kathleen writes “A National Library Board survey found that only 52 percent of Singaporeans read for leisure. The board is seeking to increase this number with a first-ever nationwide reading project.READ! Singapore is a nation-wide initiative by The National Library Board (NLB) to promote the culture of reading inspired by the success of similar initiatives in cities like Brisbane, Chicago, Houston and Seattle.
kathleen writes “A National Library Board survey found that only 52 percent of Singaporeans read for leisure. The board is seeking to increase this number with a first-ever nationwide reading project.READ! Singapore is a nation-wide initiative by The National Library Board (NLB) to promote the culture of reading inspired by the success of similar initiatives in cities like Brisbane, Chicago, Houston and Seattle. READ! Singapore’s National Steering Committee, has selected 12 books, in 4 languages. Readers could then come together to have book discussions, whether in formal groups such as book clubs, reading clubs, literary societies, book discussion sessions in the libraries, schools, offices, book stores, coffee clubs, community clubs or simply get together with their families and friends at an informal social gatherings.
ENGLISH: Tangerine, Colin Cheong; To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee; Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon.
CHINESE: Love at the Convenience Store, Han Han; Short Stories by Xi Ni Er; Memories of the Southern Suburbs, Lin Haiying.
MALAY: Satu Bumi, Isa Kamari; Badai Semalam, Khadijah Hashim; Batas Langit, Mohamed Latiff Mohamed.
TAMIL: Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal (Some People at Some Moments), D. Jeyakanthan;Thedi (a novelette Velvi), Govindasamy Naa; 47 Naatkal,
Sivashankari.”
Life in Singapore
This is just the latest in a long string of efforts to make Singapore’s dutiful citizens do what they’re supposed to do. I recall reading about efforts by the government to stop gum chewing, encourage marriage, and all sorts of other things. Which leads me to recommend an interesting novel set in Singapore Foreign Bodies, which explores life in Singapore from the perspective of a couple of young people.
On gum chewing
I was quite pleased to see in The Economist that gum chewing is now legal in Singapore (April 21, 2005; subscribers can see it online). Of course, only registered gum consumers will be allowed to purchase only sugarless gum, and only from pharmacies, but one must be satisfied with baby steps.
marathon
Social engineering aside, I wonder how the 12-hour READ! Singapore Marathon is going to turn out. Botanical gardens and mosques are supposed to participate.