Schools Get Reading Material and Michelle Donates Her Books

This is certainly a big step in the right direction .  As World Book and Copyright Day kicks off, The Star reports that 1,000 secondary schools are each to get reading material worth RM1,000 to encourage youngsters to read. Primary schools will be targeted next. Hope that all the schools in the country eventually benefit from this initiative and that this isn't a on-off donation.  Up and down the country school libraries need stocking well if we are to have a younger generation of readers.

And if we had any doubts about Reading Ambassador Datuk Michelle Yeoh taking her task seriously, she is planning to set up a corner for her books in the National Library.  She also says that she reads 10-15 books a month, mostly work related.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Maha­thir Mohamad  has also been appointed a campaign ambassador.

World Book Day

Yesterday was World Book Day in the UK.  (The rest of us celebrate on April 23rd.)  Most of the activities were aimed at school children.  But also ten more titles were released in the excellent Quick Reads series - putting pacy reading material of a manageable length into the hands of adult readers who need to get into their stride as far as books are concerned. Why we haven't seen a serious effort to get these titles in Malaysian bookstores and feature them prominently, I do not know.  I feel that here the need for such material is perhaps even greater.

Victoria Barnsley on The Guardian blog reports on why World Book Day matters more now than ever :

...  if I had just the smallest opportunity to bend the ears of our political leaders, my plea on this World Book Day is that we really make sure that not only do children master literacy but also that we fire their imaginations so they can love and treasure the great power of stories.

I'm sure we also want the same.

More on Britain's Dishonest Readers

Tut tut! A survey carried by Spread The Word in conjunction with World Book Day yesterday revealed some of UK readers' guilty bibliosecrets. According to The Bookseller..

.. two thirds of people have claimed to have read a book they haven't. The most popular book to have lied about reading is 1984 by George Orwell, with 42% of surveyed people saying they had said they had read it even if they hadn't.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy came second with 31%, and Ulysses by James Joyce was in third place with 25%. When asked why they had lied the main reason was to impress the person they were speaking to.

J K Rowling was the most popular author, with 61% of respondents saying that she is the author they really enjoy. John Grisham came second with 32% and Sophie Kinsella with 22%.

41% of respondents confessed to having turned to the back of the books to read the end before finishing the story. Additionally, 48% admitted to buying a book for someone else and reading it first. Many respondents, 91%, said that they had stayed up late at night to finish reading a book.

The survey also found that people can't bear to throw their books away, with 77% of respondents saying they buy extra bookshelves when they fill up.

Another poll conducted for WBD, this time by Sky News' The Book Show, showed an increased appetite for reading at in all age groups.

Anyway, we already knew that the Brits lie about the books they haven't read. Malaysians, of course, would never do that.

Postscript :

Melanie Macdonald in The Telegraph reckons it's not such a bad thing that people lie about books they haven't read :

... the great thing about knowing that there are books that you ought to have read is that one day you get round to reading them. It usually turns out they're worth it.

Times - You've Come a Long Way, Baby!

Times has had something of an image makeover and Leowania was kind enough to send me a photo of this tasty window display at Pavilion. What other bookstore has the Donatella Versace home collection setting off the book display very artfully?

They also have some good things happening this month, including discounts for World Book Day. (I'm smiling because MPH always celebrates this in April along with UNESCO. What can be better than two days to celebrate reading!)


And then there are some interesting author appearances. (Do click the posters up to full size for the info.)


This is one I must not miss! Tarek Fatah on March 11th. (Read more about his book and listen to a broadcast here.)


Adeline Loh will make you laugh with her crazy adventures on March 14th.


You can catch writers from Urban Odysseys collection on March 21st.

Happy World Book Day!

Happy World Book Day!

This is actually British World Book day, not the UNESCO World Book Day. (Explanation of why we have two versions of the same day to celebrate in Malaysia here.) All over the UK special events are planned ...

I found myself turning up to the NTV7 studios at an ungodly hour to chat about reading and encouraging writing in Malaysia on The Breakfast Show. Fortunately, I was a bit more relaxed than the first time I was on TV (when I'm told I didn't once look at the camera!).

On with me in a first segment was a lady (Pn Norliza?) from the National Library who told us about some of the schemes the library is involved with - especially increasing the number of rural libraries and putting on events for kids. There is still no plan for an effective nationwide reading campaign - involving everyone, and not only the library members - which is really want this country needs, but it's good to hear that library membership is up. (Across the country there are 6.4 million library members which I reckon is pretty good.)

