Teochew Heritage Cooking
Eric Low
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2015
ISBN: 9789814634281

Teochew Heritage Cooking is the definitive reference for anyone looking to learn more about the colourful heritage and food culture of the Teochews in Singapore. An engaging introduction provides an insightful overview of the history and culture of the Teochew community, and 50 recipes for authentic Teochew dishes brings the refreshing flavours of this alluring cuisine nearer home.

LKY: A Pictorial Memorial
Stephanie Yeow
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2015
ISBN: 9789814642088

Abridged from Lee Kuan Yew: A Life in Pictures, this book features private and public photos of Lee. It includes some new photos as well as photos from his later years. They were chosen for their strength and quality, and edited to fit into the chronology of Lee's life.

Tall Tales and MisAdventures of a Young Westernized Oriental Gentleman
Goh Poh Seng
Singapore: NUS Press, 2015
ISBN: 9789971696344

This book of short stories by Goh Poh Seng tells his adventures as a young Asian student in the Ireland of the 1950s. Brought up in post-war Kuala Lumpur, the impressionable young man finds himself transported to a totally different milieu and culture. The stories follow him from the first tentative steps of his voyage to Europe, to his sojourn in a hostel for Asian students and the shock of boarding life in a boys' Catholic school; continues with his early awakening to the possibility of becoming a writer, together with a total embrace of the cultural and literary pleasures of Dublin. Along the way, he met a colourful tapestry of characters, among them a member of the Anglo-Irish gentry, the suave and charming Tom Pierre from the West Indies, and the much-loved Irish poet Paddy Kavanagh.

The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye
Sonny Liew
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810731069

The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye is a biography showcasing the life and work of a pioneering but largely forgotten comic artist in Singapore. With a career spanning more than five decades, from pre-independence Singapore through its three Prime Ministers, Chan's work reflects the country's changing political and economic environment.

Containing Chan's original illustrations, paintings and sketches, this is a groundbreaking work and labour of love aimed at recapturing the portrait of an artist, whose deep passion for comics and country is given a fitting tribute by Eisner-nominated comic artist Sonny Liew.

Of Whales and Dinosaurs: The Story of Singapore's Natural History Museum
Kevin Y.L. Tan
Singapore: NUS Press, 2015
ISBN: 9789971698553

This is the story of Southeast Asia's natural history collections. Officially established in 1878, the previous Raffles Museum -- the oldest in the region -- has one of the largest collections of Southeast Asian animals.

With the opening of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the National University of Singapore in 2015, the original Raffles Museum was 'reincarnated' and the loop on its remarkable 127-year history has closed. Beneath the sleek exterior of the modern museum building lies a saga of titanic struggles and changes. That the collections survived at all -- through the multiple challenges of the nineteenth century, the disruption of World War Two, and its potential disintegration in the face of Singapore's modernization -- is nothing short of miraculous.

This book is not only an institutional history of the museum but also tells the story of the frustrations, commitment and courage of the numerous individuals who battled officialdom, innovated endlessly and overcame the odds to protect Singapore's natural history heritage.

Liveability in Singapore: Social and Behavioural issues
David Chan
Singapore: World Scientific, 2015
ISBN: 9789814667876

Cities and countries around the world are focused on enhancing their living conditions through ways that go beyond the brick and mortar of urban planning. Just like in other highly-urbanised cities, life and living in Singapore is highly dependent on many other dimensions such as health, access to various services, social interactions, inter-group relations and community bonds. Social and behavioural factors will need to be incorporated when designing and implementing policies and interventions to enhance liveability.

This invaluable book, based on the proceedings at the Behavioural Sciences Institute Conference 2014, documents an exchange of ideas among practitioners, academics and public intellectuals on liveability in Singapore. The book is organized into four parts. Part I provides an overview of liveability issues. Part II examines liveability from the perspectives of health and urban planning. Part III analyses the relationships linking quality of life to social class and social services. Part IV addresses specific questions on liveability in terms of public transport, cost of living, government's public communications, role of free market values in town planning, civil society, citizen well-being and whether there is a psychological gulf between government and people.

This book will provide the reader valuable perspectives, an increased understanding of issues related to the liveability in Singapore and many potential applications to reflect on.

Can Singapore Survive?
Kishore Mahbubani
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2015
ISBN: 9789814342971

This book poses the question that Singaporeans must wrestle with: can we survive as an independent city-state? Kishore Mahbubani believes that Singaporeans must always ask the question because constant reflection and self-examination should be a part of the core DNA of all Singaporeans. His goal in this book is to create and enhance this culture of reflection among all Singaporeans. He gives three answers in this book: Yes, No & Maybe. With these answers, he attempts to sketch three different scenarios for Singapore's future.

There is logic behind this, as we cannot predict the future. We can, however, prepare for the future by telling stories about what the future could be like.

Besides his substantive introduction, this book offers some of Kishore's best essays on Singapore, taken from his Think-Tank and Opinion columns in The Straits Times, as well as contributions to Guardian News, The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, Davos World Economic Forum's Forum News Daily, and the "Innovations for Successful Societies" Oral History Project of Princeton University.

We ♥ Chinatown
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Singapore: Wee Editions, 2015
ISBN: 9789810778231

Established by the colonial government, southwest of the Singapore River, to cater to Singapore's Chinese-majority immigrant population, Chinatown is today a bustling destination, much like its counterparts around the world. Designated a conservation area by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in 1989, the neighbourhood is still referred to as "Niu Che Shui" -- literally "ox-cart water", a reference to how the area received its water supply -- by some.

The pre-war shophouses that once housed coolies, opium dens and letter-writers are now occupied by a mix of old and new: restaurants, souvenir shops, spas, bars and boutiques. The food stalls on Smith Street pay homage to hawkers of the past, and early malls like People's Park Complex have gone new age with rooftop gardens.

Reflecting Singapore's multi-ethnic nature, Chinatown also interestingly houses the country's oldest Hindu temple, and the prominent Jamae Mosque. We ♥ Chinatown offers a glimpse into this vibrant neighbourhood, as seen through the eyes of the talented artists from Urban Sketchers Singapore.

"Original Sin"?: Revising the Revisionist Critique of the 1963 Operation Coldstore in Singapore
Kumar Ramakrishna
Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2015
ISBN: 9789814620437

"Revisionist" or "alternative" historians have increasingly questioned elements of the Singapore Story -- the master narrative of the nation's political and socioeconomic development since its founding by the British in 1819. Much criticism focuses especially on one defining episode of the Story: the internal security dragnet mounted on 2 February 1963 against Communist United Front elements on the island, known to posterity as Operation Coldstore. The revisionists claim that Coldstore was mounted for political rather than security reasons and actually destroyed a legitimate Progressive Left opposition personalized by the charismatic figure of Lim Chin Siong -- rather than a dangerous Communist network as the conventional wisdom holds. Relying on both declassified and some previously unseen classified sources, this book challenges revisionist claims, reiterating the historic importance of Coldstore in helping pave the way for Singapore's remarkable journey from Third World status to First in a single generation.