23 Dec Liani’s Books of the Year

While we wait for our readers to send in their choices of favourite books of 2014, here we present the choices of the bookshop team. Liani, the bookshop’s outreach manager, gives us her three nomination:

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Brian Stoddart’s A Madras Miasma: A Superintendent Le Fanu Mystery (Crime Wave Press).

“The author’s extensive knowledge of Indian history shapes the backdrop of this detective novel set in the 1920s. You’re made to ponder the political and racial controversies of the time. The free flow of the prose style also make this an enjoyable read – and a real page turner. Time to read the sequel, The Pallampur Predicament!”

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Lily Forbes’s Growing Up Under the Mango Tree (SilverWood Books).

“A compelling read about growing up in British-occupied Malaya and pursuing a dream beyond the confines of filial and cultural restrictions. I enjoyed her lyrical and honest narrative, which makes her memoir stand out.”

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Ariel Heryanto’s Identity and Pleasure: The Politics of Indonesian Screen Culture (NUS Press).

“This book examines Indonesia’s cinema and social media following the collapse of the New Order within broader discussions on culture. It draws attention to the dynamics of ethnicity, religion, transnational engagements and socioeconomic development that are inextricably linked to media and popular culture. While this book may interest students on film, it is also relevant for studies in cultural and identity politics.”