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Author: simransingh

New Books Releasing This August

Posted on by simransingh

The month of August brings to you a variety of stories ranging from grief, loss, self-discovery and fantasy to romance, horror mystery, memoirs and more. It’s an absolute treat for readers looking to add new books to their TBR and especially for those who love reading different genres of books.  

Here are the books releasing this month: 

 

Worship The Body

Worship The Body||

Written by the two-time Philippine National Book Award winner Alvin Yapan, this book explores human relationships and sexualities. Told from different but interlocking points of view, the story becomes a song complete with recurring refrains and a coda, intimating that there are silences to the body that are essential to our understanding of happiness. 

 

The Summer of Letting Go  

The Summer of Letting Go||

Written by Catherine Dellosa, this story is about loss, grief and self-discovery in a heartwarming way. When eighteen-year-old Kali’s uncle dies in a car accident, her world stops. She begins to see the ghost of her uncle at a tea shop where she gets a job to stay close to him and is faced with the cute but aloof owner. Things start to go array when the landlord of the tea shop condemns its demolition.  

 

Veins of Power  

Veins of Power||

Award-winning writer Mica De Leon is back with Book 2 in her Seed Mage Cycle series. Just as in Book 1, Winds of War, you can expect treacherous twists and turns in this Filipino fantasy. The returned gods of Kayumalon are the new currencies of power. In Kayumalon, seed mages are a coin a dozen, but the god vessels are infinite. It would take more than a legend, more than a good king, more than a mage, to navigate the Kayumalon court. 

 

Me In Your Melody  

Me In Your Melody||

Deborah Wong tells us a story about a heartbroken and unemployed FMC who struggles to contend with her past and rebuild her present, she learns that to get a grip is to find courage and strength in spite of the adversities; by replacing attitude with self-respect—from coping with the bad faith of a long-time friend to a near-death experience, she realises the importance of family and unconditional love. 

 

Ascension  

Ascension||

Written by Philippine National Book Award winner Eliza Victoria here is a horror mystery about a group of friends who reunite after years at a wake. Told in two timelines with the present and flashbacks from the friends’ youth, this story delves into themes of spirit possession, betrayal, secrets, bizarre rituals and mass hysteria that takes place in a small town.  

 

The Gumption of Mr. Toilet  

The Gumption of Mr Toilet||

Written by Jack Sim, who is widely known as Mr. Toilet and who broke the global taboo around toilets and sanitation, this life-changing inspirational book that you will benefit from abundantly while reading it. The story talks about how Jack Sim who was born poor and failed academically, became a successful serial entrepreneur and an ultra-successful serial social entrepreneur, changing the world by mobilising global movements. He also eventually became a professor with an Honorary Doctorate Degree. 

 

And For the Record  

And For The Record||

Here is a page-turning memoir of the Filipino writer-musician Yugel Losorata. He has extracted salient points from his many years making music, being in a band, writing news and features, and keeping up with the euphoria and struggles of being a writer-musician in the Philippines. He unabashedly shares his story and pop culture through his eyes, especially how his life mirrors that of a dreamer facing difficulties and surviving the whole shebang with dignity intact and without regrets. 

 

Found something you love already? Get your copies now. 

 

Cheers to Fictional Friends on International Friendship Day

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While your friends in real life might not be out there saving the world, fighting evil, scamming tourists or solving mysteries- rest assured that your fictional friends will always take you on an unforgettable adventure. This International Friendship Day, we are celebrating fictional friendships that you will cherish forever. 

 

Julian Kee and his friends from the Prophecy of the Underworld series

Prophecy of The Underworld||

We met the gang in Book 1 – Prophecy of the Underworld where Julian led his friends into the Underworld to retrieve a magical rock that can save their world. This fast-paced adventure is full of exciting twists and turns.  

The Library of No Return||

In Book 2 – The Library of No Return, Julian and his friends Mia and Ryan return for yet another hilarious and adventure-filled jaunt to the Underworld where their help is required to deal with a crisis.   

The Twin Blades of Doom||

In Book 3 – The Twin Blades of Doom, the gang is set to save the Underworld a third time. The fun, laughter and adventure continue in the third and final book of the series Julain tries to make a plan that can resolve the problems of the Underworld once and for all.  

Maya, Chong and Rohan from Frappes for Three 

Frappes for Three||

A story of an unlikely trio whose paths cross at university where they become good friends. Maya wants to become a writer, Chong is a stylish fashionista who wants to make her mark on the fashion world and Rohan comes from a middle-class family and the pressure of making something of himself. While each has their own dreams and aspirations, they also have to deal with family expectations. What helps most in such situations? Having close friends! This is a story of love, loss and self-discovery where no matter what happens, these friends are always going to be there for each other.  

