READ! Singapore 2007

It's here again!


Oh, there'll be another round of "live" book discussions (see this one from last year). If online book discussions aren't your cup of tea, feel free to join in the face-to-face discussions that will be held at the public libraries (in addition to the regular sessions by the various reading groups/ book clubs).

READ! Singapore is one of the key annual events organised by the NLB since 2005. PLease refer to the official website at readSingapore.nlb.gov.sg

This site got TODAYed!

Heh, thanks to Sargunan, we were alerted that this site got mentioned in TODAYonline.com ("The write moves", 22 Apr '06, "plus" section):

Also, check out readsingapore.blogspot.com, which was set up by the National Library Board for the Read Singapore! campaign.

Just so you know -- the official site for READ! Singapore is at readsingapore.nlb.gov.sg. This site was our experiment, way back in April 2005, in using blogs to complement a reading initiative.

We're glad that people are still dropping by this site. This year, we'll be using High Browse Online as the "official platform". That's where the latest updates and postings on READ! Singapore 2006. That being said, this blog will still be here for now. We think it's an excellent way to archive the content for READ! Singapore 2005.

The list of books for READ! Singapore 2006 has been finalised. The official READ! Singapore site is still being updated, so the information should be posted in a few weeks time. But if you can't wait to find out, feel free to email us at ask@nlb.gov.sg.


Tag: readsingapore

Coming soon... READ! Singapore 2006

That's right! READ! Singapore 2006 is coming soon. More details will be made available, as soon as they are available, on the official website at ReadSingapore.nlb.gov.sg as well as High Browse Online.

Meantime, if you've any enquiries on READ! Singapore, please email to: ask@nlb.gov.sg (an Advisory & Enquiry Service at the Public Library)

High Browse Online

For readers interested in online book discussions, visit High Browse Online:

This is the online version of High Browse print (the printed versions in NLB libraries). The aim of the online version is the same -- Helping You Make Informed Reading Decisions.

Our chief objective remains the same -- to stimulate response and discussion from readers who read High Browse. With High Browse Online, we'd like to invite your comments to the recommendations posted. We also welcome volunteer contributions like reviews and editorials.

Not the end, but a beginning

The READ! Singapore Initiative officially closed on 6 Aug 2005, after 10 weeks of activities. The closing ceremony was held at The Pod of the National Library.

"Our role is to plant the seed of reading in Singaporeans and provide the right
environment for it to germinate and bear fruit."
Dr Varaprasad, CE NLB
24 May 2005

Thank you for your support.
This is not the end, but a beginning.

Conversations with Colin Cheong at CCKCL

Reported by Marhama Mohammed, Adult & Young People's Services Librarian

Colin Cheong, author of Tangerine, was at CCKCL to discuss his book as part of the READ! Singapore event at the library on 11 June 2005. He went to Vietnam in 1993, wrote the book in 1996 and was subsequently published in1997. If you had missed the session at CCKCL, here are the highlights of the discussion:



1. Choice of title- Tangerine (fruit - an orange)
Local girls selling tangerines are a common sight in Vietnam. The fruit was also distributed during in-flight services of the Vietnamese airlines. In the words of the author "one of the few airlines in those days giving out oranges ~ a rare sight indeed!"

On being asked about the use of alliterations in his novel; Issues of colonialism, communism, capitalism and consumerism, it was to give a perspective of Vietnam undergoing change during different periods in history, from being a French colony to independence to communism.

It was also interesting how others thought of things that were taken for granted at home such as the SDU and COE. His travelling pals from Canada thought it was quite strange to have the government intervene in social engineering (procreation of citizens ie the graduates).

2. On women and education in Vietnam:
One would have not thought of Vietnamese women going to war in this male dominated society, fighting against the Viet Congs and being apt at handling rifles. Vietnam’s literacy rate was at 99.9 %.



To conclude:
The author ended the story with him buying the tangerines and later, much to the girl’s surprise, peeling, and sharing half of the orange with her. In the author’s words “ in that moment, it was all that mattered.” He could not have thought of a better way to end the story.

After what he had seen of Vietnam, he was asked if he had ever thought of being fortunate to be a Singaporean. Pausing for a moment, he replied that never once did he compare himself to them except that, he thought, if he were to be in their position, he was wondering if he could cope.”

The session was an “eye-opener” on Vietnam for many of us who attended. More than 10 years had passed since he last visited Vietnam, the passion he had for the country was still evident through his personal recollections. The author also shared with us the original photo prints that he took of Vietnam - one of which was used as the bookcover.

TKGS student's book review - Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime

Contributed by Gloria Tan, Tanjong Katong Girls' School

This Whitbread Book of the Year Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize award-winner is a most captivating book.

Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone has photographic memory. He understands math, science, and patterns. What he can’t understand are other human beings. Christopher is suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome, commonly referred to as autism. Christopher is autistic.

Christopher decides to solve the strangely upsetting murder mystery of his neighbour’s dog and even runs away from home to uncover the truth. This book shows life from Christopher’s point of view.

Christopher is an interesting fictional creation: believable, oddly lovable, and a moving education in difference.



This complex book is both funny and deeply moving. As we take a look at the world from a different perspective, we see things more clearly and find that we understand ourselves better.

St. Andrew's JC student's book review - Tangerine

Contributed by Sudeshna Dutt, St. Andrew's Junior College

This book is written from the perspective of a young Singaporean photojournalist by the name of Nick. He goes to Vietnam for a reunion with his friends but ends up travelling solo for a week before joining his buddies. During this week, he meets many other travellers and locals who cause him to rediscover himself and to ponder issues such as friendships and loneliness.



