So — the first review that I will posting on this blog is a short story collection graced with a blurb by a Malaysian monarch. If the name M. Shanmughalingam (also known as Dato’ Shan to some) is familiar to you, then you might have encountered him in one of the many public readings and open mic events that he has participated in across Kuala Lumpur (and from time to time, Singapore). He is known for his lively delivery and the way he presents the rich verbal and physical mannerisms of his characters. He is no stranger to Southeast Asia’s literary scene as well, having been published in over thirty anthologies, and was recently seen at the Singapore Writers Festival for the launch of Marriage and Mutton Curry . From Left to Right — Jason Erik Lundberg, Ng Yi-Sheng and M. Shanmughalingam at the Singapore Writers Festival in 2018 Marriage and Mutton Curry is a collection of fifteen short stories about social foibles in the world of families, high finance, and fearful
Hello. I'm Catalina. I'm a literature teacher located in Singapore and read English at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I'm a published poet and short story writer. You can check out my personal website (where I post updates about my writing work) here . Over the past few years I have been reviewing books for The Star and Eksentrika . This year, I intend to move on to hosting my book reviews on my own platform. Why am I doing this? Mainly, while I was writing book reviews for both publications, I was very conscious of the need of each review to stand on its own. I know that students and academics look at reviews many, many years after they are first published as examples of commentary on the published work. Every time I wrote a review, I kept this in mind, and that meant doing a lot of prior research about the book before reviewing it. On my blog, I intend to loosen up and broaden my range and styles of books reviewed. not all of my reviews