Recommendations Archives - Penguin Random House SEA

New Books Releasing In August 2025

Posted on August 1, 2025 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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

New Books Releasing in July 2025

Posted on July 1, 2025 by simransingh

Halfway through the year — and the stories just keep getting better.

We’re thrilled to bring you another exciting lineup of books, each one crafted to spark curiosity, stir emotion, and claim a spot on your ever-growing TBR pile. Whether you’re drawn to sweeping love stories, modern-day dilemmas, or transformative self-help, there’s something here for every kind of reader.

Here’s what’s releasing this month:

When Michelle meets Jonny, she finds him guarded, temperamental, and utterly unreadable. He finds her immature, frustrating — and far too perky. But fate has other plans.

Inspired by a true story, Pickle Mist is a captivating tale of two strangers caught in the strange, serendipitous tide of the universe. For fans of slow-burn romance and messy, magnetic connections.

Destiny always dreamed of working in mental health — not going viral. But when @DestinyIzzaLeo stumbles into digital fame, she finds herself entangled with @DawnGames, a seasoned influencer, and Donovan Cider, who’s still nursing a bruised heart.

A modern love story set in the fast-scrolling world of internet fame, Chronically Online is tender, witty, and achingly real.

In 19th-century Sulawesi, orphaned shaman Minah strikes a deadly bargain with a jinn. A century later, Julia, a Malaysian woman desperate to conceive, becomes ensnared in the consequences of that pact.

Rich in folklore and charged with suspense, The Shaman’s Circle is a gripping tale of sacrifice, sorcery, and the ghosts we inherit.

Not everyone wants the spotlight — and that’s more than okay.

In this empowering guide, introverts are encouraged to own their quiet strengths and navigate a loud, fast-paced world on their own terms. Thoughtful, honest, and affirming, Shh…Give Me A Moment is for anyone who’s ever felt out of place in a room full of noise.

OG personal finance blogger Budget Babe (Dawn Cher) brings you a clear, no-fluff roadmap to financial freedom.

From busting myths to building wealth, Take Back Control of Your Money helps you break free from paycheck-to-paycheck living — and finally feel in charge of your financial future.

Which one will you reach for first?
Follow us on social media for exclusive sneak peeks, author updates, and release announcements — and let your next great read find you.

Pride Month Reading List

Posted on June 6, 2025June 6, 2025 by simransingh

This Pride Month, not only are we celebrating love but the power that Pride brings with it. How are we celebrating that? Well, you know it. With books and stories that have touched our heart. At the heart of Pride lies a spectrum of stories, tender, bold, defiant, and quietly transformative. And what better way to celebrate than through the pages of books that have moved us, challenged us, and lingered with us long after the last chapter? We felt deeply connected to the characters and all that they went through, whether it’s deep or on the lighter side of life. So, of course, we wanted to share our list of books with you.

Here’s what we’re reading this month:

Boys’ Love follows the life of Jon, a Filipino gay man and his coming out of the closet in conservative and Catholic Philippines. He becomes a journalist and lives briefly in the United Kingdom and the United States, but returns home to a colourful country that is beginning to change. He forges friendships and alliances in gay Manila, meets and break ups with lovers, and lives with eyes wide open to the possibilities of hope.

Inspired by Filipino mythology and folk tales but written with a Gothic take, My Lady Hiraya is a sapphic romance fantasy novel that follows Elise’s dogged pursuit of her lost love and the love she finds along the way.

In Worship the Body, an owner of a furniture workshop, Jaime drops by a restaurant to cool off with a glass of beer. Working in that restaurant, Jun waits on him in that random visit. Something happens between them as their eyes meet over the glass of beer which Jaime considers an accident and Jun considers luck. Their paths will once again cross, but in an unexpected way.

Have I Got Something To Tell You is collection of stories that explore the intersections and conflicts in family lives and sexuality that are typical in contemporary Asian societies, yet also universal. These stories are set from post-independent Malaysia to the early decades of the 21st century, the Covid-19 pandemic years – gay men’s love cannot be understood by their family or nation; and an endearing but heart-breaking love between two young men, one with hearing-impairment.

