This collection of 65 poems by 56  poets is inspired by Lee Kuan Yew’s 1969 statement "poetry is a luxury we cannot afford". $19 from BooksActually, 9 Yong Siak St., 6222-9195, www.booksactuallyshop.com.

 

Expect cryptic love stories, prose poems and everyday objects filled with weight and meaning. Cheryl was inspired by The Beatles’ famous line “I want to hold your hand”. $16 from BooksActually, 9 Yong Siak St., 6222-9195, www.booksactuallyshop.com.

This debut collection of short stories by 2003 Golden Point award-winner and former law student Leonora Liow has main characters such as migrant workers, aging mothers and young girls on the verge. Available at $21.40 here.

In this memoir of Singapore in the 80s, a priest who founded a church in Geylang writes about his experiences serving migrant workers, sex workers and gangsters. Available at $21.40 here.

 

NUS professor Rajesh Rai covers the lives of merchants and the military in the 1800s to the role of the Indian National Army during the Japanese occupation in this sprawling survey. Available here.