Why We Should All Read “Kill the Indian, Save the Man: The Genocidal Impact of American Indian Residential Schools”
*Warning: This book contains gruesome details about the tragic mistreatment and abuse of indigenous residential school children. Read at your own discretion. Walk on, little Charlie Walk on through the snow. Heading down the railway line, Trying to make it home. Well, he’s made it forty miles, Six hundred left to go. It’s a long […]
Once Upon A Time In Carrotland: a Gift of Friendship & Community
When we think of ‘love’, most likely the first thing that comes to mind are romantic relationships. However, there are other kinds of human relations, such as family and friendship, that deserve more attention too. Added together, everyone has their own little communities that enrich our lives in different ways and offer us emotional support […]
Beloved as one half of an orange
To call someone your “media naranja” — a term of endearment in Spanish — is to regard them as your “better half”. “Naranja” itself translates into “orange fruit” (citrus sinensis), lending the affectionate name its metaphorical dimension that is traced in Plato’s The Symposium: Aristophanes speaks about how man was once ‘perfectly’ spheric like an […]
Perversions of Love in Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman
I read tons of romance. Many might consider it as brainless fodder; something to chow down on in your free time. But today I’d like to talk about something that’s a little more anti-romantic. It toes the line between romantic partners and platonic soulmates, intimacy and connection — some might even say, fate; a tacit […]
On family and distance
February’s theme “The article was written in scraps of time, between snatched moments of sleep. This can’t be normal, she thought, exhilarated, typing away in her sleep at three in the morning.” ― Jeremy Tiang, State of Emergency When’s the last time a book kept you up, and why did it keep you up? Alternatively, […]
Chinese History from the Perspective of Ordinary Women in Wild Swans
Historical events are seldom narrated from the perspective of women. Rather, they tend to be dominated by male perspectives while obscuring female experiences. The amount of historical memoirs written by well-educated, upper-class men vastly outnumber those written by women or people from less-privileged backgrounds. Wild Swans, by Jung Chang, is […]
What makes a favourite book?
What makes something our favourite? Maybe it has to be the best of its kind to us — but are such superlatives oxymoronic when paired when first-person pronouns? The value of favourites also varies from one person to another: One person’s favourite shirt could be their most worn article of clothing, one so well worn […]
Getting schooled on being educated
In its first year alone, Tara Westover’s Educated sold 6 million copies (by December 2020). Easily so, it won readers over with its gripping story of one woman’s struggle to break away from her isolationist, Mormon family — one of such readers, being me. Aside from When Breath Becomes Air, no other memoir has moved […]
What’s Cooking in Chickpeas to Cook & Other Stories
Darcel Anastasia Al Anthony
Redefining Family and Gender in Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic
If you like romance novels and you’re looking for something new to read, Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic is an excellent choice. I stumbled on the book when I was housebound for a week after catching Covid-19 and desperately looking for things to do. The synopsis –– unusual for a romance novel, especially one […]
Chick Lit : The Dilemma of Gendering Literature
What comes to mind when you hear the term ‘chick lit’? Romance, fashion, and sparkly book covers dominate the popular image of chick lit, casting it as a genre that is distinct from ‘serious’ literature. As a genre of fiction targeted at young women, the term has been claimed, contested, and criticised since its conception. […]
A Homage to Dame Christie and her top 5 works
I shall never get over Agatha Christie’s works for as long as I live. Her books have left an indelible mark on my life; both on how fastidious one can be when it comes to the details of the deed, and on what excellent writing is like. And no matter the number of works I’ve […]
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit, a true crime review
Reality is a concept that has always been contested. Is it a single chain of events waiting to be discovered? Or is it a patchwork of the many different narratives we construct, each no more ‘real’ than the other? The Man in the Rockefeller Suit is a true crime story about the serial conman and murderer […]
Self-Help Book or Common Sense?
