Publish with us

Connect with us

© 2020 Penguin SEA

Category: Features

Read an exclusive excerpt from ‘The Bathala Games’ by E. Manawari

Posted on by amin

What happens when your typical high school problems are suddenly overshadowed by bickering deities and a moon-eating dragon? In The Bathala Games, E. Manawari introduces us to Michelle Macabebe—a girl just trying to survive her strict mother and a broken heart when she’s recruited by a very suspicious talking cat for an out-of-this-world competition.

From supernatural rebellions to the rich lore of Philippines mythology, this is a YA fantasy journey like no other. Get your first glimpse of the chaos below with this exclusive excerpt!

The Bathala Games
|| Learn more

 

‘Who dares?’

She froze on the spot.

The deep and rumbling voice spoke in her head. ‘What foolish things have entered the lair of Bakun the Mooneater?’

‘We’re sent to help you.’ Chi was taken aback when she found the courage to speak despite her trembling knees.

‘Hoh. Five young Dirt Dwellers. What can your puny bodies even do?’

‘Why have you been mad? Your anger stirs the sea, and the other beings are restless.’

‘Where’s “please”?’ Dianne mad-whispered at Edgar. ‘Say “please” or we’ll die!’

Edgar’s audacity nearly terrified Chi, but she spotted his trembling hands.

‘Ha!’

She shuddered. The voice seemed to be bellowing inside her head.

‘They deserve it! Blessed with outer beauty and deprived of hearts. How dare they swim away in my presence? Is it because I do not look like them? Is it because I am called a beast, a monster, among other names? Why do they swim away? It took endless lighthours and darkhours before I gathered my courage to approach them. Yet with their little fins, they go and hide.’

‘Oh, now I get it.’

Chi leaned towards Dianne, ‘Get what?’ Bakun was rumbling in the background, demanding answers for why he was avoided and blaming it on others’ shallowness.

The mission had boosted their audacity. All those life-endangering curveballs, creatures, and tests of everything—they were all bound to change. However, Chi was not certain if this was for the good as she gaped at Dianne who seemed to have misplaced her empathy.

‘Poor thing, you just wanna be friends.’

Chi heard someone curse—she assumed it was Edgar—as they gaped at Dianne as if she had grown another head. The actress approached the ends where the light reached the cave and spoke to the void.

‘I mean, maybe you’re not, like, confident with your wings or your horn or whatever. You waited for a long time, hyped yourself, so hard to boost your friendship rizz . . . you get what I mean?—Anyway, did you, like, ask them? Maybe you misunderstood?’

Bakun roared, and they had to crouch at the gust of wind.

‘You dare accuse me? Name yourself!’

‘I’m Dianne.’ She spoke with a quiver, which she masked quickly. ‘I’m an actress, model, content creator—in my free time, a fur mom—anyway, I’m saying I totally get you. Maybe.’

‘Liar. Your puny legs would’ve run once you saw me.’

‘Then let us see you.’

‘Bakun the Mooneater is a cool name. I bet you are cool too.’

‘Please?’

If Dianne was acting, she deserved applause.

‘If you’re too shy to show yourself, we’re gonna light up the cave, okay?’

‘Silence means “yes”,’ the actress added after the lack of response.

Chi then handed Dianne the orb Karabeyo had provided. The latter shook it and brightness exploded into the cave. Although not the entire cave, it was enough to expose the ginormous black mass.

The ruler of the sea unfurled his wings.

Fierce golden eyes pierced into them as the darkness prowled closer until the light reached him.

Bakun the Mooneater came into view.

Dive into a world of Philippine mythology and divine chaos. Get your copy today.

 

[EXCLUSIVE] Read the first chapter excerpt of Frances Park’s Ahn Love

Posted on by amin

Step back in time to the summer of 1969. In her latest novel, Ahn Love, Frances Park weaves a dreamy and heart-wrenching tale that begins on a daughter’s visit to her ninety-year-old father and quickly transports us to a fateful seven-day cruise across the Pacific.

