Books Read in Feb 2023

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1) Woman Last Seen by Adele Parks

374 pages (size 10 font); 2022

A gripping story of greed, lies and dark family secrets. Provocative and compelling.

2) When I Was You by Amber Garza

356 pages; 2020

Thoroughly engrossing. A rare psychological thriller. Incredibly original. Unpredictably twisty.

3) The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson

381 pages; 2022

An endearing story about human connection, friendship and kindness to strangers. Charming and uplifting. An effective way of raising awareness on dementia.

4) Dearest Intimate by Suchen Christine Lim

391 pages (size 10 font); 2023

A multi-layered tale about love, sisterhood, spousal abuse and Cantonese opera in the lives of three generations of women. Set against Singapore’s development as a city of low-rise slum housing to modern high-rise apartment blocks.

5) The State We’re In by Adele Parks

405 pages (size 11 font); 2013

An engrossing domestic drama of love and loss.

6) The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone

237 pages (size 11 font); 2021

An amazing memoir. Honest and real. Riveting. Unique.

7) Life After Suicide by Dr Jennifer Ashton

266 pages (size 11 font); 2019

Deeply personal. Honest and affecting. Extraordinary. Heartfelt. (My eyes were wet throughout!)

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8) The Stranger In My Home by Adele Parks

465 pages (size 9 font); 2016

Tightly plotted; brilliantly conceived; utterly engrossing; unputdownable. A novel with tears, laughter, lies and a crime.

9) Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

432 pages (large print); 2016

Fast-paced. Entertaining.

10) In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom

266 pages (large print); 2022

The last journey together of a couple to Dignitas, an organisation in Switzerland that empowers a person to end their own life in dignity and peace. (The husband had Alzheimer’s disease. ) Unforgettable.

11) The Other Woman’s Shoes by Adele Parks

481 pages; 2003

A mix of comedy, real life and emotional depth. Entertaining and insightful.

12) After…: The Impact of Child Abuse by Libby Moore (illustrated by Tony Husband)

58 pages; 2019

Thought- provoking.

13) Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: My Life by Sophia Loren

318 pages; 2014

A vivid and candid memoir with riveting detail and sharp humour.

14) About Last Night by Adele Parks

421 pages (size 11 font); 2011

Friendship through thick and thin. Engaging and entertaining.

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15) Someone Is Coming by T A Morton

171 pages; 2022

Fiction about history and memory and how they interact. Different and unusual. Thought-provoking.

16) Larger Than Life by Adele Parks

401 pages; 2022

A satire on modern day values — highlights society’s obsession with the trivial. A journey of self- discovery.

17) On Thin Ice by Susan Andersen

318 pages; 1995

Light suspense involving figure- skating, friendship and drugs.

18) And Then She Kisses Me: Stories of Love, Heartbreak and Other Unnatural Disasters

291 pages; 2013

About romance and relationships. A YA book found in Adult Fiction. Authors include Cathy Kelly and Adele Parks.

19) Young Wives’ Tales by Adele Parks

558 pages; 2007

Page- turning, tantalising read.

20) Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change by Maggie Smith

213 pages; 2020

Honest. Full of empathy. Wise.

Where The Wind Blows

Piqued with curiosity, I went to watch the Mandarin version of Where The Wind Blows (风再起时) this afternoon. (I believe the original version is in Cantonese. ) I wondered why this Hong Kong entry for the International Feature Oscar was given poor reviews in a newspaper and a local magazine.

A crime thriller about corruption in the police force in the 1960s and ’70s, the plot is complex and dense. I simply enjoyed the artistry.

A stunning production with interesting cinematography, it is a visual feast for art- house inclined audiences: the slow- motion smoky shots, details like the repeated use of poetic onscreen texts, close- ups of performances whether by a cellist or a Chinese opera performer or even props like my once- favourite Green Spot orange drink in a bottle.

I had expected to be wowed by Tony Leung (梁朝伟) because he’s one of my favourite actors and because I read articles about how he learnt to play the piano from scratch and practised up to eight hours a day. I wasn’t. But I still relished the scenes in which he plays the piano. I also watched him dance for the first time! (There are a few scenes of him dancing, sometimes with a real partner, sometimes with an imaginary partner. )

Despite Aaron Kwok (郭富城) being famous for his dancing, this was the first time I’ve seen him dance. (It was also the first time I’ve seen him act and I am pleasantly surprised. ) Now I know what I’ve been missing.

Michael Hui (许冠文）is an actor I’ve not seen on the big screen for decades. I must say he has stolen the thunder from both leads in the few scenes he appears in.

Best of all, of course, is the music! There’s swinging jazz and classical music even. I was so mesmerised that I stayed right till the end credits to find out the titles. Alas, there is no mention of the pieces by Bach, Chopin or Mendelssohn. However, Chopin’s Nocturne in C minor Op 48 No 1 is still playing in my head right now. (This is the piece I will revisit next. )

The Fabelmans

I think many people go and watch this movie largely because of Steven Spielberg. Some may want to watch a movie about movie making while others may be attracted by the idea of watching Spielberg’s memoir. (I would rather read it, if there’s such a book.) I went to watch this movie this afternoon not for either of these reasons but for the music.

Most of the score is written by John Williams, the legendary film composer of many decades of collaboration with Hollywood. Then there’s classical piano music and other music I recognise from my younger days. (Some examples: Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No 1 in F minor, Khulau’s Piano Sonata in A minor, Satie’s Gymnopedie No 2, Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in D minor BMV 974, Clementi’s Sonatina in C Major Op 36 No 3, Haydn’s Piano Sonata No 45 in C Major; Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm, Scott Joplin’s Elite Syncopations, Burt Bacharach & Hal David ‘s Walk On By; Limbo Rock, The Greatest Show On Earth, The Magnificent Seven, Tutti Frutti and more. )

The music in this movie is extraordinary, tender, softly nuanced, beautiful and gorgeous.

I also love that the piano Michelle Williams plays on is a Steinway Grand. I wonder if she already knows how to play the piano or if she learnt for this role (which would be no mean feat as they are not easy or intermediate level pieces). Nevertheless, I’m impressed. Her hand and finger movements are incredibly accurate to the music, although the credits say they’re really played by a professional pianist called Joanne Pearce Martin. (If those were not Michelle Williams’ fingers, then I’m awed by the cinematographer and film editor. )

I hope that, after watching this movie, more non- pianists are aware why pianists keep short nails and do not like to do dishes, and why a solo performing pianist would not have sheet music.

A few quotes that I would like to keep reminding myself: “Family and Art will tear you in two; We’re junkies – Art is our drug, Art will tear your heart; Art is no game”; “Guilt is a wasted emotion”; “Sometimes we just can’t fix things; we can only suffer“; “You do what your heart says to you”; “Life is not like in the movies, but in the end…”

Well, I’m now eager to revisit the Beethoven and Haydn sonatas soon.