Common sense or useful advice? The genre of self-help books seemed to have earned themselves a certain reputation in the reading community. Readers are sometimes quick to scoff at new self-help books making the shelves, with the impression or knowledge that it will offer ineffectual advice at best. And while others attempt to prove their […]
I was not persuaded by Jane Austen’s Persuasion
Like almost every English Literature major in NUS, I adore Jane Austen. I am not afraid of admitting that I spent most of this year reading and watching Austen novels and adaptations respectively. Sense and Sensibility is one of my favourite novels, the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (1995) is one of my favourite […]
Poetry as Gaze Equalizer: Ekphrastic Poetry’s Liberating Power from the White Gaze in Joy Harjo’s Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings
“Ekphrasis: “Description” in Greek. An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning.” (Poetry Foundation) While most of us Anglophiles might be more […]
Izumi Shikibu’s Poetry – The Experience of Loss A Thousand Years Back
In conceptualising and thinking about loss, I wondered what texts might accurately reflect the veracity and reality of loss. In truth, it may be hard, somewhat bordering on impossible, to honestly approach loss without some semblance of a bias. How can loss then be so personal yet so relatable? Perhaps this is because it is […]
Psst… Fight Club is Really All About Daddy Issues
Recently, I decided to give Chuck Palahniuk’s infamous Fight Club (1996) a read. As many would know, the novel has become quite the cultural phenomenon – I have heard the line “the first rule about fight club is you don’t talk about fight club” quoted a zillion times and David Fincher’s film adaptation has long […]
Loss and Lucidity: Reviewing “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova
“She, Alice Howland, was sitting on a cold, hard chair next to an empty chair in a neurologist’s office in the Memory Disorders Unit on the eighth floor of Massachusetts General Hospital. And she’d just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She searched her doctor’s eyes for something else, but could only find truth and regret.” […]
For One More Day by Mitch Albom
A brief summary This piece of fiction transports readers into an impossible scenario – being able to spend just one more day with a deceased loved one. Charles ‘Chick’ Benetto was facing major struggles in his sports career, financial situation, and familial relationships, and it was with sobriety when he attempted to take his own life. […]
Loss and memory in Human Acts by Han Kang
What does it mean to be human? This is the central question of Han Kang’s novel Human Acts, which seeks to uncover what it is that makes us ‘human.’ The novel’s plot is based on the brutal suppression of the 1980 Gwangju uprising. This was a rebellion against martial law imposed by the then de facto […]
Best Bookstores around Singapore
I’m not good at a lot of things, including Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Science, etc. That list goes on (for quite a bit). But there’s one thing that I’m quite confident in — and that is being a bookstore aficionado. As pretentious and aggrandising as that title is, it comes from a place of genuine love […]
Grief and Loss and their Many Colours and Shades
Loss is typically associated with losing one’s pets or humans. Grief, then, is the result that comes after. But life is incredibly sensitive to feelings and connections. As fragile concepts, grief and loss comes in many colours and shades. Apart from the utility of academic disciplines, there isn’t a distinct way to articulate how grief […]
Quick Reviews of Quick Funny Reads
Finals Season is upon us. This means hair-pulling all-nighters and coffee-fuelled rampages as we desperately try to cram 13 weeks worth of course material into our brains. But it also means taking breaks to unwind and have fun. “WHAT?! How do you expect me to have fun in such a distressing situation?” you scream as you […]
The Ghost Bride and The Afterlife
Marriage is an institution that takes many forms. Apart from the monogamous heterosexual marriage we have come to see as the norm, polygamous marriage, same-sex marriage, and open marriage all exist in various cultures both past and present. But have you ever heard of marrying someone who is no longer in this world? The Ghost Bride […]
Desserts or Deserters? – The exploration of abandonment in Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s
When you think ‘Audrey Hepburn,’ what is the image conjured in your mind’s eye? One would be hard-pressed to not think of her iconic role as Holly Golightly, the lovable socialite in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Clad in a little black dress from Givenchy and her hair in a stylish updo, she continues to be regarded […]
Is “Adaptation Infidelity” Inevitable?: A Review of Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, Stephen Frears’ High Fidelity (2000) and Hulu’s High Fidelity (2020)
Have you ever been around people or been one of those people who are absolute die-hard fanatics about certain books and stories — like the culture-changing Harry Potter book series, the thrilling crime-solving adventures of the Agatha Christie mystery oeuvre, or Frank Herbert’s mind-boggling and affective epic science-fiction novel “Dune” — and then immediately express […]
Interview with ReadNUS: Books vs Movie Adaptations—The Age-Old Debate
The battle between books and their film adaptations articulates an age-old debate. On one end, many prefer the personal, intimate experience of flipping a book and engaging with the printed text that stirs our imagination and broadens our horizons. On the other end, many argue that a cinematic experience is more communal and absorbing, having […]
Best and Worst Book-to-Film Adaptations
For as long as the film industry has existed, books have proven to be bountiful fodder for inspiration. As a result, innumerable book-to-film adaptations exist, and they range from those that are virtually unwatchable, to those that are near perfection. This article aims to sort through the mass of film adaptations; it includes three of […]