It is a story of ‘Monkey’—a lovesick teenager witnessing the quiet unraveling of her family amidst the glittering decks and restless seas. From first stirrings of romance to the fragile beauty of memory, here is an exclusive first look at the opening chapter of Ahn Love.

Ahn Love

 

Like every home in Blue Stone, the Ahn family residence was a stunning wreck, so deeply buried in the neighbourhood that after taking the third or fourth curve in, there was no turning back; imaginary ghost-gates clanged, banged, and locked behind me, and I got the feeling I was here for the winter, like it or not. Were it true, my father would do his little dance one more time and never let me go. A happy jig, a cha-cha-cha.

 

Say his famous last words: ‘You can write here! It’s not too late!’ I never had the heart to tell him that the dream, like his jig, died with Mommy. Now it was his dream, not mine.

 

But let’s backtrack to the ghost-gates that began this knotted string of fantasy; there were none and I wasn’t staying for the winter. Having packed only enough for the weekend, I planned to race back to New York on Monday for an early morning Tuesday meeting at work, my other reality, and was only here long enough to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and present Sam Ahn with a token gift he would accept like the gentleman and scholar he was, at birth and at ninety.

 

But that wasn’t what my widowed father, who lit up at my visits and dimmed when I left, wanted to hear.

 

Whenever I was home—and in every realm that mattered, Blue Stone would always be home—I found myself wishing things were different. The scope of everything; past, present, tomorrow, if there was one. Would fall asleep in a wink if my dad would make room for Uncle Bong in his heart and in his house. Just like the old days.

 

That said, I knew better than to bring up a younger brother who long lived under his wing. Sam Ahn was crowned First Son, and he felt that duty deeply. He was his protector, forever. But that was then, before his wing was broken and their legacy destroyed. Before the Whisper that marked the end—mysterious to me, haunting if I let it. The last time I’d brought up Uncle Bong seemed to crater him. My father’s eyes grew perilous with betrayal. Can’t forgive, can’t forget.

 

He’s dead to me.

 

Bull. Don’t even tell me the love isn’t there. Even after half a century, Ahn love never dies.

Half a century of secrets. One final chance to heal. Discover the truth behind this family saga. Pre-order Ahn Love today.

New Books Releasing in January 2026

Posted on by amin

New year, new beginnings, and a whole new list of stories to lose yourself in! This month, we have a completely captivating selection of books for you, ranging from mythical quests to high-stakes investigative thrillers.

Here are the books releasing this month.

 

Know more||

 

Ahn Love, by Frances Park

During a Pacific cruise in the summer of ’69, teenage Margaret experiences a whirlwind romance with the dashing Adam Kang. This dreamy, exotic journey explores the “clocked love” and family secrets that would eventually define her life and her father’s legacy.

 

Know more||

 

The Bathala Games, E. Manawari

Michelle Macabebe’s dull high school life is upended when a talking fat cat drafts her into a suspicious, out-of-this-world competition. To find the adventure she craves, she must survive a series of dangerous games far beyond the shores of her island.

 

Know more||

 

Butterflies, Sylvia Yu & Matthew S. Friedman

Journalist Zoe Kim risks everything to expose a sinister international sex trafficking ring stretching from Seoul to Los Angeles. Her obsession leads her to a haunting family secret and a final, life-threatening showdown with a notorious crime boss.

 

Know more||

 

The Collaboration Equation, Mushtak Al-Atabi

This book argues that collective intelligence and collaboration—not competition—are the fundamental organizing principles of life. By mastering a simple formula of shared purpose and mutual trust, humans can solve the complex global challenges of the modern age.

 

Know more||

 

She Who Devours, Bea Bustamante

Academic Maya Halili is pulled into a secret society of shamans who serve as vessels for the gods to protect the Seven Islands. As an ancient evil awakens, Maya must choose between her quiet dreams and a destiny that could save humanity from eternal darkness.

