Written by: Syazreen Yustman
With all the mayhem going on right now due to the pandemic, it’s always nice to chill back and relax once in a while, just to get your mind off the things that are stressing you out. You know what that means. Time to read more books! As a Malaysian myself, reading a book written by a local author makes me feel inspired and proud. And since independence day is just around the corner, it’s nice to appreciate the work of our own people that deserve the recognition. That being said, these are 5 Malaysian Published books to look out for in 2021!
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
Bringing the name of her home country to an international level, 36-year-old Malaysian fantasy author, Zen Cho, who is based in the UK is back with yet another book, after her novel “The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water” that was released Jun 2020 made it as Amazon’s Best of 2020 So Far, and an Award Finalist for 2021 Locus Award and Lambda Literary Award.
Black Water Sister extracts the life of Jessamyn Teoh, also known as Jess, who is closeted, broke, and moving back to the country she had left when she was a toddler, Malaysia.
A book filled with suspense, humor, and tragedies that revolves around Jess and her family when she started hearing voices in her head, and it claims to be the ghost of her estranged grandmother, Ah Ma. Ah Ma was a spirit medium back then, the avatar of a mysterious deity called the “Black Water Sister”. And now, Ah Ma is back to settle a score against a gang boss who has offended the god. Ah Ma has decided that Jess will be helping her to get things settled, hence the voices Jess has been hearing.
A little bit of everything here and there, this thrilling modern fantasy tale has been receiving a bunch of great feedback from readers, which includes Naomi Novik, the New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Education, Fonda Lee, award-winning author of the Green Bone Saga, and many other!
Drawn into a world of gods, ghosts, and family secrets, Jess realized that making deals with capricious spirits can be a dangerous business. As she fights for retribution for Ah Ma, she’ll also need to regain control of her body and destiny. If she fails, the Black Water Sister may finish her off for good.
Read more by purchasing a copy here, and follow Zen Cho’s socials at:
- Instagram: @zenaldehyde
- Twitter: @zenaldehyde
- Website: zencho.org
Diary of A Rich Kid #3: Secret of the Sea by Malcolm Mejin
Malcolm Mejin, Sarawakian author of Diary of a Rich Kid #1: A novel with The Coolest Secrets and Diary of a Rich Kid #2: Road Trip, is back with his third series of the book, entitled Diary of A Rich Kid #3: Secret of the Sea.
If you have never read any of the Diary of a Rich Kid series, we’ll give a kick-start for you. Don’t worry, no spoilers will be included!
Giving you a Crazy Rich Asian vibe, Robin Jin, who is a child of wealthy billionaires wrote his perspective about his lavish life that revolves around him and his best friends, Charlie and Ken. In the first book, Robin, Charlie, and Ken went on a trip to the Bahamas for their school holiday, but things did not turn out the way he expected.
In this novel, the rich kids own the most expensive cars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Not only that, they also own branded designer clothing and shoes from Louis Vuitton and Prada, where we all know that these brands are top-tier even in real life, and one single item could cost up to RM30k if not more!
Diary of a Rich Kid #2 on the other hand, is a story about a road trip to Kuching, Sarawak, where Robin and his friends are accompanied by his parents on a journey of exploring the main attractions, culture, and local food in Sarawak. The second series of Diary of a Rich Kid highlights the importance of being in a healthy environment with good friends and family that love you the most. There are also new characters in this second book, but you will have to read the book yourself to find out what happened! This book has a great humorous plot and a hint of mystery when their best friend disappeared.
If you’re a fan of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this book will surely bring back the memory of Greg and Rodrick Heffley, but instead, it’s Robin the spoiled rich child and his friends. This is definitely the book for you if you’re looking for more fun-middle-grade books!
Recently published, Diary of a Rich Kid #3: Secret of the Sea includes the current COVID-19 outbreak where Robin and his friends’ world turns upside down due to the lockdown and being stuck at home. An exciting read during this pandemic to distract ourselves once in a while from the chaotic real-life out there. Living a prosperous life, Robin, his friends, and his family had the chance to go under the deep blue sea by a luxury super-submarine as an escape from the pandemic. The journey turned mysterious when their submarine voyage into the dangerous unknown.
