By The Book

In her latest collection of poetry titled “Incantations, Incarcerations”, Malaysian poet Bernice Chauly explores ageing, menopause, motherhood - juxtaposed against a world that is changing around us. We speak with her about writing raw and honest poetry from a female perspective, and why we need more such Malaysian voices. We wrap things up by sharing some of our favourite poems. See o...

This month, our book club loudly greets listeners with an 'Irasshaimase!', as we discuss Convenience Store Woman, Sayaka Murata's award-winning novel about a woman in her 30s who desires nothing more than to be a convenience store worker while living in a society that doesn't see any value in that position. After that, we discuss Japanese fiction and its specific tone and style. See omnystudio.com...

For most readers, the love of books is something that is instilled in childhood. Yet, how exactly do you get a child to love reading? We’re joined by fellow reader and parent Tee Shiao Eek, as we discuss how we each got introduced to books, some possible ways to create little readers, and what some of our childhood faves were. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In light of Kamila Shamsie having a literary prize revoked for her personal support of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement, we use it as a launching pad to discuss whether authors' political beliefs affect our enjoyment of their work, and for that matter, whether it should. And then we move on to looking at how soon is too soon when it comes to writing books that capture our current politica...

As self-avowed fans of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics, we knew there was no way we could discuss the entire series in one show. So we kick things off with the first of several book club discussions on this complex series, which is centred on the idea of dreams and stories. Joining us on this journey is BFM’s own Haniff Baharudin. First up, we discuss Volumes 1-3: Preludes & Nocturnes...

In conjunction with World Alzheimer's Day, we're broadcasting a live special recorded at Lit Books where we talked about Nicci Gerrard's book What Dementia Teaches Us About Love. An affecting exploration of dementia and its effects on the self, family, and society, the book was based on the life and death of Gerrard's father. We speak with Dr Rishikesan Kuppusamy for a local perspective on dementi...

It all begins with one photo and three women: Marlene Dietrich, Anna May Wong, and Leni Riefenstahl. From there, Amanda Lee Koe's first novel branches out to explore the stories of their lives and their choices, and the smaller, no less important stories of outsiders living in their wake. We speak to Amanda about Old Hollywood and its allure, and the process behind writing this intricate, dreamy b...

Some books have long been thought of as unfilmable - too dense, too layered, too metaphorical, too internalised, take your pick - but in this episode, we wanted to explore whether that's true. And while we're at it, we also get into what kind of readers we are in terms of wanting to see someone else's version of a book play out on screen, and also whether the brave new world of prestige TV is chan...

With Merdeka Day around the corner, this month’s book club looks at a very Malaysian title - Scenes of the Father by Amir Hafizi, an illustrated short story of sorts which explores rural Malaysian life through the lens of memory and nostalgia. Joining us to discuss the book and more generally, the idea of what a “Malaysian book” means, is writer, filmmaker, and publisher Amir Muh...

Pink sparkly covers and entire aisles that just scream Chick Lit are often juxtaposed against weighty tomes and covers that are all about action and saving the world, so we wanted to explore the question of whether we're giving in to gendered norms on our bookshelves, and what that means for us as readers. Wading into the thicket with us on this one is Arvindh Yuvaraj, someone who has never bought...

We take a trip to Anfield with sports pundit Bob Holmes, who joins us to talk about his new book, “Shanks, Yanks & Jurgen”. True to its title, the book traces the history of Liverpool FC from its early days under the late Bill Shankley to the current revival with Jurgen Klopp - and Bob even shares his favourite quotes and anecdotes of Shanks. We wrap things up with a discussion on...

We take a trip to Anfield with sports pundit Bob Holmes, who joins us to talk about his new book, “Shanks, Yanks & Jurgen”. True to its title, the book traces the history of Liverpool FC from its early days under the late Bill Shankley to the current revival with Jurgen Klopp - and Bob even shares his favourite quotes and anecdotes of Shanks. We wrap things up with a discussion on...

