Quality Quill

Picked up the new issue of MPH's magazine Quill a couple of days back. There's a generous helping of yours truly - writing about why writers must read (the piece started life as this blog post but grew rather longer) and a fun list of latest books with one word titles (which I found dangerous to write because it made me want to buy the books myself!) The art work that went with the article was pretty nice: how many book titles can you pick out below and can you name the authors? (The grumbling myopics among you can click to enlarge!)

I was also quite thrilled to read a review of this blog by Chai Mei Ling. She says about me:

..she shares her (very) frank views on everything books, reading and writing in a light, conversational tone with a sporadic twinge of wickedness and a dab of sarcasm.

Sarcastic? Moi?

Mei Ling also reviews two other excellent local blogs about books and writing: Eric Forbes' Good Books Guide and Inky Hands which gives a home to the work of young writers.

Now I've finished blowing my own trumpet, I have to point out that there's tons of other good stuff in this issue, including an extremely interesting interview with Culture, Arts and Heritage minister, Datuk Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim about the local book industry. Eric Forbes gives sterling advice about how to get published, and Philip Gan (aka Eternal Wanderer) writes about coffee table books.

Then there are several articles in Malay including an interview with writer Nisah Haji Haron. And I learned from Shaharom TM Sulaiman that the Malay word for what ought to ail us is:

Biblioholisme

Love it!

Congrats, Renee and team, for creating a book magazine that grows more entertaining with every issue - and not just because you are kind enough to include me in it!