 

*** Feeling excited already? Stay tuned to our social media channels to find out when they’re released!

Read an exclusive excerpt from The Dao of Foresight

Posted on by simransingh

Blending fiction with non-fiction, each chapter of The Dao of Foresight introduces a new foresight technique through a timeless relationship between master and disciple imbued with the wisdom of Eastern Asian philosophies (Daoism, Zen Buddhism, Confucianism). Through the continuous juxtaposition of the old and the new, The Dao of Foresight intertwines mystery and adventure with learning, and inspires curiosity, personal growth, and a deeper understanding of the core principles of foresight.

 

****

‘It certainly is!’ said the Master, ‘Now if, on the other hand, your scenarios are explorative, that means they are about the futures of the Land of Pangu but not about Sherusei, do you recall?’

Jigo nodded.

‘Very well! In that case, your task will not be to achieve the most preferrable scenario, but make Sherusei’s strategy more robust. In this way, Sherusei will be better prepared for the spectrum of futures that could happen!’ Having said so, Master Fu waved his hand in a circle.

‘To do that, you shall use another technique. And that technique is called wind tunnelling!’ Master Fu continued. ‘With wind tunnelling, you compare each scenario with each of Sherusei’s existing strategies. This is to make sure that the strategies are robust enough to withstand a range of possible futures ahead!’

Having said this, Master Fu then extracted paper, brush, and ink from the pocket of his gown, arranged the items on the floor of the deck, and started drawing.

….

Wind tunnelling is a method that allows an organization to connect its foresight, i.e., a set of scenarios, to its strategy. It is attributed to Kees van der Heijden. The name of this method is a metaphor that takes after the ‘wind tunnel’, an instrument used in vehicle engineering to test whether new vehicles’ prototypes can withstand different highly erratic conditions of the atmospheric environment, such as strong winds or snow. In the corresponding foresight method, the strong environmental conditions stand for the different conditions in the external environment presented in each scenario, while the vehicle stands for the preexisting strategies of the organization. This method uses a so-called ‘wind tunnelling table’ to stress test all preexisting strategies, such as marketing strategy, research and development strategy, etc. (in the rows), against each scenario (in the columns). More precisely, as with the original wind tunnel instrument in vehicle engineering, preexisting strategies are to be evaluated against the ‘strong conditions’ of each scenario. If they can resist them, they are robust and can be retained. If not, they must be redesigned or done away with. The strength of this method is that it allows an organization to pinpoint which preexisting strategies are not going to be viable in the future and to focus the management’s attention on those strategies that are robust in all scenarios.

 

****

 

Do you want to know more about Wind Tunneling, and more such concepts that will help inspire curiosity, personal growth, and a deeper understanding of the core principles of foresight? Get a copy of The Dao of Foresight, from your nearest bookstore.

New Books Releasing In November 2025

Posted on by simransingh

Two months till the year ends, two months to meet your reading goal, two months to add new books to your TBR. This month, we have a completely captivating selection of books for you. 

Here are the books releasing this month: 

 

Know more||

A Vietnamese prostitute. A taxi driver. A serial killer. A Sydney pimp’s fate is somehow link to the 1957 murders in Malaya. Curse upon curse. Murder upon murder. This is a story of lust and revenge. Of love and fear. With a plot that unwinds and strikes like a cobra. A chiller of thriller that will shock you to the bone. 

Know more||

Killen is a city in the distant future where its people live in peace under the leadership of their Permaisuri, away from destruction and desolation following the rampage and aftereffects of a worldwide war. 

But what happens when this peace is threatened? When the truth as everyone knows it becomes falsity? And when home is no longer safe? 

 

Know more||

Spanning 3 continents, 7 cities, and 12 months, Ashura weaves together a story of interrupted youth, shared identity amidst brazen politics, and the elusive search for justice. The novel traces the invisible thread that binds a growing kinship, navigating between the precipice of death and the threshold of history and love. 

 

Know more||

Beyond Belonging is your wake-up call. Uncovering the subtle yet powerful forces that govern our lives. The grip of inherited beliefs, the magnetic draw of conformity disguised as belonging. It reveals how our desire for belonging often translates into quiet compliance. Through vivid examples and actionable insights, it exposes how our longing to belong often leads us to betray the very thing we’re searching for – ourselves. 

