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Good Reading : September 2004
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general non-fiction word of mouth goodreading 35 The Cambridge Guide to English Usage Pam Peters This is the ultimate book about language. It’s the big sister to Pam Peters’ earlier Australian English Style Guide , and like it, this one is written in a descrip - tive (as opposed to prescriptive) spirit. I’ve no doubt it’ll be just as indispensable. The Cambridge Guide to English Usage focuses on the contentious issues that vex those who want to use the language accurately and appropriately. It is grounded in ‘corpus evidence’ – or computerised databases – of all the major native-spoken Englishes. As such, reliable comparative analyses can be made and it is on such a basis, not intuition or prejudice, that authoritative advice is parcelled out. A particular bonus is the recommendations given on International English, which Peters calls ‘a region- free, go anywhere English’ that is increasingly the way of the future. All of it is written in a clean and accessible style, peppered with a wry humour that betrays and conveys the author’s love of her subject. This is the international, foolproof guide to navigating your way comfortably around ‘optometrist’, ‘ophthalmologist’ and ‘occultist’; ‘hello’, ‘hallo’ and ‘hullo’; ‘confident’, ‘confidential’, and ‘confidant’; ‘woman’ and ‘lady’, ‘reflective’ and ‘reflexive’. And to finding out how ‘aitch’ versus ‘haitch’ became an issue, what ‘the royal we’ refers to, and a host more besides. ★★★★ Cambridge University Press $75.00 Reviewed by Ruth Wajnryb 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die General Editor: Steven Jay Schneider To quote David Stratton in the foreword, who in turn paraphrases Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, ‘to own this book will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship’. I’m not sure if he means the book is going to be your new best friend or the 1001 films discussed in it. But that doesn’t really matter, for here you’ll be reminded of the films you’ve loved, gain a new interpretation of films you weren’t sure about, and better still, discover a whole host of films you’ll want to see. Everything you want to know about a film is here: the vital statistics (director, writer, producer, cast, etc.), a review that is informative and insightful, plus an evocative still.Tracking down some of the films may be problematic, but as the DVD market continues to grow this may become less so. ★★★★ ABC Books $65.00 Reviewed by Rowena Cseh The Big Bang Em and Lo The Big Bang is the hippest sex manual I’ve read in the last two years, at least. It’s a fun, and superbly infor mational book, written by two women who know their sex smarts. Covering just about everything, it’s accessible, entertaining and creative, always leaving the predictable aside.Take just two of their names for sexual positions: ‘The Three-Pronged Spork’, and ‘The G- Force’. Piqued your curiosity? It did mine, too. Em and Lo are funny, knowledgeable, and have delivered a clever how-to book in a genre that can often be filled with clichés and tired ideas.The Big Bang has illustrations and is filled with practical sections like ‘Talking Dirty Without Cracking Up’.The chap- ters on contraception, sexual health and function may date quickly, and the anatomy sections are a little too basic, but this is an excellent current book for anyone who wants to know a little - or a lot - more about the slap and tickle.What made me love this book the most? Their section on ‘How to Achieve Simultaneous Orgasm During Penetration Every Time’. Under that heading is one brief sentence: ‘We have no idea.’You gotta love sexperts who tell it like it is. ★★★★ Hodder $34.95 Reviewed by Dr Gabrielle Morrissey Where to Wear 2004: London Shopping Guide If you’re heading to London this year with an eye to revitalising the wardrobe, do yourself a favour, as the Eastenders say, and grab a copy of this book. It lists all the best clobber shops – for women, men and kids – throughout London, plus such a wealth of other info (hairdressers, spas, fitness clubs, repair and service centres) that you’ll wonder how on earth you ever survived there without it. ★★★★ Fairchild & Gallagher, $29.95 Reviewed by Alison Pressley
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