Books Archive - Penguin Random House SEA

The Black Cat Chronicles

When Jenphob Mahasiripan, a certified history geek with an incurable habit of following cats, chases a black feline through an old alley, he stumbles into 1930s Bangkok—and into the enigmatic Pawee Rattanatada.
The next morning, Jenphob wakes up back in his own timeline, almost convinced that his encounter with the charming Mr Pawee could only have been a dream. Until the mysterious gentleman appears in his time, cradling the cat that brought them together.

Through countless crossings of time, the two slowly forge a story for the ages. But can finders remain keepers when they are stealing moments from time itself?”

Running out of Airtime

For more than thirty years, I was part of the legendary broadcast network, ABS-CBN, the first in Southeast Asia and long at the forefront of the region’s media landscape. In 1972, the network suffered its first tragedy. Ferdinand Marcos had declared Martial law and ABS-CBN was taken over by government forces. Thousands lost their jobs and the company’s owner was imprisoned. After the 1986 People Power revolution, it returned to air and went on to become the country’s most influential media conglomerate — only to fall again 34 years later to another tyrant bent on political vengeance.

From the moment he took office in 2016, Rodrigo Duterte regularly attacked journalists and singled out ABS-CBN, along with two other hard-hitting news organizations. His threats against the network would be implemented to their fullest promise in 2020 when its broadcast license expired, and the president moved heaven and earth to prevent its renewal.

Running Out of Airtime chronicles the events behind the shutdown of the Philippines’ biggest media company told by someone who lived through it, fought and lost, and survived. ABS-CBN is the only media company in Asia, and perhaps the world, to fall twice to two autocrats.

Apart from exploring its significant role in Philippine society and culture, and its enduring connection to its global audience, this book is the story of human beings who worked tirelessly to achieve greatness, stumbling along the way, rising again, undaunted and determined to push forward into a future where the only constant is uncertainty.

The Last Mango in Paris

What do we long for when home is no longer a place, but a memory?

In The Last Mango in Paris, Stephanie Zubiri weaves together personal essays, fictional stories, and lyrical reflections into a meditation on longing, identity, and belonging. Set between Paris and the Philippines, these interconnected pieces follow dreamers, lovers, exiles, and wanderers searching for meaning in the spaces between who they were and who they have become.

Threaded through every story is the mango—a symbol of sweetness, loss, memory, and transformation. As nostalgia collides with reinvention, Zubiri explores the bittersweet truth of migration, family, love, and self-discovery, revealing how life’s richest moments often emerge from what is bruised, broken, or left behind.

This is a love letter to places left behind, lives half-lived and fully felt, and the bittersweet beauty of savouring something before it slips away

I’m Sorry I Love You

Of all the boys Tammy Rin could fall for, her heart chooses the absolute worst one: her older sister’s boyfriend.

Cat is everything Tammy isn’t—popular, confident and effortlessly put together. And Connor Lu? Annoyingly handsome, impossible to ignore and completely off-limits. But after one too many days spent third-wheeling their dates, Tammy realises her harmless crush might not be so harmless after all.

Then Dylan arrives. The laid-back new transfer student is sweet, easy to talk to—and clearly falling for her. He should be exactly the distraction Tammy needs.

Except hearts rarely do what they’re told.

Now Tammy is caught between the boy she could choose and the boy she definitely shouldn’t, all while hiding a secret that could hurt the person she loves most.

Because following your heart is one thing. Breaking your sister’s is another.

Languishing Under Glass

What do you hold onto when the world keeps transforming around you?

Two years after her husband’s death, Leia Ooi is juggling parenthood, an ageing father, and a mother who has literally transformed into a two-toed sloth. Trapped between caregiving and abandoned ambitions, Leia feels herself slowly disappearing beneath the weight of grief and responsibility.

But as Singapore prepares to celebrate its ninetieth birthday, a mysterious new epidemic reignites old fears. When an impulsive action forces Leia and her mother to flee the authorities, an impossible journey compels her to confront the pain she has long buried. As reality begins to blur with the uncanny, Leia must decide what, and who, is still worth fighting for.

Warm, witty, and utterly unforgettable, Languishing Under Glass is a deeply human novel about grief, family, and finding hope in a world that refuses to stand still.

