Two Book Nerds Talking

In our second episode of our Literature for Equality Project, we tackled the word feminism itself. How did this word get its current reputation? Why do people shy away from the word feminist? Adichie puts forth clear, concise and powerful arguments on why everyone should be a feminist. It not only affects how we bring up girls but also how we treat boys. We delve into the meaning of the word, toxi...

This is the first episode of our Literature for Equality Project where we pick 8 books that use them to discuss gender issues. This project is supported by The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. Our first book is Iban Woman by Golda Mowe and this is a thrilling coming-of-age tale of Ratai, an Iban girl at the cusp of womanhood and her struggles in finding her identity and wanting to be more than j...

"Ehhh macam Jakun la" "Jakun la you" "Don't be like one Jakun can or not" Do these phrases sound familiar? What is a playful jibe towards others is actually an Orang Asli (meaning original or first peoples in Malay) tribe name. The Jakun people are the second largest Orang Asli sub-groups in Malaysia. In this episode, we spoke to Sherry Viviey, a half-Jakun youth on the discrimination and challeng...

Having to uproot yourself from a country and the life you've known, and starting all over can be daunting. But it can also mean opening more doors of opportunity for you. In this episode, we spoke to Abeera and Yusra, two amazing youths from Project Stand Up, on their aspirations, their challenges, and their hopes for the well-being and empowerment of refugee youths here in Malaysia. Check out thi...

“The grievances of the plaintiffs are real … the discrimination is apparent,” Justice Akhtar Tahir said, reading out his ruling in the landmark case against discriminatory citizenship laws back on the 9th of September 2021. In this episode, we spoke to Bina Ramanand who co-founded the Foreign Spouses Support Group Malaysia and is the Lead Coordinator for the "Malaysian Campaign for Equal Citizensh...

Everyone has a universal need to feel accepted, to be accepted for their authentic self. In a country that does not recognize the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, living your truth can be scary and painful. In this special episode, you'll be hearing an excerpt of Julya's unpublished book, Transma and Me, and we had a wonderful conversation with Julya and Faris about their experiences and their indi...

Hello there folks! This is an edited version of the LIVE conversation we have with Daryl Kho with some extra excerpts and nerd news. Mist Bound is a is a charming tale of a bright little girl, Alexis who is very close to her grandfather. When he was put under a spell by a kenit, his mind starts filling with mist and he soon forgets everything even his own wife and granddaughter. Alexis and her gra...

We sat down with Li Hsian the co-facilitator for art discovery tours at Ilham Gallery and picked her brains on great local children's picture books. They use a lot of picture books at the gallery to introduce children to art and themes that might be tricky to navigate. We went through some great books and waxed nostalgia on some reads from our childhoods.

We are all bereft of nature right now being stuck in our houses so being a book nerd, we picked up some books that we can live vicariously through. From long nature walks to friendships with foxes, there is something in our picks that will be bound to tickle your non-fiction fancy. Try them and smell fresh air and marvel at creatures great and small through the pages of these books. Music : Teddy...

After last week's horror that is way too close to home, we are still in the world of the supernatural albeit a more rollicking one. Welcome to an alternate Cairo at the turn of the 20th century a mash up of steampunk and djinns with a nice dash of police noir. These series of novellas, short story and novel is pure escapism. Diana and I can't get enough of them. Many thanks this week to Dilly who...

Here is an interview we did at the last Ubud Writer's Festival in 2019 (remember sitting in rooms, huddled together listening to an author?) What carefree days those were. Honey sat down with an Indonesian Emerging Writer Nurillah Achmad and talked to her about her macabre short story, myths and black magic. We finally got down to editing it. We left the Bahasa Indonesian interview but explain wha...

In keeping with our August 2021 Book Challenge, we are re-releasing one of our favourite cli-fi reads, The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. Being fantasy dorks, we dig deep into NK Jemisin's award-winning fantasy series, the Broken Earth trilogy. It is epic, nuanced and delves into really personal stuff with a backdrop of the world ending. We talk about reading everything from just one author...

Our August challenge is to read a book about climate change or a book set in the tropics. We decided to give you reads set near a beach (or sea or island) and as you can see we have interpreted it rather loosely. And well, that's the challenge; to just pick up a book on your TBR or something that you've always wanted to read to fit our #TBNTBookChallenge2021. And feel free to be creative. Here are...

