Popular Malaysia to hold bookfair at CityOne Megamall
KUCHING: Popular Malaysia returns with its Mega Bookfair at CityOne Megamall, here from this Dec 23 to Jan 2 next year.
The chain bookstore will be hosting live book-sharing sessions, featuring Readers’ Choice Award 2016 winners, Sonia Mael and Datin Kalsom Taib.
Both shall appear on- stage on Dec 26 ( Monday), from 12pm to 1.30pm at the Mega Bookfair.
Aptly themed ‘ Love is the Essence of Life’, in tandem with the Yuletide season, members of the public are invited to join Sonia and Kalsom, as they share their stories and experiences as well as autograph their books.
Sonia was a teacher for 18 years before she opted out of teaching to dabble in business at 45.
She took up writing to fill the void left by the demise of her husband. Writing is now her career and passion, which she plans to continue for as long as she can.
Her first novel, ‘ Don’t Forget to Remember’ was winner of the fiction category in the 2016 PopularThe Star Readers’ Choice Award. It was, in part, a recollection of some of her fondest memories as a student in Australia in the 1960s, partially dramatised to enthral her readers even more. This novel was very recently submitted as an entry for the Dublin Literary Award 2017.
Encouraged by her success, Sonia embarked on and completed her second novel ‘ No Ordinary Love’, which delves deeply into human relationships, their problems and needs.
A graduate of the University of Malaya, Kalsom taught in several secondary schools for five years before joining the private sector. From the 1970s to 1990s, she worked in several multinational corporations.
She has authored three books; ‘ Taib Andak: In a Class of His Own’; ‘ Zainab Ahmad: A Truly Remarkable Woman’; and ‘ The Shafee Yahaya Story: Estate Boy to ACA Chief’. She has also published Kamaruddin Abdullah’s ‘ Pages from My Past’, which revolves around stories about Muar’s Bandar Maharani in the 1950s and 1960s.
With co-writer Hamidah Abdul Hamid, Kalsom is also the award-winning author of ‘Johor Palate: Tanjung Puteri Recipes’. This compilation of authentic, traditional recipes captures the amazing diversity of Johorean cuisine in all its glory.
Unsurprisingly, it won the ‘ Best in the World’ award in the Culinary Heritage category at the 2016 World Gourmand Cookbook Awards held in Shandong, China. The title of the Malay version of this book is ‘Citarasa Johor: Resipi Tanjung Puteri’.
Drop by at the Mega Bookfair to enjoy the many exciting offers and activities lined up.
For more information, visit www.popular.com.my or the Popular Facebook page.