In the second segment I was with poet/creative writing teacher Alina Rastam which was just great because we share a lot of enthusiasms and hopes. We talked about ways of encouraging writing.

I felt ... yes frustrated. There is so much that needs to be said, and which I think viewers would be interested to hear ... but how much can you get across in just a few minutes? But I did manage to slip in something about We Need A Writer's Centre.

Happy World Book Day

Have a happy one!

Britain Marks World Book Day

Britain celebrates World Book Day today (ahead of the rest of the world which celebrates on April 23rd) and more titles are added to the excellent series of Quick Reads aimed at providing accessible reading materials for the less than less than fluent or time strapped reader.

The World Book Day website has some pretty good book-related games for kids (which - ahem! - might appeal to adults too.)

I found though an unpardonable blooper in their quiz for adults. Can you spot it too?

The first Book to Talk Award, organised in conjunction with the event has been given to Boy A by Jonathan Trigell. The longlist was drawn up by publishing industry experts and librarians, and then the shortlist and final winner were decided by public vote.

Trigell's novel has certainly sparked off some controversy. According to the Guardian it is :

... a sympathetic account of a young man released from prison after committing an appalling crime as a child. After a peculiarly sheltered childhood, the protagonist has a strange innocence, and struggles not only with his atrocious memories but also to build a new life under his assumed identity. ... The book's plot has clear similarities to the true story of toddler James Bulger's juvenile killers, and unsurprisingly provoked much heated discussion on the Books to Talk About website. The polarised opinions made it a natural contender for a prize rewarding books that inspire discussion, both in book clubs and among individual readers.

There's nothing to mark the day in Malaysia this time round but it's still a good excuse for a book buying spree and Times Bookstores have a World Book Day special: 20% off all titles and an extra RM10 voucher if you spend over RM200.

Little Books with a Big Mission

My article about World Book Day and how we get to celebrate it twice in Malaysia is in StarMag today. I have to tell you that it was written in record time (for me, anyway! Had to pretend to myself I was writing a blog entry between first and second cups of tea!)

Anyway, the article allowed me to do a little bit of tub-thumping over a couple of issues close to my heart - reading campaigns and books for marginal readers.

The Quick Reads series I mention in the article is I think a very exciting innovation - short, exciting reads by top writers, which are accessible to those who might find a longer book a bit of a struggle. They are not in any sense simplified readers and there is nothing dumbed down about them. This I think is a very important point.

New titles have just been released in conjunction with World Book Day 2007 including Lily by Adele Geras, Twenty Tales from the War Zone by John Simpson, Dr Who: Made of Steel by Terrance Dicks, The Sun Book of Short Stories and the delightfully titled Reading: My Arse! a novel by Ricky Thomlinson. The series is also supported by extensive resource material.

I have seen the books in Times in Bangsar Shopping Complex, but they were just mixed in with everything else. Other bookstores seem to sadly have missed the boat. (I have, though, ordered the whole set for the British Council Library and feel they will be ideal for the language learners who use the resources there.)

I reckon that if Britain has almost a fifth of the population who are sub-literate, Malaysia is likely to have a much higher proportion. You can't simply issue a government directive and tell people that they should read books. Many people can't read books!

But perhaps they can be lead to reading books if the stepping stones are put in place for them.

The simple equation is this: if a marginal reader picks up a little book that they can finish without too much of a struggle, and has a very enjoyable reading experience, they will be looking to repeat the experience.

Anyway, it's World Book Day tomorrow, so why not buy a book for a close friend as a gift and present it with a red rose?

What are Your Favourites?

World Book Day is coming up on 23rd April and to celebrate it, StarMag is holding its own poll for Malaysian readers. They would love to have a list of your 10 all-time favourite books, and will feature the results in their April 29th monthly pull-out. You will remember that a similar poll was held to celebrate British World Book Day recently.

Please do drop them a line at starmag-bookpoll@thestar.com.my ... and let them know just how strongly we feel about our books!

The Most Precious Book

This year's poll for World Book Day asked UK readers to name the most precious book they have read.

The results are a little surprising: classics win the day. John Ezard in the Guardian notes that the highest ranking contemporary adult fiction novel is Sebastian Faulks' Birdsong at number 17.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice tops the list, with The Lord of the Rings in second place and Jane Eyre third. The Harry Potter books (collectively) are at number 4. The bible makes it to number 6 (thanks, it seems, to readers over 60) on the list and The Da Vinci Code is way down at number 42!

