Syarifah Nadhirah s Recalling Forgotten Tastes is an illustrated collection of tasteful forest edibles and plants. Photo: Handout
In a little epilogue of sorts titled “Seeding Inspiration” in the quaint little book self-published by Syarifah Nadhirah,
Recalling Forgotten Tastes, the local illustrator says that generations ago the information contained in this “guide” would have been common knowledge.
However, thanks to our complete reliance on the industrialisation and marketisation of food, we have become removed, detached, ignorant and apathetic about the produce in our very own lush backyard – our forests.
Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Syarifah furthered her studies in architecture at the International Islamic University Malaysia in Gombak, Selangor and currently runs a design and print company called Paperweight Studio.
Need to do some last-minute Christmas shopping? You can’t go wrong with a good book.
Here are Malaysian books published in 2020 that would make terrific Christmas gifts. With a mix of fiction and non-fiction, and a wide variety of genres, there’s probably something here for everyone. No matter if you’ve been naughty or nice!
The Girl And The Ghost
Author: Hanna Alkaf
Fancy a spine-chilling Christmas? Readers young and old alike will probably enjoy
The Girl And The Ghost, a middle grade novel about an unlikely friendship between a girl and a ghostly spirit. Young Suraya receives a pelesit, a spirit in the form of a cricket, from her witch grandmother. Suraya names the spirit Pink, and the two bond. Pink’s dark nature, however, soon causes problems for Suraya, and they end up going on a journey to uncover the pelesit’s dark origins. Here s a moving tale of friendship and courage. This novel was a 2020 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Young Reader’s Literature.