Between adulting, life admin, work and Netflix - where does one find time to read? That's the question we try to answer in this week's episode, examining our own reading habits, how they've changed over the years and crucially, how we maintain a healthy relationship with our books and our time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a certain group of readers around the world, July 31 is an important date: the birthday of The Boy Who Lived. For the uninitiated, that’s Harry Potter, and yes, we are taking this opportunity to revisit and reminisce over our love for J.K. Rowling’s global phenomenon of a book series. Whether you loved it, hated it, or have yet to read it, join us as we discuss what made the series...

Tash Aw's latest novel, We the Survivors, examines the story of a Malaysian man who commits a violent, racist crime, and asks: what were the circumstances that led him there? We speak to Tash himself about what inspired the book, why it has its specific tone and language, and all the different Malaysias we experience, depending on our privilege and education. And then we follow that up with a brie...

Tash Aw's latest novel, We the Survivors, examines the story of a Malaysian man who commits a violent, racist crime, and asks: what were the circumstances that led him there? We speak to Tash himself about what inspired the book, why it has its specific tone and language, and all the different Malaysias we experience, depending on our privilege and education. And then we follow that up with a brie...

In honour of Bastille Day on July 14, we get a crash course on French literature from Roland Husson of the Embassy of France in Malaysia. We discuss how reading and literature in France have evolved over the history, what contemporary French literature is, and some of the literary connections between France and Malaysia. We wrap things up by talking about our experiences with translated literary w...

This month we turn our attention to Normal People, the much-feted, much-discussed second novel by Sally Rooney, which explores intense love, social isolation, and ideas of masculinity and fragility. BFM's Dhanya Nair joins us for this journey. And then after that, we catch up on some correspondence about American novels and novelists. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 4th of July is the United States of America’s Independence Day, and we take the opportunity to discuss American literature - and particularly, the idea of the “great American novel” and why it is so particular to the US. We also discuss some of our favourite American writers, including John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, and - quite unanimously - Stephen King! We wrap things up with...

This week we venture into the tricky waters of canon - how do we feel when authors revisit their works and worlds, and make changes? Are we able to accept that some of our favourite characters might adapt and have hidden histories? We discuss all this and more, invoking Harry Potter and queerness, and posthumous changes to Atticus Finch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our book club ventures into a galaxy far, far away with BFM’s Arvind Yuvaraj, to re-acquaint ourselves with a beloved screen character: Princess Leia. Claudia Gray’s young adult novel, Leia: Princess of Alderaan introduces us to a 16-year-old Leia Organa, and takes us along on her journey of growing into her legacy. And as a nod to Father’s Day, we discuss our favourite literary...

What if we could reconstruct the library of the humorist, author, and literary icon that is Mark Twain? What would we be able to find out about how he read, and why is that knowledge important? We find out with Alan Gribben, professor of English at Auburn University, who's spent the better part of his academic life hunting down the books of Mark Twain. He's also (not coincidentally) the author of...

The Hari Raya celebrations begin this week, and along with it, reflection on the values that are often associated with the holiday. We take this time to talk about empathy when it comes to reading, and how books have the ability to put us in someone else's position. Our picks include Anthony Bourdain's travel books, Black Beauty, Wonder, and All the Light We Cannot See. See omnystudio.com/listener...

With the premiere of the highly anticipated Amazon Prime adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens, we chat about literary adaptations that have worked. Why have some movies and shows worked better than others? What are the great ones managing to capture? We discuss this and more, including Game of Thrones, Handmaid's Tale, and The Godfather. See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

For this month’s book club, we turn armchair philosophers with BFM’s Haniff Baharudin, and delve into Julian Baggini’s The Pig that Wants to be Eaten: And Ninety-Nine Other Thought Experiments. The book poses 100 thought experiments drawn from the history of philosophy and ideas, leaving readers with many questions to mull over. We then round things off with some favourite books...