Oddballs, Screwballs and other Eccentrics


Book Description

Welcome to a world populated by outcasts and misfits who struggle to find love and understanding in mainstream society. These ghoulish characters, drawn by Cheryl Tan in a style reminiscent of Tim Burton, have inspired Felix Cheong to write quirky poems poking fun at our hang-ups, from our paper chase to getting high-paying jobs. Oddballs, Screwballs and Other Eccentrics is an offbeat read that will entertain you with its humour and insights into humanity




Letter to My Son: Words of wisdom, advice and lessons on life from parents


Book Description

Every boy goes through several rites of passage as he grows up to become a man. He learns from siblings, peers, teachers and other adults. But perhaps no one has as much influence over him as his parents. This is not surprising as they look after their son from a young age and build bonds of trust and love. In this collection edited by award-winning author Felix Cheong, parents (both fathers and mothers) write letters to their sons about the different roles they will go through as son, brother, husband and father. Here are life lessons about etiquette, manners, school life, courtship, marriage, work, responsibilities and everything else you can think of in-between. These mini-essays will show you, through the eyes of writers from all walks of life, the trial and trails of bringing up boys. Contributors include: P N Balji, Nizam Ismail, Darren Soh, Clement Mesenas, Kenny Chan, Olivier Castaignède, Mark Laudi, Anitha Devi Pillai, Lester Kok, Dinesh Rai, Gilbert Koh, Roland Koh, Christopher Ng, Vicky Chong, Sanjay C Kuttan, Chris Henson, Bernard Harrison, Lee Ee Wurn and Anthony Goh




A View of Stars: Stories of Love


Book Description

Especially for fans of love stories comes a collection written by established and new authors. This anthology is partly inspired by true stories and partly by well-known epic tales. A young woman of Peranakan descent in Singapore, a Malayalee woman thousands of miles away from Singapore at the brink of WWII and an interracial couple in current times, all face a similar predicament – Do they break free from conventions and follow their beckoning hearts? A young man with no future nor prospects pines for his one true love in his kampong, a May-December couple’s plans for their second chance is threatened, a young impressionable woman falls for a man-child – Will fate give them a helping hand? What if Cinderella’s evil stepmother had loved her? What if the hundred nights of pursuit of the 10th-century Japanese court lady Ono Komachi took place in Singapore? What if a single decision, one moment or an unspoken wish changed your life forever?




Letter to My Mother: Words of love and perspectives on growing up from sons and daughters


Book Description

Many songs and stories have been written about how important mothers are to their children. But what story would you tell if you put pen to paper? Perhaps things you had learned from her that made you who you are today. Perhaps express your gratitude for the sacrifices she had made for you. Or perhaps matters left unresolved that have since become a thorn in your relationship. Insightful and heart-wrenching, packed with poignant anecdotes. These letters testify to the nurturing love that mothers have for their children. In this collection of mini-essays edited by award-winning author Felix Cheong, sons and daughters write letters to their mother about their relationships and articulate what has often not been expressed.




Mystery in the Title


Book Description

From the bestselling authors of I Only Read Murder comes a sidesplitting mystery of epic movie-of-the-week proportions, featuring the unstoppable Miranda Abbott. Miranda Abbott, actor, will once again be a star. After a very long dry spell that followed her network hit series, Pastor Fran Investigates, Hollywood has come calling and wants Miranda back. This time, she will be the female lead in an oddly expensive movie of the week being filmed in Happy Rock. Miranda signs on the dotted line, but her trusty assistant, Andrew, a whiz with apps and clouds, thinks it all seems a bit fishy. Things go from bad to worse when Miranda’s costar makes a grand entrance at a media-packed press conference by crashing through the atrium window at the Duchess Hotel and being very much dead. The out-of-town cast and crew are horrified, but the great citizens of Happy Rock—including police chief Ned Buckley, grumpy bookstore owner and soon-to-be ex-husband Edgar Abbott, Bea of Bea’s B&B, and the malodorous Melvin Jacobson of S.J. Fertilizer Supply—return to help solve the case in this second Miranda Abbott mystery. Miranda Abbott Mystery Book 1: I Only Read Murder by Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson Book 2: Mystery in the Title by Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson




