25 episodes

A new podcast by Zafigo.com where we explore the world through words!

Join Marina Mahathir weekly as she talks about the books she loves, share insights about them, and sometimes, chat with other interesting book lovers.

Whether you have interest in the lives of historical figures, or want to learn about French cooking, join us as we flip through books based on the many genres and themes – proving that there truly is a book for everyone!

More information available at zafigo.com/busy-reading-books

Busy Reading Books Zafigo Travel

    • Arts

A new podcast by Zafigo.com where we explore the world through words!

Join Marina Mahathir weekly as she talks about the books she loves, share insights about them, and sometimes, chat with other interesting book lovers.

Whether you have interest in the lives of historical figures, or want to learn about French cooking, join us as we flip through books based on the many genres and themes – proving that there truly is a book for everyone!

More information available at zafigo.com/busy-reading-books

    S01E24 | Should I? Will I? Must I?: All the Books I've Yet to Read

    S01E24 | Should I? Will I? Must I?: All the Books I've Yet to Read

    In our last episode for the season, we're doing things a little differently. Instead of talking you through books she's read, Marina explores a list of titles and authors she's yet to peruse -- some that she may add to her reading list in the future and some she may not despite how popular they are. 

    Mentioned this episode:

    Harold Robbins - The Carpetbaggers, The Adventurers

    Mario Puzo - The Godfather

    William Peter Blatty - The Exorcist

    Charlotte Brontë

    Emily Brontë

    Anne Brontë

    William Shakespeare

    George Orwell - Animal Farm

    Augustine of Hippo

    Lytton Strachey

    Simone de Beauvoir - The Second Sex

    Germaine Greer - The Female Eunuch

    Betty Friedan - The Feminine Mystique

    Amina Wadud - Qur'an and Woman, Inside the Gender Jihad

    Kecia Ali - Sexual Ethics and Islam

    Fatema Mernissi

    Riffat Hassan

    Asma Lamrabet

    Mona Eltahawy

    Seema Yasmin - Muslim Women Are Everything

    Susanna Clarke - Piranesi

    Maggie O'Farrell - Hamnet

    Bernardine Evaristo - Girl, Woman, Other

    Hilary Mantel

    Margaret Atwood

    Keggie Carew - Dadland


    For more information about us, visit zafigo.com/busy-reading-books

    • 21 min
    S01E23 | What Our Family Stories Mean to Malaysia with Viji Krishnamoorthy

    S01E23 | What Our Family Stories Mean to Malaysia with Viji Krishnamoorthy

    As we near Malaysia Day on September 16, our thoughts turn to the history of our country, now 64 years old. Or rather, to the many histories, of families who were born and bred here, or who came from elsewhere and made a life for themselves here, of families disrupted by war or brought together by other circumstances. Some of these stories have made their way into books as Malaysian authors mine their own personal histories to tell stories that not only resonate with Malaysians but those around the world. Tan Twan Eng, Tash Aw and Preta Samarasen are just three of them but there are certainly as many authors as there are stories. In this episode, Marina talks to Viji Krishnamoorthy about Malaysian family stories and what they can teach us about our nation today.

    Mentioned this epsiode:

    R. K. Narayan - Malgudi Days

    Elif Shafak - The Island of Missing Trees

    Catherine Menon - Fragile Monsters

    Mohsin Hamid

    Khaled Hosseini

    Rohinton Mistry

    John Steinbeck

    Négar Djavadi - Disoriental

    Elena Ferrante

    Additional suggestions from Viji:

    Sarah Moss - The Tidal Zone; Signs for Lost Children

    Matt Haig - How To Stop Time; The Midnight Library

    Max Porter - Grief is the Thing with Feathers; Lanny

    For more information about us, visit zafigo.com/busy-reading-books

    • 43 min
    S01E22 | The Case for Narrative Non-fiction

    S01E22 | The Case for Narrative Non-fiction

    Not a fan of non-fiction reads? In this episode, Marina talks about some of her most-loved narrative non-fiction books and makes a pitch for why you should give the genre a go. These unique books interweave various literary techniques into true stories and create gripping accounts of a person, event, or issue, and often leaves its readers feeling as though they were reading works of fiction. Warning: these books can be compulsively readable.

