Tucked away in the East is a sleeping giant: Bedok, a paragon of the heartlands. Previously bordered by the beach, this neighbourhood was known for its scrumptious seafood. Bedok, or Bodo, as it was once called, is now the district with the largest resident population—and the oldest. Journey with Urban Sketchers Singapore as great change sweeps eastward. Dodge through major construction at the beloved Bedok Town Centre, where Princess Theatre still stands, for the quiet of Bedok North’s songbirds. Have a dip at Bedok Swimming Complex, then replenish your energy with the famed rojak and cheng tng at Bedok South. The artists delightfully depict Bedok Reservoir too, where a certain Wall has travelled all the way from Berlin to Bedok.

In recent years, Singaporean literature has begun experiencing a sea change, with the short story form enjoying a renaissance. As a result, an explosion of short fiction with a Singaporean flavour has been produced to incredible effect, both by emerging and established writers. For the prose enthusiast, it is a very exciting time. The Epigram Books Collection of Best New Singaporean Short Stories: Volume One curates the finest short fiction from Singaporean writers published in 2011 and 2012. This ground-breaking and unique anthology showcases stories that examine various facets of the human condition and the truths that we tell ourselves in order to exist in the everyday. The styles are as varied as the authors, and no two pieces are alike. Here are twenty unique and breathtaking literary insights into the Singaporean psyche, which examine what it means to live in this particular part of the world in this particular time.

Many songs and stories have been written about how important mothers are to their children. But what story would you tell if you put pen to paper? Perhaps things you had learned from her that made you who you are today. Perhaps express your gratitude for the sacrifices she had made for you. Or perhaps matters left unresolved that have since become a thorn in your relationship. Insightful and heart-wrenching, packed with poignant anecdotes. These letters testify to the nurturing love that mothers have for their children. In this collection of mini-essays edited by award-winning author Felix Cheong, sons and daughters write letters to their mother about their relationships and articulate what has often not been expressed.

Divorce, betrayal, death, ill health. What do you do when your world falls apart? When money runs out? When your sense of security is shaken, never to be the same again? This book contains true accounts of women who had to face these problems and battle their emotional and personal financial crisis. The women share stories of heartbreak as well as stories of resilience and hope. Each story holds up a mirror to prove why women must be smart with their money and their relationships. They teach us that any woman can control her own financial destiny and breakthrough to a life of happiness, peace and success.

From Becoming to Just Being Essentially, this memoir is about living life to its fullest, to achieve its greatest but most elusive goal – Real Happiness. Discovering the joy that true love brought to my heart I began to value meaningful relationships which I cherished with family and friends. The strength that these bonds brought helped me to understand and endure the painful experiences that life inevitably presents, including the death of loved ones. My search for a fulfilling life and enduring happiness led me to take up career opportunities in various countries around the world. Although these brought financial success and much pleasures and enjoyments, they were always fleeting and punctured by life’s trials and tribulations. This lifelong search finally steered me to South India where the well-known sage, Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, lived from 1879 to 1950. His Words guided me to the fountain of innate happiness that lies within my Self. After nearly a lifetime, I learnt that real happiness lies within oneself. It is an enduring happiness that is not dependent on fleeting external objects and experiences. I share these experiences so that you, too, might overcome the many challenges that life presents and find the Happiness that is within your Heart. Morris Rozario

Sequel to Josephine Chia’s 2014 Singapore Literature prize-winning book, Kampong Spirit - Gotong Royong: Life in Potong Pasir, 1955 to 1965. Kampong life in Singapore did not end in 1965 with her independence. In Josephine Chia’s new collection of non-fiction stories, the phasing out of attap-thatched villages, the largest mass movement in Singapore, is set against the backdrop of significant national events. Weaving personal tribulations—her teenage angst—and the experiences of villagers from her kampong, Josephine skilfully parallels the hopes and challenges of a toddling nation going through the throes of industrialisation and rapid changes from 1966 to 1975. These delightful, real-life stories, sprinkled with snippets of her Peranakan culture, reveal the joie-de-vivre of gotong royong or community spirit, despite impoverished conditions, in the last days of kampong life.

The adventures of Sherlock Sam continue! Together with his loyal sidekick robot Watson, Sherlock Sam is fast becoming Singapore’s Greatest Kid Detective! In Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning, mysterious sounds fill the air at one of Singapore’s most-loved historical attractions. Ghosts don’t exist, or do they? Will this mystery prove too difficult for Sherlock Sam to solve?

“Today I am 22 years of age. I used to be a person who was working in the complex streets of Geylang and the black market. I was a gangster in three different criminal organizations. Robbery, assault, peddling drugs, extortion…At the end of everything I have done in the underworld, I have never brought goodness to anyone around me. People who know me and those who don’t, I have never given them something pleasant to smile about.” As a child, Joshua Foo seemed to have a particular affinity for trouble. Despite his best intentions, his actions and decisions always seemed to land him on the wrong side of the law. Without the support of a loving family, Joshua was drifting and furthermore, angry—and he didn’t know why. With his father in jail and his mother working tirelessly to provide for her only child, Joshua was left to his own to make sense of his world and fend for himself. The death of his beloved grandmother and constant teasing by peers over the absence of his father drove him to fill the void in his world with friends who gave him the support he never had, the security he never knew and worth he never felt. But this came with a price, and with eyes wide open, Joshua fell headlong into a secret, illegal world, where bravery and loyalty were valued above all. But eventually Joshua had to come face to face with the reality of his world and into confrontation with all that he had been running from. With piercing honesty and brazen boldness of youth, Joshua recounts his experiences of being in a gang, his brushes with law and examines the events that brought him there. What made him who he is today? Was it his own choices, or the choices of others? And does he have the agency to decide what he will become? More than just a shocking story of a boy losing his way, The Right Mistakes is about a boy trying to make sense of his life and change it for the better.

Recommended by the National Library Board, Singapore and Ministry of Communications and Information A woman learns of a friend’s illness and wonders if she ever truly knew him. A boy who sees ghosts heeds the advice of a fortune-teller, with surprising consequences. A girl wakes up and realises everybody in her Bedok neighbourhood has vanished. From Cyril Wong, award-winning author of The Last Lesson of Mrs de Souza, comes another beautiful book about characters in crisis, with two stories crossing intriguingly into creative autobiography.

An emir eager to exercise a devious plan sets his sights on Singapore. If he has his way, the small nation in Southeast Asia will disappear from the map. Dangerous friends join the emir: a Russian physicist and a suicide bomber, Inaya Izz Din, whom both are key players in his plan. When the time comes, they will be ready. The plot begins with packets of white powder that are mailed to nine foreign services in Singapore. The contents are mainly harmless, but chaos ensues, and the governments attention is diverted at a crucial time. Meanwhile, Evelyn Lee, a semi-paralyzed woman, finds her life spiraling out of control. But when she has a vision of the Archangel Gabriel and then meets Inaya, her life changes dramatically. What she does not know is that she will play a critical role in the events that are about to unfold. As Evelyn tries to make sense of what is happening, the authorities search frantically for the terrorists. If they fail to unravel the plot, Singapore will be destroyed in A Twinkle in the Sky.