Bohemiacademia

I'm going to start by saying that this really isn't the kind of book I'd normally read. In general, I have some kind of bizarre prejudice against any book that's set more than 10 years in the past; partly, I think, because authors often adopt a sort of vaguely patronising tone, crooning about years gone by and using it as an excuse to use flowery language and generally be nostalgic about a past they probably weren't alive to see. 


So, when The Chaperone dropped through my door and I read the blurb, I immediately dreaded reading it. And for the first couple of pages, I did find the writing style a bit difficult. Once I'd got past it, though, the book was a good read. 


More after the jump

A Rural Affair dropped through my door just when life was at the busiest state it'd been in for a while. Normally, this means I'm happy to have an excuse to curl up with some chick lit in the bath at night, but I didn't quite find this one gripping enough to make me want to do that. 


The plot is fairly straightforward: Poppy, a woman stuck in a boring and unfulfilling marriage, finds herself wishing her husband would die. One day, he does, by a freak accident involving a toilet, some ice, a plane and a bike ride. Instead of the normal guilt, though, Poppy finds herself relieved and sets about sorting out her life, in the course of which she discovers a secret about her husband that makes her fall apart completely. Gradually she pulls herself back together, but will she ever find love again? 


More after the jump

The Internet Crime Complaint Center has recently published a report on internet crime in 2011. Overall, there was a 3.4% increase year-on-year, with just over 300,000 complaints received last year. 


The most common complaints included FBI-related scams, identity theft and fee fraud. Surprisingly, however, only 36.9% of victims reported financial loss from the crimes. 


Gender-wise, the split was pretty even, but looking at the country breakdown was interesting; the USA accounted for 90.99% of all internet-based crime complaints. 


More after the jump

I must admit I've never picked up a date in an elevator. Nor have I ever had anyone try to pick me up in one. Probably the weirdest dating-related experience I've had was when some guy walked up to me in the street, told me he thought I looked pretty, and asked if I could cook and clean. When I told him I could, he replied "Excellent. You can be my wife." I laughed, then realised he was still straight-faced. Either he was an excellent deadpan comic, or just genuinely a bit insane. 

Anyway, to save you from similar humiliation when attempting to find a future partner, James Charm has teamed up with Joop! Homme to create an instructional video which tells you how to step into an elevator and charm the pants off anyone you desire. Metaphorically speaking, of course... 

Check out the video below; what do you think of JC's technique? Any further tips for charming the ladies? 
,

This post has been sponsored by Joop! Homme.

I was intrigued to find in my inbox this morning a study about how perfectionism relates to social goals. Shim & Fletcher studied a sample group of 367 college students to find out how two particular areas of perfectionism - personal standards and concern over mistakes - made a difference to perfectionists' actions and reactions in social situations. 


Unsurprisingly, it seems that people who are preoccupied with perfection don't just set aside their worries when they start interacting with others. 


Full results after the jump