The entire list is here.

So what's your book you couldn't live without?

Mine? I keep going back to reread Lermontov's A Hero of our Time, but I might vote for Victor Hugos' Les Miserables - though it must be the unabridged version with its battle scenes and a complete history of the Paris sewers.

(Portrait of Jane Austen from the BBC's Icon website)

Happy British World Book Day

It's World Book Day today ... in the UK and Ireland. (Earlier than the rest of the world which celebrates on April 23rd. Reason? April is school hols in the UK.)

The British Council Book Hunt

World Book Day is coming up - well the British version of it, at least and to mark the event, the British Council is organising a Book Hunt:

Secrets lie hidden in the British Council library and nearby KLCC Park. Find them all and solve the riddles and you could win up to RM1500 worth of British Council vouchers to redeem for free courses, library memberships, show tickets and more! ... To join the Hunt, you’ll need to form a group of four, so get your friends and family to be your team members.

More info here, or contact the British Council Library (library@britishcouncil.org.my).

Happy (UNESCO) World Book Day

Happy World Book Day! April 23rd is UNESCO's celebration of the event, and here's what you do:

Go to a bookshop.

Buy a book for someone you love.

(And one or two for yourself while you're at it.)

Buy a red rose.

Give book and red rose to your loved one.

See? That wasn't too hard, was it?

Literature for the Sub-Literate

It seems that anywhere between 7-12 million readers in the UK struggle with sub-literacy and consequently never pick up a book.

Enter Quick Reads, a new series of books launched in the UK on World Book Day, and aimed at those marginal readers. The price is low at £2.99 (aboutRM20), the print large, the language plain and the covers bright and tempting. And all the books have been specially commissioned from established writers. The first batch includes works by Ruth Rendell, Minette Walters, Richard Branson. More titles will be added in May. Boyd Tonkin in the Independent welcomes the intiative, but likes some ot the titles much better than others.

Quick Reads are not only good for emergent readers, they're good for the book trade, tapping into a market thus far completely untapped. If there's a low profit margin on Quick Reads, booksellers will be more than compensated by return customers who've suddenly discovered the power of the book.

And of course, there should be a lesson in here for booksellers and all those with a stake in adult literacy here in Malaysia where the greatest need is to grow a readership is given much lip service to, but no-one seems quite sure what to do about it in practical terms. If such a high proportion of native speakers struggle to read in their first language, what more of many Malaysians for whom English is a second?

World Book Day - British Style

Now I know why the British celebrate World Book Day on a different day from the rest of the world. And it isn't just because we're an awkward lot! April 23rd when the rest of the world are handing out books and roses to loved ones, is slap bang in the miidle of the school holidays. And because the event involves the participation of schools throughout the country, bringing it forward was a sensible idea.

Anyway, yesterday we celebrated in style with a party for British Council Library members with pizza, balloons and streamers, lucky draw, and a fun activity which had everyone making new friends and arguing books. I picked up a lot of useful information about the kinds of books people would like to see in the library and what they are reading now.

Here's a photo of the strays left over at the end of the party clutching goody bags. Anyone you recognise?

If you missed the event, never mind. You can catch the next World Book Day next month, and I know MPH have something good planned!

Will the Real World Book Day Please Stand Up?

MPH's Renee Koh seemed very amused yesterday, when I told her that British Council had plans to celebrate World Book Day on March 2nd. She told me that the book chain would be celebrating the event on April 23rd.

Seeing my obvious bewilderment, she explained:

"There's actually TWO World Book Days. The British World Book Day is in March and the UNESCO one is in April. MPH celebrates the event in collaboration with the Spanish embassy because World Book Day actually began in Spain."

Now why do the Brits (and Irish) have to be different?

Anyway, two days to celebrate books in KL can't be bad!

Get KL Reading?

Now here's news of an initiative I wholeheartedly applaud:

The Get London Reading campaign, which will run annually from February 2006, aims to encourage Londoners to make more time for reading and promote London as an international centre for books. ... A challenge will be made to the book industry, cultural organisations, businesses and libraries, asking ‘what will you do to get Londoners reading?’. Responses, in the form of promotions, events, book groups in workplaces and writers in residence, will be collated in a free Get London Reading Guide Book.

The event, led by independent charity, Booktrust, runs from 17th February to the 7th March 2006, and is timed to culminate in World Book Day. Other partners in the project include Arts Council London, British Council, and the London International Book Fair. Businesses and organisations across the city are encouraged to pledge their support and come up with "quirky and interesting intitiatives to engage readers and get press attention."