The main theme of this book revolves around loneliness and reconnecting with other people. The title of the book was derived from Nick’s gesture of offering a tangerine to the Vietnamese people. Readers learn many lessons on empathy and relationships with others.

A certain paragraph stated:

“They were all old friends from college, student councilors who had shared a year so intense they thought it would bind them forever. But they had been only seventeen then and they sat together that night at twenty-eight, bound by a common thread so thin it was getting hard to see why they were still invited to each other's weddings. No one was unfriendly, no eye or heart was cold, but the distance was showing.”

This indicated that relationships between humans were something delicate and easily affected. You may be close to a person at one point in time and years later, barely know them.

The story being rather poignant is a good read for all youngsters. Readers will tend to reflect on what they have and the relationships they share with other people.

St. Andrew's JC student's book review - To Kill A Mockingbird

Contributed by Sudeshna Dutt, St. Andrew's Junior College

This book is set in a small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression. It follows three years of the life of Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus in which an eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman took place.



Even though this story deals with important and mature issues, it is told through the eyes of a child.

Scout and Jem along with a friend, Dill, spend the summer acting out different plays and they soon become interested in a house occupied by the mysterious Boo Radley. Meanwhile, their father, Atticus, who is a lawyer, agrees to defend a local African American man named Tom Robinson who is accused of raping a white girl.

At the trial, Atticus proves that Tom is innocent but because the jury is all white and Tom is black, he is convicted and put in jail. He tries to escape later on in the story but gets killed. The victim’s father, embarrassed by the trial, decides to take revenge against Atticus, by trying to attack Scout and Jem. However someone comes along to save them.

This book is absolutely outstanding. Using the point of view of a child it gives us an innocent standpoint through which to examine major issues like racism.

This book teaches us that the worst can be brought out in even the best people, when society's views are as cruel and hateful. Readers get to learn never to judge someone till they truly know them.

A must read book for all teenagers.

St. Andrew's JC student's book review - Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime

Contributed by Sudeshna Dutt, St. Andrew's Junior College

This novel is written from the point of view of a 15-year-old autistic child by the name of Christopher. This boy has been attending a special school all his life and lives with his father.

Although a genius in math and science, Christopher faces a problem in understanding other human beings. His teacher, Siobhan has taught him how to deal with the environment in a more appropriate manner.


NLB Call No.: HAD
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He is able to see things logically and interpret the spoken word correctly but unable to comprehend human emotions. It is also interesting to note that the chapters arranged by prime numbers, rather than the usual cardinal numbers as Christopher prefers prime numbers.

When his neighbour’s dog, Wellington, is brutally killed with a pitchfork, Christopher decides to solve the mystery and write a book about it. He investigates the crime by referring to his favourite novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles.

In the process, he discovers many secrets about his family. As Christopher investigates Wellington's death, he makes some brave decisions such as moving beyond his immediate neighborhood. By the end of the book, Christopher is much more mature than he was at the start of the book.

This is a beautifully written book which is suitable for children above 10, as well as for adults. Haddon creates a fascinating main character and allows the reader to share in his world, experiencing his failures and successes. Readers can’t help but empathize and share the joys and frustrations of Christopher. Mark Haddon provides us with good entertainment and at the same time, allows us to gain knowledge about autism.

This is definitely a must-read book!

TRL manager refects on sharing session for Tangerine (23 Jun 05)

[Manager of TRL reflects on the sharing session on 23 Jun 05, at Tampines Regional Library (TRL)]

This morning, Thursday, 23 June, 9am at TRL, was the second session when staff gathered to discuss one of the books chosen for the READ! Singapore campaign. Ten of us huddled around the table waiting for Krist, our new Children’s librarian who facilitated the session.


Children's Librarian, Krist (center), with TRL Manager, Zahra Aljunied (right)

Krist: Thanks for facilitating the session. I loved your "philosophical" treatment of the story. We had a good discussion on the symbolic tangerine fruit that appears throughout the book –the whole bunch of the fruits in a basket and how this symbolized something else when Nick passed it to the old man in the bus. You treated the story well. And thanks for preparing the map of Vietnam with the background. We should use the same edition of the book in future! But it was quite fun though to try to match the pages in your first edition of the book with our later one.

Fawzia: Thanks for sharing notes on your trip to Vietnam - the place where your grandmother came from. Although you didn't quite see some of the things that Nick saw, maybe you didn't venture as far as he did.

Hafsah: Thanks for sharing the "confusion" that I also felt when reading the book, especially on Colin's treatment of flashbacks. I thought I was the only one. However as librarians, we like order and wished that Colin had stuck to using proper punctuation for all the dialogue in his book.



Michelle: Well you agreed with Nick that "ignorance is a bliss" but I do hope you choose a developing country for your holiday destination some day. It could be an eye opener. And do continue to read beyond Chapter 1. Trust me it gets less boring beyond that as Nick goes on his journey up North towards Hanoi.

Mala: Must read the book, OK, so you’ll know more about the many Vietnamese girls that you were fascinated with as Krist shared the book. You mentioned how you liked the “ao dai” that Fawzia bought back from Vietnam.

Zuraina: Do you need an answer to why Colin chose Tangerine? Then read the book so you could see the link as Krist had shared.



Hui Hiang, Radia and Sok Cheng: I hope the session spurs an interest in you to read on.
And Colin would be coming to TRL on Saturday, 9 July. We would all be ready with lots of questions for him!

PS: Hope all of you like the “surprise little gifts” picked as you dip into my black bag after you shared something about the book. Those were little things that I got from Indonesia. Hmm…maybe I could write something about my next adventure like Colin did…

S. Zahra Aljunied, Manager, Tampines Regional Library (TRL)