Riverrun is a rite-of-passage novel on the life of Danilo Cruz, a young gay man who grows up in a colourful and chaotic military dictatorship in the Philippines. The book is shaped like a memoir, and glides from childhood to young adulthood.

The Dogs follows the story of Tian, a middle-aged man, moves into an old flat that had once belonged to his late father, to live out the rest of his life. As he goes about his days, he starts to reminisce about his childhood in a kampong in Singapore in the 1950s, and his friendship with Heng Chong, a schoolmate. As he looks back, he gains a deeper understanding of his own past.

The Zero Season takes us to 1949, where a young Etienne Legast is in trouble, estranged from his pious Catholic family, has fled a messy love affair with an older man at the end of the war, and returns home to Paris for a funeral – only to find himself quick drawn into a deadly debt and an unexpected romance with an orphaned Cambodian student radical. Though the two young men come from different worlds, they soon develop a bond that helps them transcend their respective tragedies.

Orchids of the Rainforest is a novel about reconciling identities with culture and heritage, while realising that acceptance is sometimes found in the unlikeliest of places. This book follows the lives of three cousins who are dealing with their personal troubles and trying to break the shackles of tradition.

In Death and the Maiden we meet Stella, a ghost boy in a skirt who lives in an abandoned tower in the middle of the capital. He calls himself the Eleventh Floor Theater Administrator. Every evening he wakes up to repeat the same routine, caring for lost children, watching a spectacular parade of the Defeated Gamblers. The boy wonders why the Reaper whom he lived with had not yet sent his soul away.

Have you got the feels yet? Trust us when we say that you don’t want to miss out on these stories.

Get your copies today.

New Books Releasing in June 2025

Posted on May 31, 2025 by simransingh

It’s that time of the year when summer is in full swing and readers want light summer reads, books to take on vacation, stories that will accompany you on rainy days and more. Whether you’re traveling, sheltering from the heat with the A/C on full blast, or enjoying a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea, June’s literary offerings promise a journey for every kind of reader.

This month, we bring you a diverse and thought-provoking selection. From multigenerational sagas and poignant queer narratives to sharp romantic comedies and timely geopolitical analysis. Here are the books releasing this month:

This novel follows the life of Jon, a Filipino gay man and his coming out of the closet in conservative and Catholic Philippines. He becomes a journalist and lives briefly in the United Kingdom and the United States, but returns home to a colourful country that is beginning to change.

He forges friendships and alliances in gay Manila, meets and break ups with lovers, and lives with eyes wide open to the possibilities of hope.

Here you will get a narrative line that is enriched with different prose forms like vignettes, poems, songs, speeches, reviews, feature articles, portraits of people and sketches of places.

Ah Lam is married off to Cheng Lei, the son of a wealthy merchant, to help improve her family’s situation as she is of age. Ming Zhu, Ah Lam’s daughter, befriends a wealthy Muslim Javanese entrepreneur family and falls for Arya, an aspiring scholar, whom she later marries despite her parents’ disagreement for their different cultural and religious backgrounds under the authoritarian New Order regime. Dido, one of Ming Zhu’s twin children and a Peranakan woman, faces gender and cultural challenges as she is torn between her hybrid ethnicity and cultural roots while growing up in the disorienting Reformasi era and riots.

This is a story of three generations of women in Indonesia which talks about what happens when intergenerational trauma and family memories haunt their lives and ties to others.

After witnessing the relationships from the two closest people in her life fall apart, Clara was determined not to be the curse’s next victim by avoiding the root cause: falling in love with cliché love interests.

Leading up to college, Clara has managed to avoid getting stuck in situations that will cause her to spend more time than necessary with a cliché love interest. But when she accidentally arrived late to the first day of ASL class, her streak came to an end when Colton Reed, the college star baseball player ended up sitting next to her.

