Josephine Teo

Minister for Communications and Information, 53

What are the books that got you through a tough time? I enjoy a range of books and find them useful for different reasons. It is therefore hard to pinpoint just one.

In my youth, books helped me to explore and understand my identity and values and make sense of the world around me. I started picking up exploratory titles like Czech writer Milan Kundera's novel The Unbearable Lightness Of Being (1984). The thought that emptiness could also stem from a lack of commitment was profound.

As a young adult entering the workforce, I became interested in business-related books, such as the 1984 autobiography of American automobile executive Lee Iacocca, who rose to the top of car company Chrysler. These sparked my interest in organisation development and the importance of corporate culture in shaping enterprise success.

Even when dealing with parenthood, books held answers on how to help my children read and lead fulfilling and happy lives.

As my parents have gotten older, I appreciate the wisdom in American surgeon Atul Gawande's non-fiction writings. What are your reading habits? Reading is part of my routine, like exercise and basic grooming. It is food for the mind.

Work-related reading already takes up a lot of time. Hence, discipline is really needed to find the time to delve more deeply into other subjects and understand different perspectives. On vacation, I try to make time for fiction.

I have used the Kindle e-reader, but I still prefer the feel of print. It makes reading more tactile and enjoyable.

In terms of genre, I have no favourite, just anything that sparks my curiosity.

My secondary school education in Dunman High exposed me to Chinese books such as the works of the late Taiwanese writer San Mao. She was a wanderer, and her writings piqued my curiosity about how people find significance and purpose in life.

A funny story: When I was nine, I was so enthralled by The Magic Porridge Pot, by children's publisher Ladybird, that after finishing it, I gesticulated and it flew out of my hands. It ended up stuck behind a heavy cupboard and was retrieved only years later when we finally moved house.

Olivia Ho

Jamus Lim

Economist and Workers' Party MP for Sengkang GRC, 45

What are the books that got you through a tough time? Funnily, I started reading relatively late, picking up English children's writer Enid Blyton - the first book I ever read - only in primary school.

Two books that I leaned on while serving national service were Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974) by American philosopher Robert M. Pirsig and Sophie's World (1991) by Norwegian writer Jostein Gaarder, in part because I was looking for meaning at a stage of life when a broader philosophical universe was beckoning.

When I was in graduate school, I went through loneliness and heartbreak, and then I found comfort in The Lovely Bones (2002) by American writer Alice Sebold, which features themes of empathy for others and looking beyond the present.

I think books are a way to connect with ideas and experiences that transcend oneself and, as such, are especially helpful when trying to find meaning amid loss, and realising our place in a big, complex world.

What are your reading habits? I read all the time, albeit mostly professionally, to keep abreast of the state of knowledge as a teacher and researcher at a business school and a parliamentarian.

I still read on paper - in hardback - for texts which I annotate and expect to return to for reference. But the iPad and its suite of Instapaper, Apple Books, Kindle and iAnnotate apps are greener and more convenient these days.

I also read for pleasure, of course, but it has been less fiction these days and more about history, popular science and - sigh - economics. An economics professor who reads economics for pleasure? Yes, I am truly lost.

Olivia Ho

Damian D'Silva

Chef-partner of Singapore heritage restaurant Rempapa, 65

What are the books that got you through a tough time? I started out reading westerns from my grandfather, and I would sneak into his room to "steal" a book without permission. This went on for many years till I got bored of westerns, as the stories were kind of similar.

This was when I chanced upon the Foundation Trilogy (1951 to 1953) by American author Isaac Asimov. It not only got me excited about science fiction, but also took me to another world - one with multiple galaxies working on an interplanetary scale.

The first time I read it, I was too young to understand some of the words and language, and I had a dictionary by my side.

As I grew into adulthood, I would, at hard times, go back to the series. I was always drawn to it as I never fully understood it the first time.

Reading it again brought a certain understanding about how important it is to preserve information as there is so much that would be lost if we did not.

What are your reading habits? I will pick up a book at home and have it at my bedside for two months and maybe read only two chapters. I will have another one in the toilet, and take a couple of months to finish it.

Now, Lamb To The Slaughter (1953) by British novelist Roald Dahl is my toilet read, while Kokoro (1914) by Japanese author Natsume Soseki is by my bedside.

But when I have the time, I will go to Books Kinokuniya, browse and purchase a handful. They would sit on my shelf and it might take a year before I complete one or maybe two books.

I like to revisit books and still enjoy science fiction, fantasy and everything in between.

I haven't read e-books as I like feeling pages and watching my books age on the shelf.

Eunice Quek

Alyph

Rapper, songwriter and producer, 32

What are the books that got you through a tough time? The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck by American self-help author Mark Manson (2016). I'm still reading it, although I'm down to the last few pages.

It's a very easy and quick read compared with my usual books, which I take a few weeks to finish.

I just have this feeling that I might reference stuff I've read in this book and will go back and re-read certain parts.

I'd recommend it to people who don't actively read self-help stuff, but want to start somewhere, or people who just want to try out this reading thing. It's honest, light-hearted, straightforward fun. Like a night out with your mates.

What are your reading habits? I read every morning after breakfast, the first few hours before I pick up my phone. My favourite genre now is self-help.

