By The Book

From selling books online, to offering book rentals and trade-ins, Bookurve offers a number of different services, and they're all driven by the notion of giving modern readers what they want. In this episode, we speak to Ryan Teoh, the founder of Bookurve, about their business and how it's changed over the years. And then in Footnotes, we discuss what we look for when buying online. 

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For this month's Book Club, we review 2022 Epigram Books Fiction Prize winner The Accidental Malay, by Karina Robles Bahrin - a novel centred upon Jasmine Leong, the heir apparent of a billion-ringgit bak kwa company, until she discovers that she is a Malay Muslim. We discuss how the book uses a deceptively light touch to explore much heavier themes around religion and freedom of choice in Malaysia, and whether it manages to do so successfully. We close things off with a discussion - and a primer of sorts! - on chick lit. 

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The winner of the 2nd Fixi Novo Malaysian Novel Contest, Not A Monster is a crime thriller, focusing on a mysterious serial killer, Shadowman, and the investigators intent on hunting him down. But alongside this, it also asks questions about the nature of good and evil, and what it means to be, well, not a monster. We speak with author Chua Kok Yee about where this story came from, the process of writing it, and handling content with darker themes. And then in Footnotes, we review the book. 

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Book clubs can be a great way to be introduced to new books, and to get comfortable with discussing them - and when they're for children, they have the added benefit of encouraging a love for reading. We speak with Li Hsian Choo, a parent and founder of a book club for children, about the joys of reading together as a group. We then close off the conversation with recommendations of children's book titles.     

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The power of a well-designed book cover shouldn't be underestimated - just think about all the iconic covers that have become inextricably linked with the stories they contain: The Godfather, Catcher in the Rye, Jaws, Twilight. We discuss what makes some book covers so memorable, and share our favourites. And then in Footnotes, we close off with the uproar caused on social media by Joyce Carol Oates when she claimed white male writers aren't getting enough publishing opportunities.   

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While she was best known for Frankenstein, Mary Shelley lived a deeply fascinating life - she was raised with a radical, intellectual education, engaged in feminist activism throughout her life, and pushed through tragedy, with the loss of her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley at a young age (and three of their children). And she was also a prolific writer and editor to boot. We dive into her life and work in this episode of Bibliography, and then in Footnotes, discuss adaptations and biopics.

Image Source: Biography

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With What Do Men Want: Masculinity and its Discontents, author Nina Power seeks to explore and understand how the role of men has evolved and changed in our current times, with the larger aim of reaching a mutual understanding between the genders. We review the book, discuss where it succeeds and stumbles, and talk about whether it actually answers the big questions it puts forth. Then in Footnotes, we discuss the newly launched TikTok Book Club, which builds on the popularity of #BookTok.

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A number of great books are marking some major anniversaries and centennaries, including The Diary of Anne Frank, Invisible Cities, and Ulysses. We look back at these books and their impact - and then on Footnotes, we dive into a study that found that there are 4 times more male characters in books than female, and how that impacts us as readers.

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Do you consider yourself a reader, and yet sometimes find yourself struggling to actually read a book? You're not alone. In this week's show, we share our own challenges with occasionally falling out of love with the act of reading, and the kinds of books that have helped us rediscover that joy. We close off our conversation with lessons public libraries could learn from coffee shops.

Image Source: Gülfer ERGİN, Unsplash

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Generations of people have loved the adventures (both fantastical and otherwise) of Calvin, the rambunctious, curious six year old, and Hobbes, his wise, sardonic best friend, who just happens to be a tiger who is either alive or a stuffed toy depending who's in the panel with him. In this episode, we talk about the work of their creator Bill Watterson, why Calvin and Hobbes have resonated with so many for so long, and how Watterson impacted the way newspaper comics were thought of. And of course, we also discuss the fact that he walked away after 10 years, and has committed to not having adaptations, or merchandising of his work, despite many offers. 

Image Source : Biography

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