By The Book

A delightful, (relatively) standalone novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, Small Gods tells the story of a god who finds himself in the body of a one-eyed tortoise, seeking the help of a true believer. It's a quest story, but also one that tells a story of power, humanism and philosophy - all while being laugh out loud funny. Dr Murallitharan Munisamy joins us for this month's book club, and stays on to chat in our Footnotes about other books that also tackle and highlight philosophical matters.

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Clarissa Goenawan is an Indonesian-born Singaporean writer who wrote the award-winning 2015 novel “Rainbirds”. In her latest novel, “The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida”, she travels through Japan’s history to tell the story of a tragic mystery. We speak with Clarissa about writing histories and trauma, and how she delved into a different culture in her fiction. We wrap things up by taking a look at news from the literary world and how the industry is adapting to these uncertain times.

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As we head into the end (fingers crossed) of the Movement Control Order, we're being inundated with ideas and concepts surrounding the New Normal, as we learn to live in a world with Covid-19, and all the adjustments that might entail. So in this episode, we discuss books that talk about this very thing: The New Normal, through the prism of personal stories, migration, and even money. And in Footnotes, we talk about whether an author's personal life influences the way we view them.

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Emotions like anxiety and grief aren’t always easy to explain or express - perhaps that’s why reading about them within the pages of a book can be so compelling. This week, we discuss books that feature these complex emotions as themes, and then close things off with more recommendations of long articles to read.

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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're continuing our journey through this complex series, with its weave of dreams, mythology and culture, by discussing Volumes 4 and 5: Season of Mists and A Game of You. Joining us on this journey is BFM’s own Haniff Baharudin. We then close off with some other graphic novel recommendations.

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Travel may not be a luxury that we have right now, but to celebrate World Book and Copyright Day this year, we thought we’d take the idea literally - and travel the world through books. We look at books from various countries in the world, and how they offer us a glimpse into what life might be like in a different place and culture - as well who gets to “present” a particular country in literature. Books discussed include: Life & Death in Shanghai (China), The Quiet American (Vietnam), Funny Boy (Sri Lanka), Persepolis (Iran), The Year of the Hare (Finland), Kitchen (Japan), and the writings of Stephen King and Zadie Smith. In Footnotes, we talk about made-up worlds instead, specifically the worldbuilding capabilities of J.R.R. Tolkien and Isaac Asimov.

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Science and technology gone wrong, totalitarian governments, a world out of balance - dystopian universes have long been fertile ground for the imagination, stemming from recognisable, relatable fears. In this episode, we talk about our favourite dystopian works, and then recommend some great long articles we've enjoyed.

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With most of us spending much more time at home now, experimenting in the kitchen has become one form of enjoyment and escape for many people. And if there’s one thing we love more than a good book, it’s a good meal! So this week, we’re discussing the special place that cookbooks hold, and more generally, books that focus on food. And then, we close the show off by discussing books that taught us new skills.

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For this month's book club, we dive into Zen Cho's collection of short stories that explore different takes on fairy tales and ghost stories, that take place in Malaysia and abroad, in this world and in others. And then in keeping with this episode's loose theme of escapism, we talk about what our desert island reads would be.

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What would we read if we had to stay home all day? This hypothetical question has, in the past week or so, become a reality for most of us Malaysians, so we discuss what we have been reading, what we plan to read, and why. We wrap things up with a nod to World Poetry Day, by having poet Dhinesha Karthigesu perform for us.

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