I chanced upon self-help books after a good run with books that contain inspirational true stories. I wanted to discover new true stories, to learn about people, habits, cultures and a little bit of history, nothing too deep.

Self-help books made me take a deeper look at myself and my own stories, which was awkward and uncomfortable at first. But I eventually longed to discover myself more instead of others, and translate that knowledge into music.

I love print, just because. Don't get me wrong, I love trees. It's just that there's something about learning away from technology that feels liberating at times.

Plus, it's impossible to suddenly add a comments section below.

Eddino Abdul Hadi

Janice Koh

Actress, 48

What are the books that got you through a tough time? The past 18 months have been a time of confusion, questioning and reflection for me. It's not just the pandemic that brought about this process, but also the fact that I have approached my midlife "pause".

The two books which helped me make sense of my emotions, and the feelings of anxiety and fear which naturally arise when you are faced with transition and change, were American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron's When Things Fall Apart (1996) and American professor Brene Brown's The Gifts Of Imperfection (2010).

These books were instrumental in teaching me to be compassionate towards myself, to let go of perfectionism, and to find courage by being vulnerable.

What are your reading habits? My preference has always been physical books, since it's the only time we get to escape from our screens. However, I also own an e-reader - a Kobo.

The best part about it is having access to free e-books from our library, which I can download in an instant. This has been particularly useful when I need to get hold of a book urgently.

More recently, my attention span for reading has been reduced, and I am more easily distracted by my phone than I care to admit. So I've started listening to audiobooks in the car, which is a fantastic way of making productive use of that time. I listened to Chodron's entire book on Audible.

Toh Wen Li

Jesseca Liu

Actress, 42

What are the books that got you through a tough time? My comfort reads are books like The Courage To Be Disliked (2013) by Japanese authors Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. There's something about the way it's written that I really relate to.

I also always return to the story The Weeping Camel by late Taiwanese author Echo Chen, also known as San Mao. This is one of the stories that has had a huge influence on me. I love Chen and I've read all of her works. What are your reading habits? I usually read early in the morning because that's when I have a clearer mind. I make sure to read for at least 30 minutes.

I don't really read during the commute to and from places, but if I'm travelling, I make sure to take a book along.

I love the smell of paper, it immerses me in the world of reading.

I buy books every few months, around eight books each time. They are usually a combination of different genres.

Jan Lee

Shubigi Rao

Artist and author of the book and visual art project Pulp, 46

What are the books that got you through a tough time? At different phases in my life, I've sought comfort in different books from wildly different genres. There was a phase when I read only encyclopaedias.

The most recent mainstay for me is 1913 (2012) by German author Florian Illies, a deceptively slim book that relies on actual letters, diaries and other ephemera to create a densely textured reimagining, charting the encounters and collisions of multiple lives during the fateful year before the First World War. People like French novelist Marcel Proust and sculptor Camille Claudel (in my opinion a superior artist to Auguste Rodin, her partner), Poland-born economist Rosa Luxemburg and Prague-born novelist Franz Kafka populate its pages.

I bought this in Berlin's main train station in 2014, and I find myself going back to it repeatedly, able to read only tiny passages at a time because the prose is so luminous that I need to sit with it a while before I can proceed.

This book kept me company through an extended solo filming trip through multiple countries over many months in 2014. Some time during that hard, solitary trip, I scribbled a note on the title page - "This book should have remained unfinished".

What are your reading habits? I love reading at night, when everyone is asleep and the frantic city sounds take a breather. I sometimes read well into the next day.

I have enjoyed e-books, but I must confess I still love the feel, tactility and weight of a print book.

I read almost everything I can get my hands on, though I've gravitated more towards non-fiction with age. Perhaps it's also because I read a lot for my Pulp project, but I find less time and patience for fiction, though I haven't lost my taste for science fiction. That's a genre I've loved since childhood, when I discovered American authors Isaac Asimov and Ursula K. Le Guin.

Toh Wen Li

Wykidd Song

Fashion designer and creative director of fashion label Akinn, 57

What are the books that got you through a tough time? The books that jump to mind would be American coach Tony Robbins' Awaken The Giant Within (1991) and the Dalai Lama's The Art Of Happiness (1998). I revisit them now and then.

I first read them in the 1990s, when I was still figuring out how to navigate life and work. I didn't have any balance in life back then and the books helped me put certain goals in place.

Others include the novel American Psycho (1991) by American author Bret Easton Ellis. The first time I read it, I was blown away not only by the sheer violence, but also by Ellis' vivid and succinct descriptions - from the clothes his characters were wearing to the accessories they had, right down to the weight of their business cards, the font used and the quality of the design.

That novel had the most profound impact on me and my formative years as a designer. I remember I was living and working in Milan then, and everything that I touched or designed took me back to the pages of that book.

What are your reading habits? On the toilet in the morning, and in bed before I close my eyes.

I remember my dad reading incessantly, whether it was a book or a magazine like The Economist - I like to think that rubbed off on me slightly.

Although what I read is not always related to fashion, it helps me to develop a better, ever-learning self, not just for business and creativity, but also as a human being.

My favourite genres are history and autobiographies, but recently, I've found myself fascinated with anthropology books by Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari, namely Sapiens (2011) and Homo Deus (2015).

And it's printed books for me.

Amanda Chai