We sat down for an interview with YA author Kalynn Bayron and talked about her new novel, This Poison Heart. It's got a gothic house, a secret garden, locked rooms and a girl who can control plants. 'Black Poison Ivy' is what she calls her heroine Briseis and there is plenty of blooming action when she arrives at her inheritance, a dark mansion over acres of land. Check it out. Music credits: Boss...

In these strange and challenging times, books like Think Again can be useful in making you embrace the things that you think are keeping you back from making change and moving on. Imposter syndrome (apparently not that bad), constructive arguing (we can all learn it and trust it), changing your mind and being able to change another's (and still do it with compassion). So many things we like to nib...

We had a little online LIVE event recently with Elaine from Lit Books and Singaporean author Suffian Hakim. We wished we were doing it at the bookstore and all of us felt a little bereft about it but well- the show must go on! The Keepers of Stories is his most intimate one yet, and in our opinion, his best. It follows siblings Hakeem and Zulaika as they are taken to Changi Beach (this is the 70s)...

This is part 2 of our 30 Dirty this month. We wanted to really get stuck into these brilliant novellas hence divided the show into two. This week we dive into the world of mer-people, enchanted forests, a benign alien invasion and an island where people go to grieve - to name a few. We also cover cannibalism and gothic writings under a hot sun - all the good stuff. Credits: Excerpts were taken fro...

We're a careening into the second half of 2021 and the July challenge is to read a book that has magical realism or a speculative fiction novella. As usual we narrowed it down and are bringing to you today Novellas that has a bit of a horror bent to it, some of it is gory, some disturbing and some makes you feel like you are going a little mad. Intrigued? Well we have two parts to this. Stay tuned...

We're doing book chasers this week and it's all on feminist retellings - and we're looking into 3 books that go into Greek mythology, Norse mythology, and a famous Ballad. These books are debuts and are so good we can only curl up in envy even as we are devouring them. We delve into feminine power, motherhood, consequences and gender among other things and peeled back why our myths punish women so...

We sat down to discuss a wonderful translation of Genzaburo Yoshino's 1930's classic How Do You Live? This is one of Diana's best reads of 2021 so far, and once you've sat back and listened to this episode, you will understand why books like this are important and have stood the test of time. The story of Copper and his inquisitive mind has been a favourite of many Japanese people growing up throu...

It's the first episode of Season 5. Hello friends and book lovers we are back and this is our 100th episode! That's pretty amazing eh? And have we got a treat for you. This is an interview we did with sci-fi author Andy Weir and we had a good time chatting with him about his latest book, Project Hail Mary. We both enjoyed this book and it's back on familiar 'The Martian' territory. One man, solo,...

Just to get you folks warmed up for Season 5. Yes! Season 5 is just around the corner and we are giving you our monthly 30 Dirty. June's #tbntbookchallenge2021 is to read a translated work OR a book written by a non-nativeEnglish speaker. We have decided to narrow the field by focusing on books translated and released this year. Let's get to it! Editor's note: We apologise for the audio quality in...

Notes: A few more sleeps till we kick off Seasons 5 (and it'll be our 100th episode too!). So till then, enjoy this throwback to our 7th episode on Murakami's Killing Commendatore. We thought it'd be a good one to indulge in, especially because his latest release, First Person Singular, has hit our shores. Enjoy! |..| In the first show of the new year, Honey and Diana peel back the layers of Murak...

Yes, we're on a break, but we couldn't let you go without another 30Dirty episode! So we roped in our interns to give you the low-down on coming-of-age and family drama recommendations… all as graphic novels - fun! Not to worry, we do have some novels too for those who aren't ready to brave full frontal illustrations. Please make our first-time podcasters Steph and Aly feel welcomed - they definit...

Notes: Just because Season 4 is over, does not mean you have to stop listening! We've got lots of exciting tid-bits coming your way. But, for now, here's an oldie but a goldie; a perfect read for our April #tbntbookchallenge too! |..| We are back with a killer new season of book nerdery. First up, Good Omens, we talk book, TV and, friendships- between an angel, Aziraphale and a demon, Crowley plus...