Ten years after its initial publication, national bestseller Kebaya Tales: Of Matriarchs, Mistresses and Matchmakers returns with a brand-new story. This collection of short stories teems with fascinating characters, plot twists and turns, and cultural idiosyncrasies of the Peranakan community. Laced with humour and occasional satire, Kebaya Tales kickstarted the three collections of stories centred on the nonyas and babas of the Straits Chinese people. Kebaya Tales won the 2011 Popular-The Star Readers’ Choice Awards for fiction, Malaysia’s top literary prize.

The national bestseller, now with a brand new story and preface by the author.With beautiful photographs of colourful kebayas and accessories from the author's personal collection and old black and white photos belonging to the author, Kebaya Tales is a collection of inspiring, poignant, funny, touching and riveting stories of the Babas and Nyonyas narrated by Lee Su Kim, a sixth-generation Nyonya herself.

This is a delightful collection of short stories, teeming with fascinating and interesting characters, unexpected twists and turns, cultural rituals, beliefs and superstitions and poignant events in the life stories of the Peranakans. Lee Su Kim's latest book brings you into another world, a world that many know little about; the world of the Babas and Nyonyas or the Straits Chinese, a colourful, flamboyant and unique community still in existence today in the former Straits Settlements of Malacca, Penang and Singapore

Pure reading pleasure from start to finish … bitter-sweet, light and delicate as the kebaya, spiced with the tang of sambal belachan. From the author of the award-winning bestseller Kebaya Tales comes yet another amazing collection featuring the colourful world of the babas and nyonyas. In Sarong Secrets, Su Kim tells more tales of passion and unfulfilled love, of innocence lost, greed and betrayal, of loneliness and the search for a sense of belonging – all of which harken to the unique Peranakan culture, a heritage teetering on the brink of extinction. Filled with humour, wit and vivid details, her compelling stories will delight and excite. Includes a colour section of beautiful sarongs, accessories and artifacts from a unique community renowned for its love of colour and sumptuous material culture.

Now back after 20 years with brand new words, expressions and idioms, this hilarious classic remains packed with humour, irreverence and loads of fun. It bids all Malaysians to lighten up, laugh at ourselves and revel in our unique, multicultural way of life. Forget about tenses, grammar, pronunciation, and just relek lah … Aiyoh. Manglish or Malaysian English is what Malaysians speak when we want to connect with each other or just hang loose. Borrowing from Malay, Chinese, Indian, Asli, British English, American English, dialects, popular mass media and plenty more, our unique English reflects our amazing diversity. Like a frothy teh tarik or a lip-smacking mouthful of divine durian, Manglish is uniquely Malaysian. Manglish is an entertaining, funny and witty compilation of commonly used Malaysian English words and expressions. Whether Malaysian, expat, visitor or a fresh-off-the-plane Mat Salleh, you’ll never be at a loss for words when conversing with Malaysians.

A Peranakan Legacy captures the rich heritage of a fast disappearing way of life and put on record many traditions and practices which were previously handed only down from generation to generation. The term ‘Baba’ is used to refer to the Straits-born Chinese or Peranakans. The Babas boast a unique culture and way of life that is an amalgamation of Chinese and Malay customs and etiquette. Their culture is perhaps best captured in the beautiful clothing, stunning jewellery, pretty porcelain and other artefacts used in daily living. Girls were taught, from a young age, how to cook a variety of elaborate meals as well as crafts such as beading and embroidery. The result is a rich legacy of splendid kebayas (embroidered blouses), beadwork and various other items. Through lavish, full-colour photographs of Peranakan artefacts and clothing, this book explains the origins of the various customs and traditions. While some customs are still practiced today, other more complicated ones have disappeared as modern babas adapted to contemporary lifestyles which are deemed more convenient and practical.

Geschiedenis van Chinese kooplieden die zich vestigden in Maleisie aan de Straat van Malakka

After Kebaya Tales and Sarong Secrets comes a rich, gutsy collection of short stories immersing the reader into the vivid, multi-hued world of the Peranakans. Here, the babas take centre stage: masculine perspectives, voices and protagonists are put under the spotlight, even as fiery and headstrong heroines pursue their passions in the face of powerful obstacles. The cast of characters seek to forge individual identities within a unique cultural heritage facing the challenges of modern times. The stories are accented with photographs peppered throughout – of exquisite beadwork, bejewelled adornments, vintage fabrics, gilded artefacts from private collections, personal belongings of the babas, and of course, twinkling, manek-encrusted accessories.

They Wish They Were Us meets The Queen’s Gambit in this “stunning…unforgettable” (Publishers Weekly) thriller set in the world of competitive Scrabble, where a teen girl is forced to investigate the mysterious death of her best friend when her Instagram comes back to life with cryptic posts and messages. CATALYST 13 points noun: a substance that speeds up a reaction without itself changing When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her best friend’s death, it’s with the intention to heal and move on with her life. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It seems that even though Najwa is trying to change, she’s not ready to give up Trina just yet. But the same can’t be said for all the other competitors. With Trina, the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, the throne is empty, and her friends are eager to be the next reigning champion. All’s fair in love and Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina’s formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe Trina’s death wasn’t as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe someone at the competition had something to do with it. As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown, it’s up to Najwa to find out who’s behind these mysterious posts—not just to save Trina’s memory, but to save herself.