Wow, what an exciting month! It felt like stepping into a parallel univers filled with incredible stories. But first, some stats:
- Books read: 15
- Total pages: 3976
- Most pages read in one day : January 4th (A Candle or the Sun, 250 pages)
- Day less read: January 3d (Catskull, 0 pages)
And the favorites of this month in no particular order
- The Gatekeeper
- Lieutenant Kurosawa’s Errand Boy
- Flowers at Dawn
- When a Flower dies
Expanding My Reading Horizons
I feel like I’ve already exceeded my initial goals. This month, I read genres I never usually touch: dystopian, fantasy, and YA. The Gatekeeper completely won me over. I never thought dystopian fiction could be my genre, but I just needed the right book.
YA was another unexpected journey. Thanks (or no thanks?) to my grandmother’s ridiulously inappropriate library, I barely read YA growing up. I always thought I missed my chance. But Escape from Bussorah Street changed that. It felt like a long-overdue catch-up session with a genre I had ignored.
History, Identity, and New Perspectives
As you can probably tell from my favorite list, historical fiction did it for me this month. Flowers at Dawn sent me spiraling down a rabbit hole of research on the Indian National Army. I thought I knew about Singapore’s wartime history, but this book made me realise how much I had yet to learn. Comparing the Japanese occupation in Singapore to the German occupation in Europe made me reflect on how we remember history differently.
I also learned more about the Singapore’s Malay and Tamil communities in one month than I had in the last five years. And while translation is amazing, reading Penghulu or Flowers at Dawn in their original Malay or Tamil must be an entirely different experience. These books make me want to learn the languages just to read them as they were meant to be read.
Finding books written by minority voices in Singapore remains a challenge. Some of my Singaporean friends are baffled by my determination. Why spend hours tracking down a book when I could just walk into a library and grab whatever’s available? But then I read a book like Flowers at Dawn, and I am ready to start all over again.
Language, Darkness, and the Emotional Weight of Stories
Beyond history, this project has taught me something else. Reading really is the best way to learn a language. I’ve read countless articles saying so, but now I’ve seen it firsthand. After encountering “Kaypoh” hundreds of times, I finally get it!
However, one thing I didn’t expect is how dark Singlit can be. With Singapore’s almost autumn-like January weather, some books depressed me more than the rain (which says a lot for a girl from the North). Still, reading these heave stories kind of felt therapeutic too. After dealing with some frustrating people this month, Catskull was oddly satisfying.
Lessons Learned & The Challenge of Reviewing
If you’re considering a reading project like mine, here’s my best advice: be organised. I never expected to read this much in one month. But I only could because I had already the books in my cupboard ready to read. I am also glad I did because February will be an intensive month with Army training and a holiday. Reading might not be the priority.
What I did struggle with was writing reviews. Critiquing an author’s work when they are far ahead in their writing journey feels awkward, especially when I’m still working on the first lines of my own projects. Plus if I wait too long, I start forgetting details. Balancing reading and reviewing is something I still need to work on.
Final Thoughts
This month has been an incredible reading journey. I set out to explore, learn, and challenge myself, and I already feel like this project has exceeded my expectations.
If you have book suggestions, especially joyful reads or hidden literary gems, send them my way at anlytampere@an