The myths and secrets await, read more by purchasing a copy here and follow Malcolm on his socials at:
- Instagram: @malcolmmejin
- Twitter: @malcommejin
Indecipherable by Naadhira Zahari
Also known as @legenbooksdary, Naadhira Zahari has been an active book reviewer who also writes since the age of 15. Her dream came true recently when she announced that one of her drafts that have been rusting since 2018 will finally be published on October 16, 2021, entitled Indecipherable.
Indecipherable is a personal resonance of poetry and short stories written by Naadhira, who is a hopeful and sometimes disappointed writer.
She penned Indecipherable as she discovered her hidden thoughts that involve love, life, and words. Within 150 pages, she also included a glimpse into fiction of the bitter-sweetness of love, a heist in the name of justice, a dream snatched away, a new beginning, and experiencing spring in Japan. Keeping it undisclosed until the book is released, Naadhira only revealed the book cover and synopsis of Indecipherable. Follow her socials at @legenbooksdary to stay updated!
To be published: 16th October 2021, add Indecipherable as your “Want To Read” and follow Naadhira’s socials at:
- Instagram: @legenbooksdary
- Twitter: @legenbooksdary
- Blog: https://legenbooksdary.wordpress.com/
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
If you’re a fan of reading horror novels, Nothing But Blackened Teeth will take you on a creepy haunted house tale with rich character development. Also, it’s a Japanese folklore setting. You know it’s a good horror story when it’s Japanese culture!
Full of devastating twists, Cassandra Khaw explained that this book effortlessly takes the classic haunted house story and turns it on its head.
The plot includes an abandoned Heian-era mansion where its foundations are resting on the bones of a bride who had herself buried alive when her husband died on his way to their wedding. Every year after that, another girl was buried alive to the walls, leaving it packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company.
A group of thrill-seeking friends thought that it’s the perfect wedding venue. Things escalated quickly from a night of food, games, and drinks, into a nightmare when the ghost of the bride lurked in the shadows with a black smile and a hungry heart.
Nothing But Blackened Teeth is expected to be published on 19th October 2021, add it to your “Want To Read” now and follow Cass’ socials at:
- Instagram: @casskhaw
- Twitter: @casskhaw
- Website: cassandrakhaw.net
Poetry & Short Stories: Practice Book by Charissa Ong Ty
Ever asked yourself,
“How can I write better?”
“I don’t have confidence in my writing skills.”
“How can I start writing impactful poetry and short stories?”
Then this book is definitely the answer to your questions! Unlike any ordinary poetry and short stories book that you’ve read before, we’re going back to writing in a traditional way this time. Get your pens and highlighter ready! No screens, no keyboards. This is practical!
Launching this September 9 (2021), Charissa Ong Ty, author of the best-selling Midnight Monologues and Daylight Dialogues shares her process and knowledge on being an author through this affordable book, hoping to expand the writing community we have today, and a goal to improve the skills of writers.
This book is divided into two parts, the first half is practices for Short Stories, and the other half is for Poetry. Fret not! Everybody needs assurance, so we’ll give you a glimpse of the exercises! 😉
Whether you’re writing a journal, a novel, a short story, or even poetry, writing can be very strenuous, and you’re not alone! Take a deep breath and slow down your pace. Once you’re at ease, think of the very initial reason you started writing.
Reframe. Yes! This book takes you back to the very basics of writing. Once you’ve figured out your audience, it will guide you through the foundations of your writing by giving you an example of a bad story with a thorough explanation. Train yourself on how to detect false punctuations and grammar to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Not only that, you’ll get empty pages for you to write down your own ideas! Like, what’s the genre of your writing, and who are the characters in your story?
Some people hear “Practice Book” and would think that it’s a book full of exercises, exercises, and exercises. But with Poetry & Short Stories Practice Book, you’ll encounter challenges, prompts, reading, visualizing, and even designing! Charissa has also prepared a section in this Practice Book on steps you should take when producing a manuscript. The dream of every writer is to be published, and Charissa aims to improve the quality of manuscripts by our Malaysian writers.
To be published: 9th September 2021, purchase yours now for only RM35.90 or, you can just get the Practice Book Creative Bundle (Practice Book + 2 Postcards & Stickers) for only RM42 here.