Oddballs


Book Description

They say truth is stranger than fiction. In Oddballs, Jim Westergard proves it. This collection of wood engravings accompanied by short, tongue-in-cheek biographies showcases forty fantastically detailed, warts-and-all portraits of some of history’s most peculiar figures. Jim Westergard creates a veritable rogues’ gallery, populated by notorious historical rebels and eccentrics like Rasputin, Pope Joan and Ned Kelly as well as lesser-known oddballs such as octogenarian bank robber Red Roundtree and Mike the headless chicken. From victims of spontaneous human combustion to the masterminds behind archaeological hoaxes, Oddballs pays tribute to the zany, bizarre, mischievous and just plain odd rascals who, by accident or design, have found their way into the annals of history.




Trance


Book Description

1974: A tiny band of self-styled urban guerrillas, calling itself the Symbionese Liberation Army, abducts a newspaper heiress, who then abruptly announces that she has adopted the guerrilla name "Tania" and chosen to remain with her former captors. Has she been brainwashed? Coerced? Could she be sincere? Why would such a nice girl disavow her loving parents, her adoring fiancé, her comfortable home? Why would she suddenly adopt the SLA's cri de coeur, "Death to the Fascist Insect that Preys Upon the Life of the People"? Soon most of the SLA are dead, killed in a suicidal confrontation with police in Los Angeles, forcing Tania and her two remaining comrades--the pompous and abusive General Teko and his duplicitous lieutenant, Yolanda--into hiding, where they will remain for the next sixteen months. Trance, Christopher Sorrentino's mesmerizing and brilliant second novel, traces this fugitive period, leading the reader on a breathtaking, hilarious, and heartbreaking underground tour across a beleaguered America, in the company of scam artists, visionaries, cultists, and a mismatched gang of middle-class people who typify the guiding conceit of their time, that of self-renovation. Along the way he tells the story of a nation divided against itself--parents and children, men and women, black and white; a story of hidebound tradition and radical change, of truth and propaganda, of cynicism and idealism; a story as transfixing and relevant today as it was then. Insightful, compassionate, scathingly funny, and moving, Trance is a virtuoso performance, placing Christopher Sorrentino in the first rank of American novelists. Trance is a 2005 National Book Award Finalist for Fiction.







The Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, 2002


Book Description

This is an anthology of 24 papers that were presented at the Fourteenth Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, held in June 2002, and co-sponsored by the State University of New York at Oneonta and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Subsequent to initial presentation, papers were revised and edited for publication. The anthology is divided into five parts: Timebend: Baseball as History; The Business of Baseball; Race: Soul of the Game; Baseball Media: Literature, Journalism, and Cinema; and Baseball Culture: Age, Sexuality, and Religion. Timebend: Baseball as History ruminates on the lingering resonance of the game's past. The Business of Baseball examines sport from a commercial perspective. Race: Soul of the Game chronicles the African-American experience in baseball. Baseball Media: Literature , Journalism, and Cinema analyzes depictions of the game in the popular arts. Baseball Culture: Age, Sexuality, and Religion explores the social fabric of sport. Each part contains multiple essays related by theme and topic. A guide to the paper follows.




Planning Your Will, Trust, Lpa & More: Estate Planning for the Modern Family


Book Description

With society's rising affluence, children and families stand to inherit properties and many thousands and millions of dollars when parents and relatives pass away. The importance of setting out clear instructions about the distribution of your assets or wealth while you are still alive cannot be overstated. This process of estate planning involves making a will and perhaps setting up a trust, depending on your personal circumstances. The rise of the modern family and what such a family is likely to own, add to the diversity of planning required. In addition to the traditional two-parent family, we have families with single parents, partners of different races, nationalities and faiths, and same-sex partners. The modern family is likely to own foreign assets, a business, pets and digital assets, and likely to consider charitable giving in their estate planning. In this book, well-known estate planner Keon Chee takes you through the various aspects of estate planning, including the writing of a will, the setting up of a trust, planning your Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) and setting out other important final wishes. The author has invited several highly experienced practitioners to share their specialist knowledge throughout the book enhancing the breadth of coverage.