★★★☆☆ Book Review: Reality Bitchslap by Arif Rahman

Bros’ travelogue gets the graphic memoir treatment. Written and illustrated by Malaysian artist Arif Rafhan, Reality Bitchslap is a graphic memoir that encapsulates the quintessential bro road trip, as Arif and his best mates set off on a journey around Southeast Asia to celebrate their last days of bachelorhood. Taking readers from Hat Yai to Phnom Penh, ‘beautiful’ Ho Chi Minh City to ‘fascinating’ Jogja, it’s … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Book Review: Reality Bitchslap by Arif Rahman

★★★☆☆ Book Review: Taiping Tales of Terror by Julya Oui

The ghosts and legends of Southeast Asia come to life when a group of boys share campfire tales.  While we may not have grown up in an environment where campfire ghost stories were the norm, Malaysian author Julya Oui certainly takes us right to that setting with her short story collection Taiping Tales of Terror.  Rather ironically, ‘Taiping’ literally translates to ‘peaceful’, while the stories contained … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Book Review: Taiping Tales of Terror by Julya Oui

By The Book: 2020 Singapore Literature Prize Awards Ceremony goes virtual this August, with 52 shortlisted works

A total of 52 works have been shortlisted for the biennial Singapore Literature Prize (SLP), Singapore’s top literary award. For the first time in the history of the SLP, the awards ceremony will be held online via the Singapore Book Council’s Facebook and YouTube pages on 27th August 2020 at 8pm. The 52 works are shortlisted across 12 categories, across the three genres of Poetry, … Continue reading By The Book: 2020 Singapore Literature Prize Awards Ceremony goes virtual this August, with 52 shortlisted works

★★★☆☆ Book Review: 18 Walls by Teo Xue Shen

Seeing conscription through the lens of a world at war with monsters. In the increasingly bleak world we live in, the most terrifying thing is that a dystopia is far closer to reality than it is fiction. Yet somehow, the YA dystopia novel has become one of the most popular genres to emerge in recent years, with some of the most well-known series including The … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Book Review: 18 Walls by Teo Xue Shen

By The Book: Asian Festival of Children’s Content Goes Digital This October

The Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) will be returning from 3rd to 4th October 2020 in an entirely digital format. Organisers The Singapore Book Council (SBC) have decided to re-conceive the annual festival as a two-day digital symposium in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with a series of workshops, masterclasses and pitching sessions on  2nd October to prelude the digital symposium. AFCC 2020 … Continue reading By The Book: Asian Festival of Children’s Content Goes Digital This October

★☆☆☆☆ Book Review: Everyday A-holes by Dean Blake

A book of crude drawings that will put readers on either end of the love-hate spectrum.  Described as a ‘picture book for adults’, Australian author Dean Blake’s Everyday A-holes feels akin to an Instagram feed compiled into a single e-book. Inspired by real life encounters during the author’s travels across the globe, the portraits are (deliberately) crudely hand-drawn, each accompanied by captions describing the ‘everyday a-hole’ pictured.  … Continue reading ★☆☆☆☆ Book Review: Everyday A-holes by Dean Blake

By The Book: Epigram Unveils Stories About Stories Online, Showcasing New Book Offerings In The Year To Come

Usually held twice a year to showcase their upcoming titles, Epigram Books has taken Stories About Stories online, with authors talking about their upcoming books on video, and giving fans a first look at their new works to come from July to December 2020. In the fiction segment, look out for Epigram Books Fiction Prize finalists, such as librarian and first time novelist Erni Salleh, who penned … Continue reading By The Book: Epigram Unveils Stories About Stories Online, Showcasing New Book Offerings In The Year To Come

By The Book: New Epigram Releases – July 2020

This July, Epigram is releasing four brand new titles, each one so different, you’re sure to find at least one worth reading all at one go when you pick them up. How the Man in Green Saved Pahang, and Possibly the World  Joshua Kam’s debut novel and winner of the Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2020 is finally here, and promises a rip-roaring adventure across Malaysia. Gabriel … Continue reading By The Book: New Epigram Releases – July 2020

By The Book: First-ever online Book Illustrators Gallery (BIG) launches in June

Organised by the Singapore Book Council, as part of AFCC (Asian Festival of Children’s Content) Digital, the first-ever online Book Illustrators Gallery (BIG) is giving readers an opportunity to take off and travel around Asia, virtually that is. Featuring close to 200 illustrations from 13 Asian countries, BIG invites visitors to explore new cultures and the best of picture book illustrations from around Asia. Having … Continue reading By The Book: First-ever online Book Illustrators Gallery (BIG) launches in June

★★★☆☆ Book Review: Fall In! The Unofficial Guide to Surviving Basic Military Training by Matthew Chew & Nicholas U Jin

An informative and fun survival guide to prepare the recruits of Gen-Z. No matter how many times you read (and re-read) MINDEF’s official website, how many of Jack Neo’s Ah Boys to Men movies you’ve watched (skip everything after the second one), or how many times your father tells you anecdotes that start with “back in my day”, nothing ever quite prepares you for the … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Book Review: Fall In! The Unofficial Guide to Surviving Basic Military Training by Matthew Chew & Nicholas U Jin