“If one is strong, one loves the more strongly.”
Set in 19th century, Isabel Archer is a spirited, intelligent and independent young American woman who inherits a fortune and embarks on a journey to Europe.
She always believed she’d live life on her own terms and ‘affront her destiny.’ However, during her travel, she realizes that an enduring relationship and a woman’s sense of self don’t go hand in hand. She had various encounters with suitors and manipulative individuals, including the enigmatic and cunning Gilbert Osmond, which challenged her idealistic notions. Isabel though stood fast on her believes and always chose herself first.
Through Isabel’s story we are compelled to wonder, should love to be this complicated? And more importantly, why are women, who are layered and complexed individuals, reduced to such singular roles?
The Portrait of a Lady is a deeply moving, romantic and sensitive story reflecting complex human emotions which will resonate with all readers alike.
Meet Zachary Kwan, a middling novelist trapped in a bout of writer’s block. His marriage to a celebrity model is on the rocks, his latest book is met with scathing reviews, and he’s about to be cancelled. Things really couldn’t get any worse.
Spoiler alert: they do.
A zombie epidemic takes over the world. And Zachary Kwan, writer of best-selling self-help book under a pseudonym, is infected.
Written in poetic form by Felix Cheong and illustrated by Arif Rafhan, Be Real puts a finger on the zeitgeist of our times. In an age defined by curation, how do we know what is real? Will we even recognize ourselves when we reveal our ‘true’ selves?
A Fiery Flesh and Other Stories is a collection of stories that expose the flimsy nature of the human heart and the frailty of the human body in various ways. A man who drowns in an emotional shower after encountering a merman who resembles his deceased childhood friend. An all-consuming passion that turns a man into a bat, and lecherously, some woman, into bakawali. A medical assistant narrates how a lost placenta of a premature infant triggers a chain of curses. A love triangle between sisters leaves a mother with no choice but to replace her daughter as the bride. A potted plant enlightens a timid woman about a sassy way to escape from her control freak mother-in-law. A burned-out housewife finds a haven where the sensual rituals of traditional massage are practised. An arsonist uses a tangle of red string to draw her husband’s fiery qi into herself.
JUVENILES AND OTHER STORIES is a collection of seven short fictions under the theme of ‘youth’—a tattered, confusing period of trials-and-errors, and the last taste of refreshing bliss before the vast blue sky we see yonder would turn into a suffocating ceiling once we learn of our limits. Regardless, we’re still ever searching for a safe haven under that concrete boundary.
‘Coming of age’ is translated to —to take a step beyond one’s youth—in Thai literature. When, in truth, shedding one’s youth is an act far more difficult than simply taking a step further, oftentimes by weathering through one’s surroundings and stimulation, oftentimes from relying on the innermost driving force within us. Anger, sadness, and insecurities that have been bottled up are a ticking time bomb. Time after time, a character would go with the choice that only worsens everything, making us readers wonder if all of us would make it through the end. This book is a collection of stories with most of their protagonists being a young child, while the stories themselves are meant for the adult, with each of them detailing a different way of processing and dealing with traumas.
The vengeful gods of Kayumalon are at war.
The king is indisposed. Invaders have breached the northern borders. Kayumalon is ripe for the taking.
Kalem, the earth mage bound to a promise made to his dead father, finds himself the new ruler of a fallen kingdom. Now, he is forced to lead a weakened country against an army of gods, determined to uphold the duty that destiny had charged him with even if he loses his life for it.
Yin, the wind mage loyal only to her own heart, is forced to choose between love and bloodlust when her lover is bound by duty to her greatest enemy.
Dakila, a mortal man desperate to protect his love, leads the last stand of Kayumalon while they wait, probably in vain, for the forgotten gods to come to their rescue.
JinWun, the fire mage hungry for vengeance, betrays her queen and defects to the enemy, using and abusing every advantage and every tool at her disposal even if they’re not hers. After a lifetime of pain and subjugation, she would fight not for love, not for duty, but only for her fiery fury. Amid the chaos of war, the people of Kayumalon will be forced to choose loyalties and to ultimately answer the question: What is duty if it’s not born from love?
‘Man is not truly one but truly two.’
The good and evil are equal parts of a human; what happens when one loses control over their dark side, what chaos ensues then?
Set in Victorian London, Dr. Jekyll, a respected scientist, becomes consumed by the desire to understand the darker aspects of human nature. In an unchecked scientific experiment, he concocts a potion that transforms into his malicious alter ego called Mr. Hyde.
Through this experiment, Dr. Jekyll can observe why Hyde makes the choices he does and what drives the evil within him, which is also a reflection of what must drive the amoral actions of society at large.
While the experiment seems a success, the two personalities become increasingly intertwined, leading to a downward spiral of Dr. Jekyll’s morality, causing immense psychological turmoil.
In an intense psychological thriller, will Dr. Jekyll be able to regain control of his other side, and should there be any limitations to scientific ambitions?
‘To love another person is to see the face of God.’
How crushing and dizzying the hunger must be, that you’re led to steal a bite of bread only to pay for it with your entire life.
Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who is released from prison after serving nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread. Struggling to find redemption and live an honest life, he is constantly pursued by the relentless Inspector Javert. On this journey he meets Fantine, a woman who is forced to sell her hair and her teeth to support her daughter, Cosette. Both Valjean and a young student Maris are in love with Cosette, but their lives require bigger miracles, and this is a tiny problem.
But love is their saviour, Valjean’s love for Cosette helps him to find redemption, and Marius’s love for Cosette helps him to find courage.
Les Misérables is a complex story that displays how unequal wealth dictates lives, and the power of love.
‘It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.’
On the treacherous grounds of Devonshire moors, lives Sir Charles Baskerville. One fine day he is found dead on the foggy moors, and the rumour is that a monstrous hound is responsible for this event.
As Sir Henry Baskerville, the last heir of the Baskerville estate, arrives from America to claim his inheritance, Holmes and Watson begin unravelling the dark secrets around the haunting murder.
Follows the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion Dr. John H. Watson though a thrilling investigation, as they the discover the supernatural and sinister curse that haunts the Baskerville family.
Their suspenseful journey highlights how the past continues to cast a dark shadow over the present, and the power of folklore and generational fears on the human mind.
‘Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.’
A collection of twelve riveting detective stories featuring the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal friend and chronicler, Dr. Watson. Set in Victorian London, the story engages readers with Holmes’s extraordinary problem solving and observation skills as he unravels complex mysteries.
The stories take readers on a thrilling journey through the shadowy streets of London, where Holmes tackles perplexing cases, from baffling murders and thefts to shocking disappearances. Alongside Holmes’s genius, Dr. Watson’s narration allows readers to witness Holmes’s methods and mind at work, capturing the essence of their enduring friendship.
‘This is a brief life, but in its brevity, it offers us some splendid moments, some meaningful adventures.’
Kimball O’Hara is a young orphan detective who lives in British India in the late 19th century. A street-smart child, he is fluent in several languages and recruited by the British Secret Service to help them gather intelligence on the Russian Empire.
Little Kim begins his journey across India, and he encounters a wide variety of people and cultures. He meets a Tibetan lama, a Hindu holy man, and a Pashtun tribesman.
Through his travels in the jungles, cities and the vibrant culture of India, Kim begins to explore what home means to him, is it in the sense of belonging he finds with the Lama so far away from his birthland?
Through his coming-of-age story, Kim’s adventures pay a homage to the inclusive, vibrant, and culturally diverse land of India.