Nathan, Junie and Sachin from The Fraught Lives of Nathan Kwan and Lapsang Souchong 

The Fraught Lives of Nathan Kwan and Lapsang Souchong||

Cousins Nathan and Junie along with their friend Sachin are labeled as bookish nerds by the popular kids in their school. However, when a new student Aida, who is glamourous and fashionable befriends them, their popularity also goes up. Sounds like a sweet high school drama, doesn’t it? But when Nathan’s beloved cat goes missing the gang reunites in search of it and discovers that their quaint neighborhood is hiding dark secrets. The story merges the charm of old-school mystery, adventure and folklore; with complex Millennial characters. 

Carmen, Hai and Marina from Hue City  

Huế City||

Carmen, a twenty-five-year-old college dropout; Marina, a wealthy Singaporean yearning for a new life and love along with Hai, a receptionist, tout and part-time pimp together make up the notorious Ativan Gang. They are scammers who befriend tourists so they can drug them and rob them. Now, for some friends group activities involve going to the movies, having dinner or having picnics together but for Carmen, Hai and Marina it’s all about achieving their goals one way or another.  

Keix, Zej, Pod and Vin from The Night of Legends and The Light of Stars 

Friends are always meant to have your back and get you out of bad situations and these books are all about that.  

The Night of Legends||

In The Night of Legends Keix is rescued from an underground prison by her friends Zej and Pod and is determined to rescue her best friend Vin. Her captor is the very organisation that she had joined as a trainee soldier as a teenager. Keix, who is dealing with memory loss recovers thanks to the care given to her friends and sets off on a journey to figure out what exactly is going down in this organisation.  

The Light of Stars||

In The Light of Stars, the friends are back together to defend each other and take revenge for all the misdoings from the past. We love a story of friends coming together to save and protect each other. 

 

Did you find any friendship story that tugged at your heartstrings? Get your copies now.  

 

 

 

 

Fall in love and feel the thrill with our rainy-day recommendations

Posted on by simransingh

There’s lightning in the sky, the wind is blowing, and rain drops fog up your windows. What do you do next? Make a warm beverage and pick up a book of course, because there is no better way to spend a rainy day other than reading! And, we know exactly what you need to read.  

Experience the romance of rain and thrill of thunder with these books.  

 

Romance of Rain 

Love on the Second Read 

Love on the Second Read
Buy here||

A tenacious romance book editor meets a nerdy sci-fi and fantasy book editor and they’re made to work together on a manuscript. With meddling besties and the drama of ex-lovers, this book is an absolute treat for book lovers who want a dreamy romance in the publishing world.   

 

Rebels, Traitors, Peacemakers  

Rebels, Traitors, Peacemakers
Buy here||

Stories that will bring all the warmth on a cold rainy day! Read how love tries to conquer all in a series of true stories about Indian-Chinese relationships spread across the world. Learn about their struggles, conflicts, triumphs and connections. Disclaimer: keep tissues handy.

 

Finding Us Again

Finding Us Again
Buy here||

A story about high school lovers who got separated but the boy leaves messages for the girl behind photos in hotels. Sounds romantic, doesn’t it? But true love is never that simple. With new partners by their side and a series of serendipitous events, things can go either way for the protagonists. 

 

 

Thrill of Thunder

Horror, He Wrote 

Horror, He Wrote
Buy here||

Love, betrayal, murder, redemption – sounds like the perfect recipe for a thriller, doesn’t it? With this read, you get more. With spine chilling twists and turns involving the lives of a ghost who returns to tell her story, a failing writer, a murdered twin and more, this book is one you won’t be able to put down. 

 

The Showgirl and The Minister

The Showgirl and the Minister
Buy here||

Enter Sydney in 1966, where a former Chief Minister is missing, and a young stripper gets involved in his disappearance. Read how the private detective untangles this mystery while fighting his own demons in this story inspired by the real-life disappearance of Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock.  

 

The American Boyfriend

The American Boyfriend
Buy here||

The idea of travelling across the world to meet your long-distance boyfriend sounds perfect until it involves a mysterious murder and tragic robbery. Especially when you are a single mother with a toddler. When things go dark, it’s tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel and you will find it hard to put this book down.  

 

Found something you can’t wait to start reading?

