FICTION

BOOKS ACTUALLY'S GOLD STANDARD 2016

Edited by Julie Koh

Math Paper Press/Paperback/ 343 pages/$22/ Books Actually

This anthology by local indie bookstore Books Actually brings together Asian writers across the globe - from Taiwanese writer Chang Ching-Hung's strange tale of a cat seller with unusual abilities, to Filipino John Bengan's political story about a crime-fighting mayor who plans to run for president.

Closer to home are works by Singaporean writers such as Cyril Wong, Lee Jing-Jing and Balli Kaur Jaswal.

THE WANDERLUSTERS

By Grace Chia

Math Paper Press/ Paperback/ 353 pages/ $22/Books Actually

Delilah is living the dream as a diva in the Cirque Obelisque, a glamorous travelling circus, when her husband abandons her and their daughter and she finds herself drawn to her co-actor Richard. Chia's new novel pulls back the curtains for a sneak peek at circus life backstage.

THIS IS HOW YOU WALK ON THE MOON

Edited by Patricia Karunungan, Samuel Caleb Wee and Wong Wen Pu

Ethos Books/ Paperback/ 317 pages/$20.56/ ethosbooks.sg

This odd anthology of 25 short stories takes stock of the realms of realism and then jets off merrily in the opposite direction. An ostrich runs amok in Kampong Glam; an office romance goes wrong when the girl starts eating the photocopier; the long-suffering staff at an airport terminal for gods try to keep their divine passengers in line.

POETRY

LOST BODIES

By Heng Siok Tian, Phan Ming Yen, Yong Shu Hoong and Yeow Kai Chai

Ethos Books/ Paperback/ 103 pages/ $16/ethosbooks.sg

A trip to Portugal turns into a long-distance writing project for these four poets - a dream-like meditation on love and loss that reaches across continents.