Title: Shakespeare’s Gardens
Authors: Jackie Bennett and Andrew Lawson (photographer)
No. of pages: 219
Call No.: PR3041 B46
This ebook marries English Literature and gardening, lavish photographs and a very informative text. Readers familiar with Shakespeare’s plays will know that there are numerous references to flowers and gardens. His lifetime straddled the Tudor-Stuart age in England, and this book provides a fascinating insight into the botanical world of those days and what flowers (especially the rose) signified.
As the library copy is an ebook, readers who appreciate both English Literature and the beauty of gardens may like to get their own print coffee-table version. You will not be disappointed!
Title: We Shall Remember: the Story of Singapore at War
Authors: Sim Ee Waun; Lim An-Ling (illustrator)
No. of pages: 123
Call No.: D767.55 Sim
Almost three years of research went into the making of this book about the darkest period in Singapore’s history, the Japanese Occupation of 1942-1945. While some books emphasise the military operations and others the experiences of POWs (prisoners of war), this book covers all aspects, military and civilian, including accounts from those who were teenagers at the time. Incredibly, in spite of the huge risk and certain prospect of brutal torture to death if caught, listening in secret to news on the radio from the outside world persisted throughout the Occupation.
Although apparently aimed at older children, the wealth of information and its detailed timeline would also make it highly recommended reading for adults.
Title: Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age
Authors: Sanjay Gupta with Kristin Loberg
No. of pages: 318
Call No.: BF724.55 .C63 Gup
Haven’t we heard all this before about what is good for us -- exercise / physical activity (“motion is the lotion”), proper diet, sufficient sleep, a strong social support network, etc.? Yes, but hearing it from a neurosurgeon who doubles as a journalist (Gupta is CNN’s Emmy-award winning chief medical correspondent) does make a difference. Besides the advice given, he has had the experience of performing an emergency operation in the middle of the Iraqi desert in very makeshift conditions, with the patient ultimately surviving and recovering fully from the headshot wound.
This authoritative and accessible book is recommended for a general audience, with a chapter specially for family members who are caregivers.