Review of Love, Or Something Like Love by O Thiam Chin
We all define love differently: love is give-and-take, love is compromise, love is lasting and transcendent. Most of all, love is often an indescribable sentiment, perhaps only felt within our hearts and never properly understood. At first glance, O Thiam Chin’s Love, Or Something Like Love seemed to me like a collection of short stories […]
Love, Femininity and Loss: A Review of Amanda Chong’s Professions
I have always had an affinity with confessional poetry and I suspect that this is because I grew up listening to Taylor Swift’s music. One look at Amanda Chong’s Instagram page will let you know that the celebrated Singaporean poet is also an ardent fan of Ms. Swift — she even has a stories highlight […]
Of Love and Ruin: Reviewing “Lovely War” by Julie Berry
The oxymoronic title of this book may raise some questions, even skepticism. For how can love and affection ever arise out of something so inherently catastrophic and destructive? Yet against all odds, Lovely War by Julie Berry tells a tale (or more accurately, two) of how the most epic love stories are birthed from the darkest […]
All About Love
To knowing, finding and receiving love
The Question of Love in Kokoro, by Natsume Soseki
僕の心The Question of Love in Kokoro, by Natsume Soseki
Sushi and Tapas: Female Empowerment Through The Telling of Personal Stories
We all travel through different journeys in life based on a myriad of factors, as things like social status, birth place, and life outlook, among many others, can influence and shape our life trajectories in very intricate ways. And while our lives can be so different, we are still able to find common experiences, share […]
Finding Hope in Art: Reviewing Yamaguchi’s Blue Period
“If it looks blue to you, then anything can be blue, whether it’s an apple or a rabbit.” – Blue Period, Chapter 1. Note: This review attempts to be as spoiler-free as possible, in order to encourage viewers to explore this series themselves! Most of what will be explicitly discussed will be from the first […]
Mental Health in Books
With the Covid-19 pandemic, mental health has become even more of a priority than before. There is growing awareness of various practices such as meditation, mindfulness, exercise, and its impact on mental health as well. Trauma, extreme stress, burnouts, and mental illnesses all have their impact on one’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. Recently, […]
Amusing Anthologies: The Anecdotal Wonders of Bob-Waksberg’s ‘Someone who will Love you in all Your Damaged Glory’
Apart from the title being immensely long, I had no initial impression of this book. If anything, I’m pretty sure you thought the same! However, what came to pass in my time of reading this, was certain to be one of the best anthologies I’ve ever experienced. Who is Raphael Bob-Waksberg? There are many reasons […]
I Was Never A Bookworm
When people think of English Literature majors, they often picture someone bespectacled, lost in a fictional world in front of piles of books in a cafe. Perhaps in your mind, you will even go beyond to imagine them donned in formal clothing, topped off with a neat bow tie. Underscoring these assumptions is the notion […]
The Last Lecture: Life Lessons From Childhood Dreams
When we think of childhood dreams, we may think about simple things like winning the most soft toys from claw machines in game carnivals, or loftier ones like wanting to be an astronaut or a singer in future. For Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, childhood dreams had a special meaning for him […]
The Keepers of Stories: Unveiling the Magic of SingLit
Planning to venture into the world of SingLit now that finals are almost over? If you’re looking for a light and easy read, here’s one I would recommend for a start. I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction, magical realism, and fantasy. So, when I first saw The Keepers of Stories, I knew I […]
The Everywoman, Kim Jiyoung
One of my favourite reads this semester is Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo. This book caused quite the sensation in Korea when it was published in 2016 – couples have broken up over the contents of it, and celebrities have come under fire for promoting the reading of it. Curious about what was […]
Memoirs of a Geisha: A trainwreck of cultural violation
Lo and behold: one of the most controversial books I have ever read – and while I see the need to be charitable about books insofar that it represents the authorial self and values, I have no qualms about criticising this. Honestly, even within my reading circle, everyone agrees that this book is quite a […]
No Longer Human, A Japanese Literary Classic
The second best selling novel of all time in Japan after Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro, No longer human is a poignant, heart-wrenching tale of alienation, sorrow and the human condition. As we read the novel, we track the progress of a tragic yet beautiful figure, Yozo Oba, as he offers melancholic yet comic facets of his […]
Secure, Contain, Protect: Diving into the Mythos of the SCP Wiki
What does horror mean to you? Is it the rush of adrenaline that rushes through your veins after a jumpscare? Is it the creeping dread that lingers after an eerie silence in a movie? Is it the existential terror that comes from the deep contemplation of your choices in life (whilst procrastinating your assignments)? Whatever […]
On The Road: A Journey on Singapore’s Transformation Through Time
Singapore has come a long way economically, socially, and politically. Our transformation from a humble settlement to a global trading hub, the building up of harmonious racial and religious ties amongst our people, and the inclusion of more diverse voices in our parliament are just some of the achievements we have amassed over the years. […]
What Makes a Story Scary?
