I’m in a binge-reading phase

The Accidental Malay

This one feels like Crazy Rich Asians set in KL—except with more chaotic aunties, an affair and a handsome heir to a gold dealer.

The prose is so good that I had to slow myself down. At my usual pace, it felt like I was skimming past the author's work. I'm about halfway through now, right at that point where one small decision could unravel everything…which makes it very hard to put down.

What We Learned from Driving in Winter

This has been recommended to me by…honestly, everyone. My boss, some friends and a few people on the team—so I'm taking it as a sign.

It follows three Singaporean university students in London who become unlikely roommates and then close friends. Over the course of three winters, they lean on each other through trauma and major life shifts. When one of them disappears, the other two set out on a road trip to retrace her final days.

I've been told it's one of those quiet but devastating reads about friendship, grief and how we keep going.

Unease: Life in Singapore Families

After This Is What Inequality Looks Like, this new title by Teo You Yenn turns to family life—why, in a "pro-family" society like Singapore, so many parents still feel uneasy, and how inequality shapes the way we raise children.

It draws on interviews with parents from diverse backgrounds, showing how competition, hierarchy, and ideas of worth shape how we raise children—and seep into how we live with each other.

I've already preordered a copy and can't wait to read it once it's out.

Author Tan Ya Wen with her book, The Most Punctual Country in the World

I love the idea for the book. What sparked the idea for this story?

Tan Ya: Most of us are used to having a certain routine in our daily lives because of school or work. But what happens if we are free to fix our own routine, not just for school or work, but for everything in our lives? How could we synchronise ourselves with society and connect?

The clock feels quite symbolic in the story, and it looks like a certain tower we have at the airport. What does it represent?

Tan Ya: Clocks tell the time, which we human beings have obligated ourselves to adhere to. The clock in the story represents the rules we set for ourselves.

Do you think children and adults experience time differently?

Tan Ya: A child could spend endless hours obsessing over their favourite subject or participating in their favourite activities as long as their energy level allows. I feel that adults often forget to make time for themselves to do something they thoroughly enjoy and not worry about wasting time.

What do you hope readers take away from this book?

Tan Ya: I hope that they feel empowered to take responsibility for themselves in whatever they do. Through my story, I would like to convey that time management extends beyond punctuality. It is taking ownership of your time.