Escaping the curse was going to be a lot more difficult than she thought it would be.

An era of great power rivalry made the rise of Southeast Asia possible. It stimulated common purpose and unity among nations and led to the creation and consolidation of ASEAN.

The question now is, will the return of geopolitics have a similar impact? This is no means assured. In fact, the opposite could happen. The new geopolitics is, after all, quite different from the old. Developments affecting Southeast Asia’s reputation and appeal might destroy ‘Southeast Asia’ not just as a distinct idea, but also as pawns in the hands of great powers.

With so many interestingly crafted stories, we know it can be hard to choose which one to read first. But the good thing is that you get to read all! Stay tuned on our Instagram to know when they release.

Books you can read instead of doomscrolling – Mental Health Awareness Month Edition

Posted on May 23, 2025 by simransingh

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re not here to tell you to think positive or be mindful.

In a world overflowing with endless feeds and fleeting updates, it’s easy to fall into the trap of constant scrolling, especially when life feels overwhelming. If you’re feeling frayed, restless, or just plain tired lately, you’re not alone. Doomscrolling might feel like control, like staying informed—but mostly, it just wears us down. But this month, we’re offering an alternative: start reading.

Not because reading will magically solve anything.
Not because you need another thing on your “self-care” checklist.
But because your mind deserves better than an endless scroll of anxiety, outrage, and distraction. Each book here, whether fiction or nonfiction, offers insight into the human experience, mental wellness, and self-discovery. Here’s what we recommend flipping through instead of your social media feed.

Through the powerful stories of her clients, Clinical Psychologist Dr. Cassandra Aasmundsen-Fry explores how buried experiences shape our feelings of being stuck, in our careers, relationships, and personal fulfillment. This book is a journey of embracing our most difficult parts to rediscover hope and reconnection. It is about unearthing and embracing the difficult parts to reconnect with ourselves and with hope.

The story follows its disturbed protagonist over two nights. She is a Harvard-educated mother who struggles to find an outlet for her loaded brain. Meanwhile, her marriage with an asexual husband unravels and she goes through familiar motions of motherhood for their child. She lives entrenched in her mind, facing demons whispering that the love she gets from this family unit won’t make her own life less devastating.

This book is not a prescriptive roadmap to being more efficient in life. Instead, it will guide you to create your own manual to get things done through the power of self-awareness. It will ask you confronting questions that only you can answer; it will show you how to look inward and dig deep into yourself and how to look outward so that you can understand your surroundings.

Woman Turning F*fty is a collection of savagely personal as well as eclectic experiential essays from a former journalist on the margins of middle age. The author ponders timeless questions about life, maturity, and loss, and dips into universal truths that not even hormonal changes can alter.

Beautifully illustrated and easy to dip into, this book provides a toolkit for self-reflection that honors your unique journey. It’s not about fixing yourself—it’s about discovering who you are and embracing your own path to progress. With bite-sized writings and illustrations, it aims to help get us to know ourselves better and appreciate our unique way of progressing in life through self-reflection and evaluation.

Tracy was at the start of her law career and at the cusp of life when she got a debilitating brainstem stroke that affected her breathing, swallowing, speech, eyesight, and severely weakened her left and paralyzed her right. She found herself effectively a thinking statue at the age of thirty-five. In this memoir, author rebuilds her life, she learns life’s basics all over again, discovering the deeper meaning of faith, resilience, and healing.

A vibrant collection of seventeen stories rooted in Malaysia, Tapestry of the Mind introduces you to characters navigating everything from family loss and legal injustice to spiritual crises and societal stigma. Each story is a rich exploration of the mental and emotional threads that bind us.

A charming and wealthy young man who is grieving, begins to hear his late sister’s cat speak, and the conversations change his life. This touching and surreal novel explores grief, memory, and the strange comforts that help us survive loss.

