RS Mailbox

Your one-stop junction for love and hate for RS. Send all your opinions, queries and contributions to risingstars@thedailystar.net

Last Thursday when I reached for The Daily Star, I quickly threw away the main paper and pulled out the my favorite magazine I was a bit shocked to find something called 'Wired' instead of Rising Stars. But then I found out it was RS after all. And RS looked awesome inside and out. Only gripe is that the new logo was a bit small and the headline looked like the name itself. But it is brilliant. Looks like a proper cool magazine now.
Erin Kabir

Love the new Rising Stars look especially the new logo. It is so cool. As for what's inside, well, “Rearview” was great in terms of ontent and layout. Greta stuff.
Asifur Rahman

I like the new look of Rising Star! Great work. Keep maintaining this look and all the luck to making it even more gorgeous! Thanks.
M. Sadat Hussein Khan

Halo2? Why would you guys still review such an old game. Admitted that it is new for PC but it is the same old console game that came out ages ago.
Tanvir

Scene kids was a very well written piece no doubt. It is just the fact that kids just have to be someone else. What's most ludicrous is that those who want to be 'Punk” it was written that they are “rebels without a cause”. So right! Of course, rebels basically try to do what others do not. Copying or pretending to be something else is not cool. What's so difficult being yourself?
Sameer
Georgia, USA

Rising Stars is a great place for finding out all the cool happening stuff especially music. Currently there are reviews and news about everything except local bands. What with there being hardly any concerts going on, we would like RS to provide news of the local music scene.
Shubho

Writer's Digest

With so many writer's and genres from choose from, selecting what to read is almost as same as deciding what to eat. Therefore, preparing this menu of what kind of items you get under each course will help you to decide, which book to chew on when your appetite for a journey beyond reality, arises.

Mystery Course
A popular choice of the masses, mystery novels have been around for a long time. Some of the most well known mystery writers include:-

*Agatha Christie- Perhaps the greatest writer of all time, who is even sometimes judged second to Shakespeare, Agatha Christie has done it all. With an estimated one billion copies of her novels sold and being the first recipient of the Grand Master Award given by MWA, she is widely acclaimed for her 66 mystery novels. Her two most famous detectives Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple appear on most of her books like the hits The Mystery of the Blue Train, The Murder at the Vicarage, Three Act Tragedy and The A.B.C Murders. Her most famous works also include A Pocket Full of Rye and N or M?

* Enid Blyton- A writer who has provided us with the most amazing reading hours whilst growing up, Enid Blyton stands out as the most loved and most famous Children Mystery writer of all time. Having sold over 400 million copies of her books she is perhaps best known for her Secret Seven and The Famous Five (personal favorite) series. Apart from mystery genre her most famous character is Noddy. Criticized many times for her restrictive and repetitive language, Enid Blyton was rumored to have been banned in many libraries. However, her simplified language provided a great reading time without the burden of carrying a dictionary.

For other reader's Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with his Sherlock Holmes and there's also Sidney Sheldon, who is undoubtedly one of the greatest writer's of all time.

Appetizing Horror Tales
For those who crave thrills and chills, what better than a horror story to get your adrenaline pumping?

· Stephen King- Arguable the best Horror writer of all time, Stephen King's works are mostly influenced by Edgar Allan Poe and Richard Matheson. His horror stories aren't all about ghosts and explaining the paranormal but it is also most of the times weird and he constantly provides comic relief for his readers who he also refers to as “friends and neighbors”. When you aren't laughing out reading his witty observations, you are probably under the covers, shivering. Going out of the way to produce gems such as “The Shining”, “Pet Semetary”, “Cell” and “Insomnia”, Stephen King maintains a steady link between all his stories. He also tries his best to highlight the darker side of American History and Culture.

· R.L. Stine- Also called the “Stephen King” of children's literature, R.L. Stine shot to prominence in 1992 when he launched the “Goosebumps” series. Growing up, everyone has, at one time or another encountered a book or numerous books for that matter of this series. R.L. Stine had earlier published the Fear Street series which was also widely acclaimed. R.L. Stine's simple language gives off no premonition of the terror that his simply crafted books contain. With 300 million copies sold and by featuring his spot as the #1 Best Selling Author of the USA Today, 3 years in a row plus being judged as the best selling children author by Guinness, Stine sealed his position as a legend.

For those hard to please check out the works of Alfred Hitchcock for more gore and more screams.

Scrumptious Fiction
With so many authors falling under this category it was highly difficult to just high-light two but I have managed it, not without a lot of difficulty I must add.

· J.K. Rowling- Indeed, she is more of a Fantasy Fiction author, yet when it comes to fiction, real fun fiction, who better to discuss than J.K Rowling? Almost coming out of nowhere, J.K. Rowling struck the loudest chord with the common folk, with her Harry Potter series. Her style and her fantasy echoed those of so many others, that she began selling the books like ice-cubes in Sahara. It was of little surprise, when she became the first person to become a US-Dollar billionaire just by writing books. Having sold over 377 million copies, the Harry Potter series provides mystery, laughs, thrills and even chills. Not only for children, this book knows no age limit and provides a great read for just about anyone.

· Jeffrey Archer- Best known for his best seller “Kane and Abel”, Jeffrey Archer added a new dimension to the world of Fiction. With each character, developed to the last detail, it helped the reader's to understand his creations deeply. Without too much complexity in his plots and writing style, Jeffrey Archer's novels provide a relief for every reader, hardcore or otherwise. Jeffrey Archer offers something for everyone and his patriotism is usually rampant in each of his work. His classics include “Shall We Tell the President” and my personal favorite “A Matter of Honor.”

Thus ends this menu and now hopefully you will order the delicious meal of your choice. Naturally all of the items are not available this week but we sure hope to add more new hunger-busters and help our reader's digest and enjoy an unforgettable meal of books and alphabet soup.

Information collected from Wikipedia. Special thanks to Sabrina for sharing her vast knowledge on writers with me.

By Osama Rahman

If you love writing, this week's issue is tailored to your tastes! We've got insights from writers, tips on dealing with writer's block and more.

We threw the RS team a challenge: we gave them some really random, lame and uninspiring titles and told them to come up with wild and wacky stories on the spot. They are all over the paper based on topics likes leaves, sheep, fish, bags, wind (NOT the smelly kind) and happiness even. These cover a broad range of writing styles like humour, narratives, stories and deep philosophical insights.

July 21 is the tentative date for the release of the much-awaited seventh book in the Harry Potter series. We're counting down, starting this week, by reviewing the six books that precede it. Also keep your eyes peeled for more Potter mania coming your way in the next few weeks.

Finally, Father's Day is right around the corner, so don't forget to do something special for that special man in your life!