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 reading journey with us, or to pick up the book you have been wanting to read for months!

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What is your favourite fictional book?

Natalie: Ahh…too many to pick! The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera was a formative book to influence my life philosophy. But I am a Cat by Natsume Soseki and No Longer Human by Ozamu Dazai are close contenders.

Daphne: I really like the Maze Runner series by James Dashner as it is just the right blend of action and suspense for me! 

Charlene: Brave New World! Really one of the best dystopians I’ve read and the writing style was very easy to read.

Aishah: No specific favourite fictional book but I like Brandon Sanderson’s works. I enjoy his world building and them being generally easy and entertaining books to read. There is likely a book  that you would find interesting given his prolific writing selection.  For those looking towards trying out the Fantasy genre or Sci-Fi, his books are a great starting point.

Shannon: More of a collection, but Let Me Tell You Something About That Night by Cyril Wong! I love how the strange tales were oddly relevant to society, though from a distance away. I also absolutely love how the short stories from the collection tie in together, some with characters overlapping.

Yuki: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez – one of my first forays into classical literature and certainly not the last.

Abigail: The Great Gatsby is definitely my favourite fiction title. Fitzgerald’s prose is unbelievably lyrical and elegant, so layered with meaning that every time I read it, I uncover something new.

Elizabeth: I am never able to pick a favourite book, because I go through phases of reading different stories and being enamoured by different authors. However, my current top three would be On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong , Dazai Osamu’s No Longer Human and my childhood favourite My family and other animals by Gerald Durrell. 

What is your favourite non-fictional book?

Natalie: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is a book that I still try to apply in my life (with limited results). Otherwise, anything by Malcom Gladwell was a very good read when I was very young. 

Daphne: My all-time favourite non-fictional book is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, which tells of the life lessons that Pausch, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, wanted to pass on to his three young children. The book has a lot of valuable advice that will be useful for those who pick it up.

Charlene: The Last Days of Socrates. Plato conveyed all these philosophical ideas in a very easy to read dialogue which makes philosophy very accessible to the common man; also one of the pivotal founders of philosophy so it’s a definite read for people interested in this field.

Aishah: Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb. While I have heard about therapy, this book helped me to understand more about the experience from the perspective of a therapist. I appreciated that she showed her flaws and how difficult it was for her as much as it was for her clients. This book has prompted me to look further into topics about mental health and psychology, making it my favourite non-fiction book for now. 

Shannon: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb (too)! I think it really helped me put some things into perspective. I’d also say it helped me through a pretty dark time.

Yuki: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande – it taught me about the shortness and mortality of life and introduced me to many other fantastic books on death, dying, and loss.

Abigail: This Is What Inequality Looks Like is a book that changed my life. I know this sounds like an exaggeration but it’s not–Teo You Yenn’s bold approach in essentially saying that the reader is also complicit in perpetuating inequality in Singapore made me reevaluate the beliefs and assumptions that I held. 

Elizabeth: I enjoyed Paul Kalanthi’s When Breath becomes Air, because it was a poignant account of love, loss and death. It also was a fascinating foray into the world of doctors. 

Is there a book that has changed your outlook on something?

Natalie: Like I said earlier, The Unbearable Lightness of Being has been quite instrumental in changing how I viewed my life. I read it twice when I was younger, and I think it was because I was quite attached to Nietzche’s concept of Eternal Recurrence, that this book which challenged that concept deepened my appreciation of life and its fleeting beauty.

Aishah: Ranger’s Apprentice. It changed my outlook on reading to be something I looked forward to. This book hit the perfect spot for young me in pacing and action. Reading this series and discovering other similar books remain as happy moments in my childhood memories.  

Shannon: Hmm two actually — This Is What Inequality Looks Like by Teo You Yenn, and the autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.

Yuki: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi – it was the first time I bawled at a book’s ending; this memoir changed my life.

Abigail: Other than Teo You Yenn’s This Is What Inequality Looks Like, Maryanne Wolf’s Reader, Come Home has changed the way I view the importance of reading in our society, especially in this day and age where so many other forms of entertainment are competing for our attention. Wolf basically warns us of the threat to democratic societies if we stop reading as rigorously given our shorter attention spans and limited patience in dealing with more complex works.

Elizabeth: Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro fundamentally changed the way I viewed the importance of empathy and the concept of humanity. By offering us a glimpse into his fictional world, Ishiguro was able to subtly alter the reader’s perception of ethical behaviour, and challenge our perceptions of what it means to be human. 

What is your favourite genre or trope?

Natalie: If there was a genre for “exploring dark and eclectic themes’, I would be in that club. For fanfiction, I am a sucker for the Enemies to Lovers tag, there’s something so fulfilling in seeing love interests growing to pursue a common goal and falling in love in the process!

Charlene: Existentialist fiction! Feels like it really brings attention to the detail in mundane life which can be quietly soothing.

