Title: Chinese Houses
Author: Ronald G. Knapp
Publisher: Periplus

Despite the fast pace of modernisation taking place in China today, there are still remnants of traditional dwellings scattered thoughout the country. These buildings - some completely intact and magnificent while others are a shadow of their former grandeur - are symbols of the ancient era in Chinese history.

Chinese Houses is an impressive record of some of these architectural achievements. It focuses on 20 well-preserved traditional homes, both from rural and metropolitan areas throughout China such as Beijing, Jiangnan, Guangdong, Anhui, among others.

Also featured are cave dwellings in Shanxi and Fujian's round fortress ramparts.

Author Ronald Knapp's amazing insight on the different types of Chinese buildings and homes provides an interesting read. He has been carrying out research in China's countryside on cultural and historical geography since 1965 and so speaks with authority.

Photographer A. Chester Ong provides the magical touch with his distinctive and enriching photographs that help capture the various architectural styles of a bygone era.

Each home featured is accompanied by an extensive captions, including background information and history. House plans are also included in some cases.

There are also introductory essays examining the different types of Chinese homes and an overview of the rich regional vareity of Chinese buildings. They provide interesting insights into uncommon design concepts that emphasise the flexibility, adaptability and versatility of traditional buildings as well as the work of traditional craftmen.

Well illustrated with pictures, woodblock prints, historical images, and line drawings, Chinese Houses offers readers an amazing range of exquisite examples of traditional dwellings still exisiting in China today.

Title: Japan Houses
Author: Marcia Iwatate and Geeta K. Mehta
Publisher: Periplus

A home often reflects an individual's taste and privacy of space. Hence, it's imperative that a home should provide an opportunity for deepening our living experience. In looking for the trends in which the house of the 21st century may evolve, the Japanese experience provides a valuable paradigm.

Japan Houses showcases 26 amazing homes inspired by a combination of limited space, unlimited technology and a tradition of innovation conceived by 24 of Japan's leading architects and designers.

Authors Marcia Iwatate, who specialises in Japanese design and food industry and Geeta K. Mehta, an adjunct professor of art history and urban studies at Temple University in Japan, offer an astonishing collection of homes and buildings in this book.

Each house is presented in superb photographs, plans and commentary. Each home here also forecasts and defines the emerging trend in residential architecture, reinventing the use of space, building materials and function.

Among some of the building aspects relooked are: traditional lifestyles and habits are challenged; domestic activities such as cooking and entertainment are relocated in the public domain while computers and laptops bring work back into homes.

Also, Zen minimalism is used with comfortable opulence and traditional craftmanship given a boost to reflect the Japanese architectural style that's still relevant in the 21st century.

There is also a brief write-up at the end of the book on the architects whose works are featured. -- Lin Siu-loong

Title: Diana: The Last Word
Author: Simone Simmons
Publisher: Orion Books

Last Wednesday was the 8th anniversary of the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Yet, the number of books written about her continues to grow unabated. Such is the appetite for everything Diana. And the latest to cash in on her passing is this thoroughly disreputable piece from Simone Simmons, who claims to be Diana's "closest confidante".

Though this healer insists that this is the book Diana had wanted written about her life to set the record straight - warts and all - you can't help but feel there's an element of salaciousness.

Otherwise, why would Simmons have started the book with the explosive revelation that Diana had met and bedded John Kennedy Jr.? This completely unproven claim does little to bolster Simmons' heartfelt pleas that she is merely trying to "correct" the negative impressions of Diana that have cropped up in the media.

Other than this, there is very little else that stands out in this book, which portrays Diana as an unsteady healing junkie who jumped from fad to fad and frittered away thousands of pounds on hours-long phone calls to her friends.

The Diana that comes across is hardly flattering. So much so, you wonder if this is indeed what Diana wanted the world to know her as. If Simone was truly her friend, like she claims, she would have done the Princess a better service by shutting up. -- N. Shashi Kala