The Book Whisperer
Step into the private world of Dr Loh Chin Ee, a professor of English Language and Literature known for her work on fostering reading cultures. While learning about how her own love affair with books began, we’ll uncover her favourite book haunts, recommended reads and other interesting pursuits that fill up her free time!
1. Let’s talk about your earliest memories of reading. How has that shaped you as a language professor and an early childhood educator.
When we were young, my mother used to bring my siblings and I to the Toa Payoh public library, where she would encourage us to roam the reading spaces and open shelves. As I got older, I learned to feed my reading habit and visited the old National Library on Stamford Road on my own since my church and art class were nearby. It was liberating to be able to discover and borrow the books by myself!
In primary school, my recess was often spent in the school library devouring tales by Enid Blyton, as well as stories from the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Anne of Green Gables series. These books fired up my imagination as a child, and I could not put them down until I’ve reached the last chapter.
As an educator, I would say that reading is a fundamental skill for accessing knowledge and enjoyment is the best way to motivate reading. This is why I spend so much time highlighting the importance of reading for pleasure in my work.
2. What was most memorable about visiting public libraries and bookstores as a child?
Visits to the old National Library on Stamford Road were the most nostalgic to me, as they would often end with an excursion to the iconic MPH Bookstore next door. I also frequented the Ang Mo Kio public library during my secondary school years, and I would stop to browse at a second-hand book store in the market on the way to the library from the bus interchange. Also, if you’re old enough to know the Sunny Bookstore at Far East Plaza, you’ll know that’s where you can find some really cool second-hand reads downtown.
3. We heard you’d make it a point to visit libraries and bookstores, even when you travel. Why?
I love to see the different books that are promoted in bookstores around the world and bring back a book as a souvenir. On a recent trip to Vancouver, Canada, my son and I visited a quaint second-hand bookstore where he discovered a children’s book, The How and Why Wonder Book of Guns, which was published in 1963. Looking at the kinds of books published and the style in which they were published helps me to understand the cultural and sociohistorical context of a place better.
4. How have your taste for books evolved over the years? What are some of your favourite books, and why would you recommend them?
These days, I’m reading a lot more non-fiction. I’m also enjoying novels for young adults (YA), which can be seen as work-related reading since I need to know what would interest today’s teens. You may be surprised that my other work-related reading includes webtoons, manga, and online fan-fiction. I do enjoy a variety of cross-media work, and I can tell you that I binge-watched the K-drama, Business Proposal, and read the webtoon earlier this year.
The last book I read for leisure was a hardcopy version of Rachel Heng’s The Great Reclamation, which combines my interest in history and fiction. I am planning to re-read it at the end of the year. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is one of my favourite books, as is C. S. Lewis’ Four Loves. One is a deceptively simple children’s story, and the other might be classified as Christian philosophy. However, they both examine the nature of love and our relationships with others. Good books speak to life and help us to understand ourselves and the world we live in better.
5. Interesting! So, what sets a good book apart from the rest?
Whether fiction or non-fiction, good books must, first and foremost, tell good stories. In other words, they communicate their core ideas well to the reader, and are engaging. And in my view, good books are books that you’d want to read over and over again. When you enjoy the book, you’d want to repeat the experience.
6. What other activities do you enjoy, apart from reading?
In the spirit of lifelong learning, I finally got around to learning to sew during my sabbatical in 2020. I absolutely love the hands-on nature of it and how it engages a different part of my brain and body. Unfortunately, my sewing skills aren’t quite there yet, and my homemade clothes don’t look quite as professional as the ones bought from the store.
I also enjoying cycling around Singapore via the park connectors. My family and I often end our cycling journey with dinner at a new location, which is a fun way to explore Singapore.