Aishah: Mystery/Fantasy. I grew up reading Skulduggery Pleasant, Inkheart and other such YA novels where these genres feature prominently in. They remain my favourite genres because there is so much room for authors to world build and subvert popular tropes. 

Yuki: Literature and classics (because I’m boring as heck).

Abigail: I absolutely love historical fiction! I’m not sure if I’m stretching the genre, but I like anything set during the Second World War, ancient China, colonial Singapore, and basically any time that I haven’t lived in. It’s fascinating to learn about people of the past, the clothes they wore, the things they did, the lives they lived and the struggles they faced. 

Elizabeth: I cannot choose a specific genre, but a running theme in the books that I most enjoy is the subtle employment of humour. I love when the author is able to employ hilarious scenarios to contribute to the development of characters, or even off-hand sardonic observations and witticisms. 

Where do you usually get your books from? 

Natalie: Kinokuniya in Takashimaya @ Orchard is great, especially when they have 30-40% sales! Bonus point for the slightly bougey but great selection of origami for any paper-folding fans out there. 

Daphne: I usually get my books from book stores or the library! I prefer physical books as it is just easier for me to immerse myself into the story that way.

Charlene: Physical books from NLB! Save the environment + our libraries are a great resource. Physical books are also less straining on the eyes for long periods of time.

Aishah: Libby! The platform is a life-changer especially when you cannot physically go to the library. But, I still prefer physical books. There is something about the experience of browsing through rows of books and the sensory experience of reading that e-books cannot replicate. 

Shannon: For physical books, I get them second-hand from either carousell, Thryft, or Better World Books. For digital ones (which I tend to prefer), I usually read them from NLB mobile!

Yuki: Thryft, Bras Basah, Libby app, Kindle, the library, BookDepository if I’m desperate (literally everywhere I guess).

Abigail: I usually get my books from local bookstores, e.g. BooksActually, Times, Epigram Books, Ethos Books, etc. since I prefer the experience of reading physical books (esp after a day of staring at the computer). But I do use my Kobo as well outside the house since it’s just more portable.

Elizabeth: I either read on my kindle or buy my books from Kinokuniya or book depository. I also try to frequent second hand bookstores like Beauty World Book Centre. 

Which one are you?

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Natalie: Used to be Chaotic Evil as a kid, now evolved to Chaotic Good/Neutral (whatever origami hearts count as).

Daphne: Chaotic good or True neutral.

Charlene: Chaotic good; I use a picture of a character from sumikko gurashi which was from leftover packaging.

Aishah: Lawful Neutral usually but either Lawful or Neutral Evil if it is a physical book.

Shannon: I’d say chaotic good but to be honest, mostly lawful evil.

Yuki: Chaotic evil is just the worst thing ever. I’m True Neutral or Chaotic Good.

Abigail: Proper bookmark.

Elizabeth: I’m definitely Chaotic good. I always use any receipt or scrap paper I have on hand as bookmarks, so most of my books have strange snippets from the past in them. 

Do you have any tips for people who want to get into reading?

Natalie: Honestly just force yourself to read. The most productive time I was able to read was those 7am reading periods during school assemblies in primary/secondary school, so maybe applying something like that in your life will help (Sincerely, a fellow reading procrastinator).

Daphne: I think the library is a great resource to start because first of all, the books are free to borrow – so why not take advantage of that! 

Charlene: Start easy with something you’re actually interested in! No point jumping into trendy books or “must read” classics because your interest in reading would not be able to grow properly unless you’re fully invested.

Aishah: ​​Try audiobooks! One major reason people give for not reading is the lack of time. Audiobooks are convenient to listen to during your daily commute or when you are doing mundane work. There are lots of wonderful stories and audiobook narrators on Libby or other streaming platforms. Also, if you use TikTok, take a peek at #booktok. There are many people eager to give suggestions on books that you might find interesting. It is also very entertaining to watch people rant about books. 

Shannon: For me, what helped was really finding my preferences! I think finding out whether you prefer digital/ physical books, or whether you prefer fiction/ non-fiction (etc.) will help a lot. And the process should be fun; I don’t think there should be guilt in realising something is not for you. There’s something for everyone!

Yuki: Start off with 30 minutes a day and make it a routine! Or set a daily page goal like ‘I want to read one chapter a day.’ Don’t force yourself to read books you don’t like (especially if you’re new). Don’t force yourself to like mainstream books just because everyone likes it. Not all books have to contribute to your ‘productivity.’ Choose something you like. Ask someone who’s an avid reader for recommendations. Start with short books. 🙂

Abigail: Find a book that you think you will like and start there. Don’t force yourself to finish it if you get bored halfway; just switch to another title that is of more interest to you. Reading should be fuN!!!

Elizabeth: Choose a genre you are already interested in. Often, an inherent passion for a subject matter will urge you to continue reading. I think another good place to start would be mystery or thriller books, because your curiosity will urge you to finish reading it, instead of putting it away.  Otherwise, getting your friend to recommend a book that they love often helps, because you can discuss it with them afterwards!