot is good, with an unexpected twist and blah blah blah the usual praise for Pratchet.

What I really wanted to see though, was more footnotes (that's why I can't really read his books in ebook format). The footnotes are what makes the Discworld novels not only more comphrehensible (it is a world, like yet unlike ours after all), but also more humourous. Sadly, this book had very few footnotes. If there was an ode to footnotes, I would paste it here, but fortunately for you, I don't know any.

The only other (hey, assonance!) comment I have is how for some reason, I don't really like Adora Belle Dearheart. This is beyond strange since I have loved/liked every other character so far, and as far as I can objectively see, she is a well-written and likeable character. I guess there's no accounting for human tastes, although I did like her much more by the end of the novel.