This book demystifies the process of how to come up with effective, problem-solving ideas. It will help you discover how to unlock the transformative power of creative conflict. You will become an expert at sparking creativity. By the time you get to the end of this book, you will have all the tools to brainstorm like a champion.

Mental Health Awareness Month isn’t just about awareness—it’s about action. Choosing a book that speaks to your experience or stretches your perspective can be a small but powerful act of care.

So here’s your challenge: put the feed down. Pick one of these books up.
And start feeling a little more like yourself again.

Which one are you starting with?

New Books Releasing In April 2025

Posted on April 1, 2025 by simransingh

Unmissable, captivating and unputdownable books await you this month. Whether fictional or based on real life, these stories are ones you don’t want to miss. So, whether you’re looking for a book to keep you up all night, an inspiring read to transform your mindset, or simply a captivating escape from the everyday, we’ve got you covered. Take a look at the exciting new releases, and start filling up your reading list—you won’t want to miss these. Happy reading!

Here are the books releasing this month:

Following the stories of three characters, this literary fiction will keep you hooked from the first page. Michelle’s older sister lies in a hospital ward, unconscious and barely breathing. Young Constable Michael Chakrabarti experiences strange happenings during his night shifts. Captain Ishaan heads the newly-inaugurated Department of Supernatural Oddities.

When a mother admits her child in hospital and uses it as childcare, how does she rationalize it? Here’s a story of a woman who struggles to find an outlet for her loaded brain. Her marriage with her asexual husband doesn’t help her worries and all her actions lead her to face her own demons.

Three friends. One mysterious disappearance. Hooked yet? While the two friends try to search for their missing third, they discover things about their friend that they never knew and eventually uncover secrets that they hope will help them find their friend before it’s too late.

Join Fahri Azzat on a rollicking ride through the legal escapades of a Malaysian lawyer, served with a dash of humor and a splash of candor. This collection of essays is like sitting down at the mamak with a witty lawyer friend who has seen it all in the courtroom and isn’t afraid to spill the tea or stir the coffee.

Whether your goal is financial freedom, personal fulfillment, or a purpose-driven existence, The Wisdom of YOLO is your blueprint to making every moment of your only life count. And that is something all need to imbibe, don’t we?

Get ready to make your TBR exciting with all our new releases from April. Happy reading!

New Books Releasing in March 2025

Posted on February 28, 2025March 2, 2025 by simransingh

A new month means new books to add to your TBR, and this March, we’re bringing you a lineup that’s impossible to resist. Whether you’re in the mood for intrigue, inspiration, or introspection, there’s something here for every kind of reader. Dive into our list and get ready to discover your next great read!

Here are the books releasing this month:

Written by Kam Raslan, here is a satirical thriller that offers relationship drama, spying and seduction, and thrilling reunions. The book will keep you hooked throughout and take you on a journey of a man who wants to belong to something, or someone.

Our author Marga Ortigas brings to you a collection of savagely personal ‘postcards’—or eclectic experiential essays—from a former journalist on the margins of middle age. This book will make you laugh and realize that you’re not alone in the journey of life and getting older.

Here is a chilling mystery written by Ruben Dass that is also based on true experiences. Exciting, isn’t it? The story follows two forensic investigators who find a body in a horrifying state. This journey leads them to unravel secrets and hunt dark human beings.

Here’s a playbook by John Aguilar for cultivating your genius, optimizing your body, and living over 100! It will guide anyone and everyone who wants to live their best lives, and look and feel good living it. And who doesn’t want that?

Here’s a collection of short stories written by Patrick Sagaram. In these stories you will find people we all know. People like ourselves, searching and yearning, often in the wrong places for something meaningful and real or for at least a brief moment, right.

Tempted to read them all already? Keep an eye on our Instagram page to find out when they release.

Books To Fall In Love With This Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 4, 2025February 4, 2025 by simransingh

Hello book lovers!

It’s the season of love and we’re here to celebrate with that ONE THING we love the most – books!

We have curated a special list of books with unique and captivating love stories for you to read this Valentine’s Day. Come, fall in love.