Women of POWERS

Women of POWERS journeys across the vast and varied landscapes of Asia, from the beaches of Singapore to the mountains of Nepal; from a daughter of a brewmaster in India to a daughter of a surgeon in Japan. These are the stories of women whose passion for science rose above gender roles, cultural expectations, and the constraints of limited resources, illuminating paths where none existed before.

This collection pays tribute to extraordinary women in STEM whose curiosity reshaped our understanding of nature, medicine, energy, and human resilience. They are molecular biologists who turned venom into healing compounds, physicians who stood on conflict borders to care for the displaced, chemists who decoded the secrets of disease, and engineers who reimagined the future of energy and sustainability. Their discoveries carry the power to heal bodies, restore dignity, and transform societies.

As Asia watched its first woman astronaut rise beyond the atmosphere, she carried with her a constellation of women whose eyes remain fixed on a star called, hope. These stories celebrate the quiet, unwavering spark, one that flickers in classrooms, laboratories, refugee camps, rural clinics, and research institutes across the continent.

Women of POWERS is a tribute to the past, present, and future women in STEM whose legacies continue to shape the scientific imagination of Asia. It is a reminder that brilliance does not emerge from privilege alone, but from courage, conviction, and the belief that science can build a better world for generations to come.

Stories From The Islands: An Anthology of Indonesian Writing 2026

In this anthology, ten emerging Indonesian writers invite readers into lives suspended between inheritance and change. A grandmother’s folktales echo through generations. Ancient myths linger in the shadows of modern life. Love bends beneath the weight of custom. Women challenge expectations placed upon their bodies and futures. Young people leave home only to discover that distance cannot silence the voices of where they come from. Rich in local culture yet deeply universal, these stories remind us that Indonesia is not a single narrative, but a constellation of voices, each illuminating the complexities of belonging, identity, and change.

You’re Not As Clear As You Think

You think you’re being clear.

Your team heard the words.

So why aren’t they acting?

The truth is, most leaders are talking—but not connecting. In today’s noisy, distracted, and fast-moving world, clarity isn’t a “soft skill.” It’s your sharpest competitive edge. Without it, performance stalls, trust erodes, and culture drifts. With it, you align people faster, inspire action, and actually get sh*t done.

In this bold and practical guide, corporate communications leader and former TV journalist Jennifer Alejandro arms you with the tools to transform how you speak, write, and lead. Drawing on global case studies plus her original Alejandro Communication Impact Model (ACIM) framework, she shows you how to cut through the fog of vague updates, endless meetings, and corporate spin.

In this book, you’ll learn:

? The 4Ps of Communicating with Impact for building messages that land, resonate, and move people to act.
? The 7 Keystones of Modern Communicators—mindset habits that make your voice trusted and effective.
? The 7Cs of Speaking Masterfully—real-time tactics to command a room, whether it’s a board meeting, livestream, or team huddle.
? How to run sharper meetings, deliver hard truths without collateral damage, and coach your team to communicate with impact.

If you’ve ever thought, “I already told them—why don’t they get it?”—this book is for you.

Say it better. Say it bolder.

Lead with clarity. Make sh*t happen.

Harder to Fool

Nobody is coming for you.

You are not famous enough. Not rich enough. Not worth the trouble. You are just someone living your life online. Working. Scrolling. Building something, one post at a time.

That is exactly what James thought.

He had a few thousand followers. For four years his girlfriend Amber, a cybersecurity consultant, told him the same things. Stronger passwords. Back up your work. He smiled, nodded, and went back to his feed. She was not wrong. He just could not see why it mattered. Not for someone like him. Not yet.

Then he clicked one link.

Nobody chose him specifically. They never do. Automated tools sweep millions of accounts at once, collecting whoever left the door open. His accounts went quiet, one by one. Three years of work. His identity. His income. Gone. Being used by someone else.

What stayed with him longest was not the accounts. It was not knowing what was being said in his name. What his mum might already have received.

He did not become a tech expert overnight. He simply started. One habit. One decision. One small act of ownership at a time. And somewhere along the way, Amber stopped worrying. Because she could see he had chosen to care.

Most people who get hit are not careless. They are just human. They act fast when something feels urgent. They trust what looks familiar. They put off the uncomfortable until it is too late.

Harder to Fool is a plain-language, behaviour-first guide for real people. No jargon. No IT background needed. Just honest insight into how attacks happen and how the right habits change everything.

You are not the weakest link. You never were.

Knowing is never the problem. Becoming is.

Harder to Fool shows you how.

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