*** 

Feeling excited already? Stay tuned on our social media channels to know when they come out!

New Books Releasing In October 2025

Posted on by simransingh

It’s a new month, and you know what that means – NEW BOOKS! As the days grow cooler and the leaves turn, there’s no better time to curl up with a story that keeps you turning the pages. This month’s lineup offers thrillers, sweeping histories, and soul-nourishing reflections that are just right for autumn reading.

Here are the books releasing this month:

 

Know more||

 

Ivy Ngeow is back with another thriller to keep you up all night!  

Penniless, Genevieve Ho returns from Singapore to her wealthy but ailing elderly father in Fulham, London. She’ll care for him and rebuild their fractured relationship. That was the plan, until she meets his new hostile caregiver. As dark secrets and past betrayals catch up with her, the truth is about to erupt. 

 

Know more||

In this book, Faisal Tehrani explores transgressive love, intergenerational trauma, and most importantly, the Malayan people’s unbreakable bond with their sea, which can be a nightmare and a source of love and sustenance. This is a story that has emerged from the sea and that returns to it. 

 

Know more||

This book takes a centuries-old Japanese concept to try and help humankind ‘make life worth living everyday’ no matter where you find yourself today. Through deeply personal stories of real Japanese people from their 20s all the way to centenarians, this book aims to transport you to Japan and feel like you are meeting all their inspiring real-life heroes from all walks of life and experience a full spectrum of their life stories. 

 

Know more||

In this book, Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s tenth Prime Minister, asks how we might rethink ourselves to adjust to accelerating change, and to shape more just and sustainable futures. Woven through the reflections on his time in prison are critical investigations into justice, post-colonialism, Islamophobia, democracy, and world order. 

 

Know more||

Building on its dominance of global manufacturing, China is becoming an exporter of capital, technology, services, and knowledge. Across many industries, its companies are becoming the setters of global standards. 

In this book, Edward Tse explains how China became the economic power it is today, how its role in global business will continue to expand, and how companies must rethink their global strategies in what will be an increasingly China-relevant global economy.  

 

Fascinated with this month’s releases? We can’t wait to share these stories with you!  

Read an exclusive excerpt from Tiny Rice Grains

Posted on by simransingh

Tiny Rice Grains explores the human side of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). 

Given the business case that diverse and inclusive organizations thrive and drive better performance, the question begs to be asked: why are so many organizations still struggling to implement and embed DEI in the workplace? The book explores this question and tackles how DEI strategies are often approached. as standalone initiatives rather than being woven into the fabric of the organization. Too many people are still afraid to have brave conversations and confront uncomfortable truths in the realm of DEI.

*** 

Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable 

I started playing tennis not too long ago and have since been taking classes to improve my game. Recently, in one such class, I was practicing a new serve that my coach wanted me to try. It felt really uncomfortable and unnatural. When I told him about how it felt, he replied, ‘Yes, and you’ll find that after three or four tries; you’ll slip back into your original form because that’s what feels comfortable.’ 

When he said that, I paused our session and said, ‘I have to write that down for my book!’ My coach laughed. I don’t think he realized quite how insightful his comment was. Our mental muscles that control our behaviour, behave in much the same way as our physical ones. They tend to return to what is comfortable, unless we consciously practise and form new habits. The three Cs approach is a way to consciously practise and engage our mental muscles, so we do not slip back into our old habits and biases. It’s a way to bring us out of System 1 thinking and activate System 2 thinking. 

Start With Care, Lean into Courage, and Show Curiosity 

There are many ways in which care can be applied to create inclusion. These range from an organization’s policies to how your leaders support you to care for yourself. Courage is about the action we take to demonstrate inclusion. Curiosity is making the choice to understand from another’s perspective, and also the willingness to pick up new knowledge on an area with which we are unfamiliar. 

When we are working to create inclusion, it is easy to slip back into our old patterns of behaviour, but remaining where it’s comfortable and not shifting our mindsets or changing our behaviours isn’t going to lead to the outcome of care that we’re aiming for. 