It’s time to cozy up with these perfect rainy-day reads.  

Pre-Release: Read an exclusive excerpt from The Power Above Us All, before anyone else!

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Here is a sneak-peak! Read an exclusive excerpt from The Power Above Us All by Ronaldo S. Vivo Jr, translated by Karl R. de Mesa. A novel of ordinary decent criminals and extraordinarily brutal cops weaving together and colliding inside the giant slum of ‘Dreamland’, within the megalopolis of Metro Manila, Philippines.

————————————————————–

In this moment three things remain bright in my memory. Three things only: Che’s smile, my final reminder to my friend Buldan, and the scent and taste of the soup of a disgusting toilet mixed with, hell, the taste of someone’s hotdog-shaped shit—some pig cop from precinct nine.

Past midnight. Outside the San Joaquin 7-Eleven, Buldan and I were hanging steady. Smoking, watching. Across the street two uniformed pigs were walking to where we stood. We kept conversing calmly but we were nervous at their approach. Both police officers walked past us and straight into the 7-Eleven. We exhaled, relieved. Both of us also concurred that it was time to change locations.

That was till we noticed the commotion inside. I told Buldan to see what was up. Just the two pigs arguing loudly with two teen boys, he said, and that the young men both looked way too smooth-skinned to be any good if a fight went down.

Well, I thought, it’s good timing these two teenage dirt bags showed up. We wouldn’t need to move at all now.

Seconds later, another young man exited the convenience store. He looked no older than nineteen to me, if a day. Quick tap on Buldan’s shoulder. He returned my gesture with a nod. Before we walked on, I handed him another stick of Fortune Lights. Buldan slotted the cigarette behind his right earlobe, then he pushed off in the same direction our third teen went. I remained at the 7-Eleven, continuing to surveil the two police officers inside.

When I finished my cigarette—still waiting for Buldan’s text message—I stepped into the convenience store. Time to cool myself with the air-conditioning and also get closer to see what was what.

I sat on one of the dining area’s chairs and eavesdropped on the exchange. Ah, the teens were being hassled for IDs. The stylishly bearded youths already had curly-haired legs despite their smooth appearance and yet they were still being asked for IDs for the beer they wanted to buy. Clever pigs. Whatever happened next, the two police would come away with some extra cash for their meth-buying money.

Not ten minutes in I got a text from Buldan saying to meet back at the room.

———————————————————-

To find out what happens next, pre-order The Power Above Us All.

Read an exclusive excerpt from Reputations of Value

Posted on by simransingh
Employees’ use of social media can be a source of authentic and interesting content that helps to tell the corporate story. It can also represent a source of reputational risk. Manson said, ‘I think there’s some companies you need to worry about this, but for the vast majority you don’t. I love British Airways, who were my client at one point, and they had this amazing group of pilots who were making fantastic films by sticking a GoPro in their cockpit and making total aeroplane geek content, but it had a big audience, and the pilots were known in the community and really beloved. However, British Airlines had a problem not too long ago where they rolled out some new uniforms and a bunch of employees went on Twitter and complained about the uniforms. As a result of that they rolled out a new social media policy banning employees from using social media during working hours, which probably wouldn’t have helped with the uniform issue and stopped the pilots from posting their videos. I think you have to just let people be themselves and give them some security guidelines, give some behaviour guidelines but be permissive rather than prohibitive.’
While acknowledging the value of being permissive rather than prohibitive, there is a range of practical guidelines for any company to consider. These include:
  • Avoiding the instance of employees having their personal social media platforms) being mistaken as an official company social media platform. However, they should be able to identify themselves as being an employee for the company on those platforms that request users to identify their employer, the most obvious current example being LinkedIn.
  • It is a good thing if employees wish to advocate on behalf of the company by sharing company-approved content relating to specific announcements, events, news, and milestones. The nuance is that posts/ comments that are personal opinions, for instance in relation to political issues, should not be confused as representing the position of company itself.
  • If employees wish to establish a social media platform that officially represents company rather than the employee themself, then they should obtain prior approval from the company.
  • Ensuring employees never disguise themselves as a customer or try to conceal their employment relationship with the company if promoting its products and services on any social media platforms.
A systematic training programme will help to ensure employees have a good understanding of the company’s policies and guidelines and feel well-equipped to follow them.
Reputations of Value serves as a guide for those wanting to better understand how companies can operate on a stronger, more resilient, and authentic basis in the face of a dynamic and unpredictable landscape. Get a copy today and learn from the experts – the value of reputation and how to maintain it! ​