Some of the suggestions offered:

• A discount offered when the customer presents their Guide Book.
• Guide Book encourages Londoners to visit X bookshop on a specific date, to collect a free copy of X new title, of which 500 are available.
  
• Londoners could be encouraged to gather at a specific London landmark at noon on a specific date to hear Author X read from her latest work.
• Londoners could get a free coffee if they purchase three books, in association with X local coffee shop.
• Bookshops could offer a series of special breakfast or lunchtime events to encourage Londoners to take time out of their busy days.

Now of courselah, most of you who graze this blog are here in Malaysia and are probably scratching your heads in wonderment at this Mat Salleh going on yet again about things Britishly bookish. But you can surely see which way my mind is going?

A lot has been talked about the need to encourage reading here, and funds have been made available ... but so far nothing seems to be happening. What's happened to the proposed reading campaign announced last November?????

It is indeed very depressing to look at the activity calendar for reading events organised by the National Library. From January to December 2006 the pages tell you:

There are no activities organised for this month.

Seems that really it's best for folks to organise things for themselves, and there's really no better place to start than thinking about World Book Day on March 2nd. Last year MPH and Instituto Cervantes were the only organisations in the city to celebrate it, as far as I know.

Perhaps this year your own organisation might like to mark the day in some way? If so, I'd love to hear about it ... You can check out the official website for fun ideas about how the event is being celebrated in England and Wales and get some inspiration.

Oh yes and ... hint hint ... you might just want to become a member of the British Council library before March 2nd. (More than that I can't divulge at the moment ..... shhhhhhhh!)

Serving Up Cervantes

April 23rd was declared World book day by UNESCO back in 1995. The date marks the anniversary of the deaths of two greats: Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare on the same day in 1616.



There was a marathon reading from Don Quixote at MPH 1 Utama and I volunteered myself.

Kee Thuan Chye was there to read as well - a short while before me. We listened to one or two readers (Adriana - Malaysiakini intern - read impressively in Spanish!). But customers meandered by, few curious enough to stop and find out what was happening. The fuzzy microphone didn't help matters.

The only way to do this, I said, is to ham this up as much as possible. Pull in the crowd.

Chye said, That's just what I intend to do. Don't laugh when it's my turn.

He had a long poetic soliliquy - which yes, he dramatised beautifully, bringing out all the humour and pathos. And I did laugh. Not at Chye, but at Quixote.

My extract was several pages long - and I felt ought to have been edited a bit to make it easier for an audience in passing. But I was lucky to have a very humourous extract - Don Quixote's seduction of a chamber maid with breath smelling of piccalilly whom he mistakes for a fine lady. I played it for laughs, getting really carried away. Thespian tendencies, long buried, coming to the fore.

Maybe it's time to take to the stage again?

Favourite Characters

To celebrate World Book Day, the Independent asked 100 "literary luminaries" (love the term!) who their favourite characters in literature are. You can read their answers here.

Who would you choose?

I'd have to toss a coin to decide between Mr. Petulengro in George Borrow's Lavengro and The Romany Rye (very much overlooked Victorian classics - Borrow was the writer of the original "road" novel), and the eponymous Captain Corelli, created of course by Louis de Bernieres. Lost my heart to the both of them - they charmed, they made me laugh. What more do you want in a man?

Fell in love with a couple of Paul Bailey's characters when I gobbled down as many of his books as possible pre-Litfest last year. Gabriel in Gabriel's Lament and Steven the young rentboy in Sugar Cane (it's sequel).

"Don't you think Gabriel's a bit of a wimp?" Paul asked me when we were talking about his book during one of our (several) bar propping sessions "Most readers do."

I was a bit miffed that the author didn't feel like defending his protagonist. Okay, so Gabriel is a cross-dresser and can't get turned on unless he's wearing a woman's frock. But he's a survivor, coping heroically with his monster of a father and his mother's mysterious disappearance. I love his gentle, almost feminine strength and dogged determination. And the guy can cook up a storm ...

Paul then started telling me about the real-life guy he based the character of Gabriel on. And do you know - I felt terribly divided in my loyalties. The writer part of me was fascinated to see the idea for the character had come from and flattered that his creator would reveal inside information. The reader part of me was absolutely appalled - I didn't want my belief in the character to be undermined ... even by the author!

And had the oddest feeling that Gabriel existed somewhere quite independent of this author who claimed ownership ...