While policies and interventions at an organizational level can help, it is in how the policies are delivered, by leaders and colleagues who care about the impact, that change is really seen and felt. We have to be curious and positively disrupt our normal patterns of thinking and behaviour. We must have courage to take action that may feel uncomfortable but lead to the right outcomes and commit to doing the right thing when it’s hard, not only when it’s easy. 

*** 

The book explores this question and tackles how DEI strategies are often approached. as standalone initiatives rather than being woven into the fabric of the organization. Too many people are still afraid to have brave conversations and confront uncomfortable truths in the realm of DEI. 

Get your copy now.  

 

New Books Releasing In September 2025

Posted on by simransingh

September is serving up stories that refuse to be ignored. From page-turning fiction to life-changing non-fiction, these books will tug at your heart, challenge your mind, and maybe even shake up your shopping habits. Whether you’re looking for romance, family drama, Southeast Asian voices, or self-help wisdom, this month’s lineup is proof that your TBR pile is about to get taller.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Know more||

A bilingual short story anthology from Indonesia, Stories from the Island gathers ten emerging writers selected as part of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2025. The collection showcases diverse voices from across Indonesia’s 17,000 islands, reflecting the country’s many cultures, local languages, and traditions. If you love translated literature, Indonesian short stories, or discovering new Southeast Asian writers, this anthology is a must-read.

Know more||

Omar Musa’s Fierceland is an epic family saga set in Malaysian Borneo, weaving together history, myth, and modernity. When siblings Roz and Harun return home after their father’s death, they must confront his legacy as a palm-oil baron and the dark secrets behind the family’s wealth. Ideal for readers of multigenerational family dramas, environmental fiction, and literary novels about Southeast Asia.

Know more||

Ever wondered why you chose that soda or paper towel brand? Why Did You Buy That Drink? explores the psychology of consumer behavior and the science of everyday choices. Perfect for readers of popular science books, behavioral economics, and psychology of decision-making, this book explains the invisible forces behind the shopping decisions we make every day.

Know more||

A moving young adult novel about ambition, resilience, and self-belief, Jannah is ^NOT Average follows Jannah Ismail, a 16-year-old determined to become a medical doctor despite academic setbacks and societal doubt. A perfect pick for fans of YA coming-of-age books, diverse teen stories, and female empowerment fiction.

Know more||

Blending storytelling with timeless wisdom, The Dao of Foresight introduces foresight techniques through the relationship of a master and disciple rooted in Daoism, Zen Buddhism, and Confucian philosophy. If you enjoy Eastern philosophy books, mindfulness literature, or fiction infused with wisdom traditions, this title is for you.

Know more||

Looking to level up your well-being? Harness Happiness teaches readers how to cultivate the Skill of Happiness, starting with the self and expanding to every aspect of life. Fans of self-help books, mental health guides, and personal development titles will find practical tools for building lasting joy.

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

From fiction that transports you across cultures to non-fiction that reshapes your perspective, these September 2025 new book releases will enrich your bookshelf and spark conversation. Whether you’re in the mood for a YA novel, a self-help guide, or translated Southeast Asian stories, these titles are the perfect addition to your fall reading list.

Read an exclusive excerpt from The Longing

Posted on by simransingh

In The Longing, memory is not just something you inherit — it’s something you survive.
Spanning three generations of women bound by blood, sacrifice, and silence, this quietly devastating novel traces how familial duty and hidden desires shape a legacy across time. In this excerpt, we’re transported to 1957, where seventeen-year-old Ah Lam’s future is being quietly negotiated—her heart caught between a factory worker’s promise and her family’s pressing need. What begins as a story of matchmakers and marriage quickly unfurls into something deeper: the uneasy tug-of-war between personal longing and generational expectation.

The Longing is a story about three generations of women who find what they need when intergenerational trauma and family memories haunt their lives and ties to others.  

*** 

In 1957, just when Ah Lam turns seventeen, Ah Wong decides it is high time for her to get married. The family’s need for financial profit and reduced costs is growing, as with nine children the struggle is arduous. Although their small shop does nicely—and the girls help further by taking sewing and embroidering orders, while the boys taking turns running the tobacco delivery from one neighbourhood to another—the children have growing appetites, and soon they will need to send the boys to the Dutch school, which will cost twice as much as the Chinese-language school. 

