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For book lovers and bibliophiles like myself, it’s hard to resist (more) books, even if you already have a wide variety of reads taking up both your spaces in your physical world and electronic devices. In the spirit of Merdeka 2024, here are some books you might want to haul up before it’s too late.

• Murder at the Bookstore by Sue Minix

Despite the reviews online, as book lovers who grew up going to actual bookstores before the advent of online shopping and Kindle, it’s nice to have a book that sort of reminds us of that feeling of browsing through books before deciding whether to get a book. Many of us will have a favourite bookstore or even a bookstore owner that’s close to our hearts. So, this might be up your alley, especially if you like a good dose of mystery.

• The Dreams We Harvest by Aidil Azizul

As the saying goes, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Well, I sincerely hope I enjoy reading this – because its cover is enticing. Observant in nature, Aidil’s story is based on real-life events, and nothing can be more real than the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected (almost) everyone’s lives. I mean, who can resist a story set in the beautiful Cameron Highlands?

• Her Crashing Waves by Aidil Azizul

You might want to add this to your haul if you enjoy reading fiction where the seaside takes centrestage, as the book’s setting. Personally, I think it would be a different experience reading about the seas of Malaysia. Perhaps, it’s the author’s interest in anime that influenced the front cover of the book, as you can see – it’s very lifelike yet animated.

• Mist-bound: How to Glue Back Your Grandpa by Daryl Kho

From one of the pinned posts on the author’s official Instagram business page, the book is to be turned into film. Interestingly, despite being a children’s book, this work of fiction deals with the heavy subject matter that is dementia, which is also often painful and poignant. Surely, many of us will have heard or even experienced it *first-hand from watching a good friend or a family member turn demented. I bought it not only because I have watched someone who was closest to me become almost entirely a different person due to the diagnosis, but because it would be interesting to see how Kho fictionalises something so close to his heart. Kho is a Singapore-based, Malaysian-born media rights licensing professional in the broadcast industry within Southeast Asia. If you’re looking for stories like this, what are you waiting for? I know I can’t wait for my copy to arrive.