With Halloween and the spooky season coming up, Young Goodman Brown (YGB) by Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the first few stories to come to my mind. I remember feeling rather uneasy upon finishing it, pondering over a myriad of unanswered questions. Whether it was the haunting images or the inconclusive ending, something about the […]
How We Return to the Good Old Days
Remember the days when you would stay up all night reading instead of watching Netflix? We didn’t turn to Instagram or TikTok when we got bored; we had books. What changed? Why have we gone from reading books on the toilet to endlessly scrolling through pictures and videos of people we don’t even know till […]
Friendships found in 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
A Review of 84, Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff Esteemed as one of my favourite epistolary books (and in antithesis to this, Pamela by Samuel Richardson), I read Helene Hanff’s 84, Charing Cross Road a little while ago with some bookish friends in February. Since I tend to go into novels with little to […]
How Should One Read a Book?
In addition to experimenting with literary form and writing novels that would come to define 20th-century English Literature, Virginia Woolf was a prolific thinker and essayist on topics that ranged from women’s rights to the changing role of art in her times. Among her musings is a piece titled “How Should One Read a Book?”, where […]
Reading with the ReadNUS Team
September is National Literacy Month! Beyond deeper benefits such as developing stronger vocabulary or expanding your horizons, reading also serves as a time or teleportation machine, bringing us to different worlds.The ReadNUS Team believes that reading is for everyone. We hope that through these recommendations or tips, you will feel inspired to either continue your […]
A Familial Journey of Deviants in Young Singapore
For many young adults, our impression of Singapore in the 1970s is likely one influenced by history books and stories from our parents, grandparents and other older relatives. I am no exception, which is why I particularly loved the vivid details of post-independence Singapore which Balli Kaur Jaswal has painted in her book, Inheritance, that […]
Wistful Enigmas: Navigating the tale of Kappa Quartet
“What does it mean to be in possession of something nobody has seen before?” This is the question posed in the description of Kappa Quartet, a novel which delves into the titular mythos of Kappas, and explores how a chance encounter leads to a rippling effect towards a diverse cast of enigmatic characters.Written by Daryl […]
The Last Lesson of Mrs De Souza Review
Books like The Last Lesson of Mrs De Souza touch on stories of censorship, our repressed culture, and perhaps its consequences on some of our beliefs and actions. But does this uniquely Singaporean viewpoint always bring about more enjoyment or relatability?
6 Valuable Takeaways from An Unexpected Journey: Path to the Presidency
Most of us in our 20s might remember seeing the portraits of President S.R. Nathan and his wife Umi gracing the school hall in our primary school days, as we sang the national anthem and gathered for other activities. His appearances at yearly National Day Parades and on TV to raise funds for the President’s […]
A Promised Land is a Memoir of Many Firsts
I distinctly remember the day I read about Obama’s win in our local papers, back when I was in Junior College. The historic moment, while far from our shores, could also be felt in my school as we held lively discussions about race, change and hope in our classes. With close to a decade passing since that moment, we now have some length of hindsight to reflect on the legacy of the Obama administration. I have no doubt that the experts – the historians, researchers, and policy think tanks, will be able to give us massive anthologies about Obama’s successes and failures in time to come. What surprised me, however, was how detailed and self-examining A Promised Land turned out to be.
The Book Thief: A Thematic Analysis
The first literary science fiction book I ever read was The Mote in God’s Eye jointly written by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven. My previous experience of the genre had been restricted to flashy blockbusters and their associated spin-off content. The book was my first exposure to written science fiction, which I have been a lifelong fan of ever since.
ReadNUS exit review: Klara and The Sun
Time flies, and it has just been over a year since ReadNUS was launched to promote reading and provide literary resources for the NUS community. As our first EXCO looks back on their time at ReadNUS, we invite 3 of them to share their thoughts on Kazuo Ishiguro’s latest book, Klara and the Sun.
Book Review: Project Hail Mary
The first literary science fiction book I ever read was The Mote in God’s Eye jointly written by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven. My previous experience of the genre had been restricted to flashy blockbusters and their associated spin-off content. The book was my first exposure to written science fiction, which I have been a lifelong fan of ever since.