Ah Wong has kept silent about Ah Lam’s secret relationship with the factory worker, for it seemed harmless enough. Everyone who had mentioned it to him, hoping to be the first, said ‘How sweet,’ and ‘Don’t worry, it won’t last.’ 

‘The boy works hard and could do well for himself,’ Ah Bao once said.  

But after learning that Tan Kwee has almost no family inheritance, Ah Wong decides Ah Lam should set her sights higher. There are costs for food, housing, children, and festivities to anticipate. And there’s unpredictable rising costs in the market, always coming out to hit everyone without any warnings. Once a week, Ah Wong delivers rice to a wealthy Chinese family who runs a successful packaging company for the Dutch—rice, flour, and sugar. 

Since Ah Wong has always made his deliveries on time, the owner, Cheng Mui Gek, a widowed businesswoman who can smell money from a mile away, grows fond of him, and often talks to him about their respective children. Her youngest son, Cheng Lei, has just turned twenty-two and spends his days playing Chopin, Brahms, and Beethoven on the piano or arranging roses, gerberas, and chrysanthemums in a vase. 

‘He thinks that’s what he wants to do all his life and nothing else,’ Cheng Mui says, ‘but I know better. That boy of mine needs a wife.’ 

***  

This heartfelt story is one you don’t want to miss.  

Get your copy today.  

 

New Books Releasing In August 2025

Posted on by simransingh

This Month’s Must-Reads: Swoon, Stroll, and Shift Perspectives

This August, prepare to fall in love, revisit the past, and see the world through new eyes. Whether you’re craving a swoony romance, a poignant slice of history, or thought-provoking ideas, these new releases promise to stir the reader in you — and take you on journeys both intimate and epic.

Here’s what’s hitting shelves this month:

Buy here||

A romance where fate takes the aisle seat.

From the author of Love on a Second Read comes another irresistibly swoon-worthy love story. Think Before Sunrise meets Love Hard — in Manila. When Sophia and Raphael meet on a flight home, a spontaneous pact to confront their ghosting exes turns into an unforgettable walking tour of the city… and of each other’s hearts. Witty, warm, and wonderfully Filipino.

Buy here||

A tender tale of courage, family, and post-war Singapore.

Set in 1950s Singapore and inspired by true stories from the author’s own family, this sequel to the Little Hero follows young Xiong on a heartfelt journey of hope, resilience, and the quiet power of wishing big. Emily Lim-Leh returns with another story that will tug at your heartstrings.

Buy here||

What lies beneath the official story?

From archaeology to post-colonial theory, this collection brings together Singapore’s leading historians to unearth the untold. It charts the bold, decades-long project to rewrite Singapore’s pre-colonial narrative — and challenges how we understand our nation’s past, present, and future.

Buy here||

A love letter to Singapore — loud, funny, and full of heart.

For the first time, Notes from an Even Smaller Island, Scribbles from the Same Island, and Final Notes from a Great Island are collected in one omnibus edition. This trilogy captures Neil Humphreys’ delightfully sharp, funny, and affectionate take on a nation he made home — with a new foreword by Colin Goh.

Buy here||

Small actions, lasting impact.

In today’s corporate world, DEI is more than a buzzword — it’s a mindset shift. This sharp, insightful book explores why diversity and inclusion efforts often stall, and how real change begins with brave conversations and small, human moments. A must-read for anyone shaping culture at work.

Buy here||

Baby boomers, beatmakers, and the birth of a nation.

A vibrant collection that pays tribute to the Merdeka Generation — those born in post-WWII Singapore who shaped the city-state’s cultural and political identity. Featuring stories that groove through the music scene of the 60s and 70s, this is a nostalgic, heartfelt homage to the ones who helped build modern Singapore.

Ready to dive in?
We know the feeling. Follow us on social media for release updates, behind-the-scenes stories, and more.