March, 2023 – 912 Batu Road by Viji Krishnamoorthy
BG1 and BG2 meeting March 2023 Review: 912 Batu Road by Viji Krishnamoorthy The March book group meeting was quite special as Book Group 1 and Book Group 2 held a combined discussion meeting of the book ‘912 Batu Road’. We also had the privilege of having the author Viji Krishnamoorthy join the meeting. Viji Krishnamoorthy […]
Feb, 2023 -The Accidental Malay by Karina Robles Bahrin
BG 1 – February 2023 review The Accidental Malay by Karina Robles Bahrin About the author: Karina’s debut as a writer was when she guest-edited a weekly teen column in The Straits Times, she wrote various short stories and she is a former columnist with the weekly The Heat. She currently lives and works on the island […]
Feb, 2023 – The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
BG 2 – February 2023 REVIEW – THE MAP OF SALT AND STARS BY JENNIFER ZEYNAB JOUKHADAR The Map of Salt and Stars, a novel by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar, puts a face on the tragedy of the Syrian refugee crisis. The war in Syria has raged for more than eight years now, obliterating cities and homes […]
Jan, 2023 – On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong
Book Group 1 – On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong Our January read was a book that truly made you think. As one member put it “I think the author is a genius”. His use of language is superlative. With very few words he captures the essence and says what he needs to, […]
Nov. 2022 – Ghacher Ghocher – Vivek Shanbhag
Book Group 2 – Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag In Ghachar Ghochar, a lower-middle-class family finds itself suddenly wealthy. This means a move to a richer neighbourhood, from a tiny railroad-style house with no living room to a big, two-storied place. A bench, two chairs and mattresses give way to beds and dressers. No sitting on the […]
Oct. 2022 – Paradise Lost: Mahathir & the End of Hope – Dennis Ignatius
Paradise Lost: Mahathir & the End of Hope By Dennis Ignatius Book Group 1 – Friday, October 28, 2022 What is the greatest challenge facing Malaysia today? Dennis Ignatius lists several but in his view, the forces of political Islam pose the greatest threat to the constitutional democracy of this country. Some of us see […]
Oct, 2022 – If I had your Face – Frances Cha
BG 2 – OCTOBER 2022 Review If I had your Face by Frances Cha – Book Review South Korea is often referred to as the ‘plastic surgery capital of the world,’ where it’s not only typical but expected for young women to have double eyelid surgery before they hit 30. Jaw slimming, skin lasering, destructive […]
Sept, 2022 – The Beekeeper of Aleppo – Christine Lefteri
BG1 – September 30th 2022 – Review A small but lively group joined the September 30th discussion of The Beekeeper of Aleppo, a 2019 novel that deals with the plight of refugees from Aleppo in Syria to Europe during the 2011 Syrian Civil War. Nuri, a beekeeper and his wife, Afra, an artist, are living […]
Sept, 2022 – Bright – Duanwad Pimwana
BG2 – September 2022 – Review Book Group 2 had a meeting this September to discuss Duanwad Pimwana’s “Bright” a translation into English by Mui Poopoksakul. Kampol was a boy abandoned by both parents and left to be cared for by the occupants of Mrs. Tongjan’s cluster of tenement houses. One must have great faith […]
Aug, 2022 – The Baghdad Clock – Shahad Al Rawi
BG 1 – Book Review – August 26th 2022 The Baghdad Clock by Shahad Al Rawi The Baghdad Clock, a story between real and imaginary, is written by Iraqi author Shahad Al Rawi with magic realism as her writing style. The book has been originally written in Arabic, published in 2016 and has been translated […]