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:
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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Feeling excited already? Stay tuned on our social media channels to know when they come out!
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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Riverrun is a rite-of-passage novel on the life of Danilo Cruz, a young gay man whogrows up in a colourful and chaotic military dictatorship in the Philippines. The book is shapedlike a memoir, and glides from childhood to young adulthood.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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 ourselvesand with hope.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