    Mentioned this episode:

    Rebecca Skloot - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

    Jared Diamond - Guns, Germs, and Steel; Collapse; The World Until Yesterday

    Steven Pinker - The Better Angels of Our Nature 

    Peter Pomerantsev - This Is Not Propaganda; Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible

    Adam M. Grant - Think Again

    Sherry Turkle - Reclaiming Conversation

    For more information about us visit zafigo.com/busy-reading-books

    • 24 min
    S01E21 | Is Small Beautiful? A Chat with Indie Publishers Amir Muhammad & Rosalind Chua

    S01E21 | Is Small Beautiful? A Chat with Indie Publishers Amir Muhammad & Rosalind Chua

    Has the book publishing industry been hit by the Covid pandemic? On the one hand, people forced into lockdown have more time to read which should be good news for publishers. On the other hand, with less footfall, bookstores are closing down for lack of customers. The big publishers may have the cushion of previous successes to survive with. But what about small publishing houses? How are they coping? Marina speaks to the founders of two independent Malaysian publishing houses, Amir Muhammad from Buku Fixi and Rosalind Chua from Clarity Publishing, to learn their views on what the future holds for their industry.

    Mentioned this episode:


    Viji Krishnamoorthy - 912 Batu Road
     Boonsiri Somchit - When the Chicken Dies, Everyone Cries
    Muhammad Fatrim - Asrama
    Nadia Khan - Gantung
    Tunku Halim
    Ernest Zacharevic - Streetart George Town
    Teme Abdullah
    Neil Gaiman
    Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture
    Sally Rooney
    Brit Bennett - The Vanishing Half
    Lawrence Block - The Sins of the Fathers
    Ryszard Kapuściński - The Shadow of the Sun
    Haruki Murakami
    Donna Tartt - The Goldfinch
    Lionel Shriver
    Lat
    Matt Haig - Notes on a Nervous Planet
    Sherry Turkle - Reclaiming Conversation
    Eugene Lim
    Lydia Davies

    • 1 hr 2 min
    S01E20 | Adaptations: Is the Book Really Better Than the Film?

    S01E20 | Adaptations: Is the Book Really Better Than the Film?

    You’ve probably heard this question being asked a thousand times before: Is the book is better than the movie/series? Granted, reading allows you to get creative while interpreting the story to your liking. On the other hand, the great thing about films is their ability to show. Not forgetting, there's the overall experience of watching a novel you love come to life.

    But can we really compare both mediums? In this episode, Marina tackles the ol' page vs screen argument while exploring some favourite and popular titles and their feature film or TV show adaptations.

    Mentioned this episode:


    Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
    Louisa May Alcott - Little Women
    Arthur Golden - Memoirs of a Geisha
    Elizabeth Gilbert - Eat, Pray, Love
    Truman Capote - In Cold Blood
    Yann Martell - Life of Pi
    Marjane Satrapi - Persepolis
    Alice Walker - The Color Purple
    André Aciman - Call Me By Your Name
    Liane Moriarty - Big Little Lies
    Gillian Flynn - Gone Girl
    Delia Owens - Where the Crawdads Sing
    Elena Ferrante - My Brilliant Friend
    Maggie O'Farrell - Hamnet
    Britt Bennett - The Vanishing Half
    Joshua Kam - How The Man in Green Saved Pahang, and Possibly the World

    More information available at zafigo.com/busy-reading-books

    • 29 min
    S01E19 | A Crash Course on Graphic Novels with Ineza Roussille

    S01E19 | A Crash Course on Graphic Novels with Ineza Roussille

    This week, Marina ventures into the world of graphic novels with her daughter, Ineza Roussille. Ineza,  a documentary filmmaker and visual storytelling enthusiast, has loved reading graphic novels ever since discovering Joe Sacco's works. In this episode, she doesn't just give us a breakdown of the popular categories within the genre, but also shares who her favourite authors and illustrators are.

    Mentioned this episode:


    Tetsu Kariya - Sake
    Joe Sacco - Palestine
    Alan Moore - Watchmen
    Marjane Satrapi - Persepolis, Embroideries
    Lorina Mapa - Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos, and Me
    Alison Bechdel - Fun Home; Are you My Mother
    George Takei - They Call Us Enemy
    José-Louis Bocquet - Kiki de Montparnasse; Joséphine Baker
    Tiziana Lo Porto - Superzelda
    Guy Delisle - Jerusalem; Pyongyang; Burma Chronicles
    Apostolos Doxiadis - Logicomix
    Sean Michael Wilson - Parecomic
    Jeffrey Wilson - The Instinct for Cooperation
    Noelle Stevenson - Nimona
    Aminder Dhaliwal - Woman World
    Art Spiegelman - Maus
    Malik Sajad - Munnu
    Susie Hopkins - What to Do When I'm Gone
    Reimena Yee - The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya
    Erica Eng - Fried Rice
    Sonny Liew - The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye
    Whit Taylor (Kazimir Lee as contributor) - Harriet Tubman: Toward Freedom
    Bong Joon-ho - Parasite: A Graphic Novel in Storyboards
     Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained
    Julie Maroh - Body Music
    Mira Jacob - Good Talk

    More information available at zafigo.com/busy-reading-books

    • 41 min

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