The Midnight Library Tackles Regret and Choices in a Quirky Way
I found the title of The Midnight Library to be particularly intriguing. In my head, I’m thinking of libraries with grand architecture and hallways full of hidden secrets and rare books.
The library described in the book turned out to be different from what I had imagined, although it was intriguing all the same. As the main character, Nora Seed, traverses through her different life possibilities, the library becomes the main place where she returns to reflect upon the paths she could have chosen.
Book Review: From The Ashes
In From the Ashes, Jesse Thistle brings readers on a personal journey from being abandoned, becoming homeless and coming full circle in finding his way and achieving academic success as the first student in his university to clinch the Canada Governor General’s Silver Medal.
5 Book Recommendations For Vesak Day
Vesak day is the time when Buddhists around the world commemorate the birth and, for a segment of the community, the enlightenment of Buddha. On top of celebrating his life, many Buddhists also spend the day ruminating on his teachings and their own personal life journey. In lieu of this, we felt that it would […]
How ‘The Truths We Hold’ by Kamala Harris Helps Us Understand The Next Phase of US Politics
When Obama’s ” A Promised Land” was first released, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the tome. Then I saw the high price point and the impossibility of borrowing it at the library due to the high demand, so I decided to turn my attention to other presidential biographies instead.
I was glad I did, because the book I found, “The Truths We Hold” by Kamala Harris, is a literary gem. Harris is the current Vice-President of the USA and is well-known to be a hard-hitting attorney-general and senator of the Democratic Party.
Shuggie Bain: A Book Review
When I first picked up Shuggie Bain, I have to admit that I had no idea what I was in for. The first time I had even heard about it, was when it won the 2020 Booker Prize. By the end of this incredibly depressing and harrowing tale, I came to the conclusion that this […]
Book Review: A Gentleman in Moscow
Walking down bookshelf after bookshelf, I came to a stop at “A Gentleman in Moscow.” I wasn’t sure what made me pick this book up, but I am glad that I did. The book begins during the Bolshevik era. Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, an aristocrat, is sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment in the attic […]
A Review of Samuel Scheffler’s Death and the Afterlife
Do not go gentle into that good night-Dylan Thomas Social and Political Philosopher Samuel Scheffler opens up a new area of inquiry with his 2012 book Death and the Afterlife. How would you feel if 30 days after you die, the whole of humanity is extinguished from existence in the world? Would you feel sad […]
A review of Orientalism’s Interlocutors
Inspired by a shift from a preoccupation with Western discursive constructions of the Orient to a more heterogenous understanding of it, Orientalism’s Interlocutors: Painting, Architecture, Photography, written by Jill Beaulie, Mary Roberts and Nicholas Thomas, aims to examine a wide range of visual material in order to explore how such sources can expand on our understanding […]
‘The House In The Cerulean Sea’: Overpowering, But Fundamentally Unique
Out of the 20 book choices I was given to review, I found myself immediately drawn to the title and summary of The House in the Cerulean Sea. A book about magic? Check. Themes of order, love, identity and suppression. Double check. The unique word ‘cerulean’? Sold.
Deacon King Kong: A Review
Deacon King Kong first gained traction after it was recommended by both Obama and Oprah in “Favorite Books of the Year” and Book Club Pick, respectively. Prior to that, not many had taken notice of this gem. This was certainly unexpected considering how James McBride had previously enjoyed a huge success with his previous book., The Good Lord Bird, for which he won the National Book Award.
A Review of A mathematicians Apology
If a person were to read the essay A Mathematician’s Apology by Godfrey Harold Hardy and expect it to be an actual apology (as in, an expression of regret), then that person would be left sorely disappointed. More than anything, this essay is a defense of mathematics.Before we begin, it is good to give some […]
Book Review: Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town
In Eat the Buddha, Barbara Demick deftly captures some of the effects brought by Communism and Modernization on a Tibetan town but focuses too much on aspects of traditional culture and religion from a single perspective. When one mentions the word “Tibet”, three things usually come to mind. The image of pristine untouched grasslands […]
Alexander Miller’s Philosophy of Language
If you are looking for a comprehensive and exciting entry-level guidebook to the field of Philosophy of Language in contemporary Analytic Philosophy, look no further than Alexander Miller’s Philosophy of Language. Although it is by no means instantly accessible to most laypeople who are unfamiliar with basic propositional and symbolic logic, it is a very […]