Cheese Donuts Are Most Definitely Subpar — Know more||

An enemies-to-lovers romance that will make you swoon! Follow the love story of Ellie and Dion as they start off on kind of a bad note and soon realise that they don’t really despise each other.

This dark romance is all you need right now, trust us. Imagine a love that is forbidden and crosses multiple boundaries to win. Meet ‘The Heartbreaker’ and his obsession, Lil and read how they will do anything to be together.

Here’s a story about how a crush at work can turn into something more. But Kali and Luca’s story is a lot deeper than that. The layers of emotion in their story will keep you hooked from the beginning.

Go on a roller coaster with Emily who is heartbroken and unemployed, as she meets new people only to run into her K-Pop Idol ex-boyfriend. There is drama, love triangles, self-realisations and a lot more in this story.

This is for the independent girlies who need the reassurance of self-love but also be open to finding love in unthinkable places, just like the main character Sarah. Her adventure will set you free.

Love is complicated, and rarely ever simple and here’s a book that includes the messiness behind love. It’s dark, it’s scandalous and you won’t want to put it down as you read about Gale, Papang and Queen.

This is a work romance of our dreams! Emma and Kip are involved in a friendly, flirty and literary smackdown that grows into something deeper than either of them had signed up for.

This is the story of Arya, who goes viral on the internet overnight and Dave, a famous yet reclusive artist who’d retreated from the public. Things go awry when their paths cross, but it might not be the worst thing.

Rebels, Traitors, Peacemakers — Know more||

We all are guilty of loving fictional love stories but here are REAL stories of Indian-Chinese relationships – heartfelt encounters of their struggles and triumphs. They will give you hope to fight for what you love.

Of chance encounters, imaginary worlds, forgotten pasts and redemption – here is the story of Gemma and Cole and how everything changes when they meet. Gemma sets out on a journey for truth.

A beautifully serendipitous love story of Bryce and Nora who fall in love in high school and find an unconventional way to stay in touch after graduation. The story spans over a few years and we ache to see them together again.

So, which one are picking up first?

New Books Releasing In February 2025

Posted on January 31, 2025January 31, 2025 by simransingh

It’s the month of love, and what we love the most is books! Diving into new stories always brings us joy and this month the joy is doubled with exciting genres like short stories, graphic novels, autobiographies and psychology. We can’t wait for you to read them.

Here are the books releasing this month:

Written by Dr. Cassandra Aasmundsen-Fry, a Clinical Psychologist, this book explains through the stories of her clients how the knowledge and life we have buried are responsible for making us feel stuck in our relationships, careers and search for fulfilment. It talks about unearthing and embracing the difficult parts to reconnect with ourselves and with hope.

A Fiery Flesh and Other Stories — Know more||

Written by Ismim Putera, this book features short stories that expose the flimsy nature of the human heart and the frailty of the human body in various ways. They’re gruesome, and surreal and will truly keep you hooked with every page.

Written by Tshering Tobgay, Bhutan’s esteemed Prime Minister and TED Talks sensation, this book will help you discover the transformative power of wisdom, courage, and compassion. It offers invaluable insights into leadership that combine ancient wisdom and modern best practices, blending timeless guidance from the past with today’s principles for effective governance.

Written in poetic form by Felix Cheong and illustrated by Arif Rafhan, this book puts a finger on the zeitgeist of our times. Here is a graphic novel that talks about how we know what’s real in an age defined by curation; and how we even recognize ourselves when we reveal our ‘true’ selves.

Written by Amanda Oon, this book tells us a story of family, race, identity, and self-discovery. But, above all, it is a cultural portrait of Singapore and Malaysia’s rich heritage and history. It’s an autobiography that will take you from London to Singapore and talk about the food, culture, and people that shape the identities of these two countries.

Happy Reading!

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Category: Recommendations

Pride Month Reading List

Books To Fall In Love With This Valentine’s Day

New Books Releasing In February 2025

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