If there is a silver lining to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, however glimmeringly small, it might be that it’s forcing people to slow down, re-evaluate things and get back in touch with things they’ve constantly put off. Many are picking up new – or old – hobbies and while many institutions and creatives are making the best of the situation by digitising, certain experiences are hard to replicate, though, such as that simple, age-old pleasure of getting lost in a really good book.
Since we’re all staying indoors more than ever, now’s the time to get back into reading that classic you keep telling yourself you would take it up some day. Or better yet, why not step out of your comfort zone to discover authors of vastly different backgrounds, communities and experiences?
If you’re looking for fresh reads, one of the best places to start in Singapore would be The Moon, an independent bookstore, cafe and events space known for championing titles penned by under-served communities – more than half their stock of books are written by women and authors of colour.
We’ve enlisted Ruby Thiagarajan, The Moon’s resident book curator, to give us her top literary recommendations here. If none of the titles above finds a right fit with you, you’re always welcomed to try The Moon Mystery, where customers pay a flat fee and fill out a form about their reading preferences – which Thiagarajan then proceeds to suss out a book she thinks is most suitable for them.
Enjoy the recommendations and if it hits a sweet spot with you, do shop local as much as possible. After all, local businesses need your patronage now more than ever.
