By The Book

A book about books and people who love books - on our book club! This week, we’re joined by fellow reader and book lover Satthiya Kandi to discuss Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (2015) - a warm and engaging read that tells the story of a widowed bookseller who finds his life taking an unexpected turn when a mysterious baby is left at his shop. We discuss the novel and...

Dorothy Parker once wrote: “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second-greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of 'The Elements of Style. The first-greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they're happy.” In this episode of Bibliography, we talk about the book that's shaped generations of authors, and then dive into the works of...

Often hailed as one of science fiction’s seminal books, Foundation is the first of Isaac Asimov’s series set in a distant future of interplanetary travel and galactic empires. In this novel, we’re introduced to mathematician Hari Seldon, and the concept of psychohistory, a field of mathematics that allows for the prediction of future events. We discuss the book, the particular ki...

The King of Horror, one of the best selling and most adapted authors of all time, Stephen King is also a firm favourite in this book-loving corner of radio. Yet despite all this, he's always been something of an outlier in the literary world, with many critics not crediting his writing and influence. In this episode, we talk about why that is, along with the life and times of Stephen King, and the...

In the second of two episodes, we're using books and the written word to celebrate what it means to be Malaysian. We speak with four Malaysians and ask: What is a Malaysian book you would recommend, and why? What was your experience reading this book? And what does this book represent in terms of the idea of "Malaysian literature"? From poetry and new age fiction to imaginary creatures and folk ta...

In the first of two episodes, we're celebrating and exploring our country and our national identity, through the lens of books and literature. We speak to five Malaysians and ask them: What is a Malaysian book you would recommend, and why? What was your experience reading this book? And what does this book represent in terms of the idea of "Malaysian literature"? Their picks span poetry, graphic n...

With a story set in Pahang that traces a family’s story from 1920 to the present, Catherine Menon’s debut novel uses the relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter to examine the impacts of colonisation, war, and generational trauma. We speak with the author about returning to her family’s roots to write the book, and why she was so drawn to tell the stories of those wh...

With a story set in Pahang that traces a family’s story from 1920 to the present, Catherine Menon’s debut novel uses the relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter to examine the impacts of colonisation, war, and generational trauma. We speak with the author about returning to her family’s roots to write the book, and why she was so drawn to tell the stories of those wh...

A delightful autobiography from famed naturalist Gerald Durrell, My Family and Other Animals is many things: whimsical comedy, lovely family story, and loving ode to the flora and fauna of Corfu, which is where Durrell's family find themselves in the 1930s. We're joined by Wong Siew Lyn, Macaranga editor, to talk about the experience of reading this book, and the beauty of the writing. And then in...

What would happen if your estranged grandmother with a vendetta was determined that you help her see it through? Oh, and she's a ghost living in your head. That's the opening premise of Zen Cho's latest novel, Black Water Sister, but as the novel unfolds, it also encompasses Malaysian mythos and religious practices, superstitions, family ties and feminine rage and agency. We speak to Zen about bri...

For this month’s book club, we go on a literary journey both real and existential with Tania De Rozario’s genre-defying book inspired by both the multiverse theory and Pick Your Own Path novels. It broadly tells the story of a person facing the end of a relationship, while also contending with larger events happening around them - and each time the reader makes a choice, the story spli...

In his debut novel Tinhead City, KL, Malaysian writer Stuart Danker sets a cyberpunk thriller in a futuristic Kuala Lumpur with cyborg police officers and an authoritarian corporate government. We speak with Stuart about coming up with this world, and the process of writing a “Malaysian story”. We wrap up the show with a review of Tinhead City, KL. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

In conjunction with International Joke Day, we're highlighting and celebrating the books and writers that make us laugh - something much needed as we find ourselves right in the heart of the doldrums. We also discuss how tricky it can be to write funny stories, as opposed to telling them aloud, and why comics continue to be a great bridge when it comes to humour. And then in Footnotes, we discuss...

Psychotherapist and writer Lori Gottlieb’s memoir begins at a difficult point in her life, a time when she herself seeks out therapy to cope with her challenges. Thus, the book juxtaposes her own journey with therapy against her experiences with five different patients - and uses simple, accessible language and storytelling to make a case for therapy and mental health care. We review the boo...

Pearl S. Buck was many things: daughter of missionary parents; a white woman writing primarily about the people and struggles of her adopted home, China; Nobel and Pulitzer prize winner; humanitarian. In this Bibliography episode, we dive into her life, work and legacy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short stories often get short shrift - but far from being the novel’s lesser cousin, short stories bring joys that are entirely their own, and require a rather different approach to write as well. So, we’re dedicating this show to the short stories, and joining us for the conversation is Ling Low, who was recently shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2021. We wrap up the...

Despite our best intentions, some books are harder to get through than others - and sometimes they even get set aside and abandoned entirely. In this episode, we explore all the reasons why this happens, and how modern life might be contributing to them. We also talk about the experience of returning to abandoned books and how that can be a rewarding experience. And then in Footnotes, we discuss a...

Monique Truong’s latest novel, The Sweetest Fruits, takes a unique approach to telling the story of Lafcadio Hearn, celebrated Japanese writer of Greek-Irish descent: the book is narrated by three different women in his life, from three different times and places. We speak with Monique about her process of researching and writing this story, and more generally, on the question of, who gets t...

Elementary, my dear Watson. The game's afoot! The popularity of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character, Sherlock Holmes, continues to endure and echo until today. But the lesser known parts of the story are how Doyle grew to despise his creation; his interest in spiritualism and fairyfolk; his other historical writings. In this episode of Bibliography, we dive into his life and work, and t...

Bestselling science fiction author Andy Weir, best known for writing The Martian, has just released his third novel, Project Hail Mary: an interstellar adventure about a sole survivor who wakes up in a spaceship with no memory of how he got there or what his mission is. We speak with Andy about the novel, its compelling plot and characters, and his love for infusing science into his storytelling....

Since September 2019, we've dedicated a book club every three months or so to the adventures and travails of Morpheus, the Prince of Stories... the Sandman. In this episode, we conclude our journey through the Dreaming with Worlds' End, The Kindly Ones, and The Wake, and discuss what this complicated, entrancing story means to us. In Footnotes, we look at the possibility of adaptations and whether...

Two recently published local anthologies - Peluru Aksara and Malaysian Millennial Voices - highlight Malaysian writers and poets to keep an eye on. We speak with a few of them about their works, what drew them to the kind of writing they do, and the value of having platforms that highlight emerging writers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro's first book after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, sees him returning to some familiar themes: technology, artificial intelligence, what it means to be human, what it means to serve your purpose, and ultimately... how we relate to one another. We discuss this book with first-time Ishiguro reader, Marc De Faoite, and then in Footnotes, discuss gateway books...

It’s likely that many people have read Hans Christian Andersen’s works without realising it - just think of childhood classics like The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. But Andersen’s tales, while meant for children, often feature themes of struggle, sadness, and life’s inequalities - a reflection perhaps of his own tumultuous personal...

In this lively and humorous collection of stories, VC George recounts his experiences and memories - from growing up in Malaya, to school and work, and from presiding over the Malaysian Bar to after hours spent at the Long Bar. We catch up with him to discuss what it was like to put these stories down on paper, and how his family and friends feel seeing themselves on the page. And then in Footnote...