Two individuals are creating waves online through their
social media accounts by enthusing about the literary hobby of
reading, following an inaugural study last year which showed that
the proportion of residents who read at least one book a year had
fallen.
Instagram account MRT Reads documents what commuters
read on trains, whereas blogger and Clicknetwork TV host Jemimah
Wei holds sway through featuring books on her blog and Instagram
account under the handle jemmawei.
In fact, the voracious reader worked with Changi
Airport to curate a bookshelf in several Times bookstores at the
airport for transiting travellers, and the #JemmaRecommends
initiative was launched last November.
Both creators aim to prove that the reading scene here
is alive and thriving, and they want to encourage more people to
read.
Mr Aaron Ho, who is behind MRT Reads, has been snapping
pictures of strangers engrossed in various books on his daily
commute, peppering his captions with his musing and witty
observations.
The 36-year-old, who is pursuing a PhD in literature,
was inspired by the Underground New York Public Library photography
site which he chanced across while studying at the City University
of New York.
Barely three months into the year, Mr Ho has captured
pictures of almost 200 readers, almost half of the 400 he took last
year.
Viewing his project — which has about 1,280 followers —
as a sociological experiment of sorts, Mr Ho said what people read
reflects the kind of city Singapore is.
People here are not “snobbish” about who they read, he
said, citing Dan Brown, Mitch Albom, JK Rowling and Agatha Christie
as the top-read fiction authors. There also exists a strong German
and Japanese
readership.
His most pithy observation, however, was that Singapore
is a “capitalist society” that values money, based on the number of
people poring over business books. At the same time, the number of
people turning to religious books for a meaningful narrative
reveals “how spiritually bankrupt we are”, he added.
Ms Wei, on the other hand, engages her 61,300 followers
on things such as books she is currently reading or the bookstores
she visits.
The 24-year-old, currently pursuing a masters in
creative writing at the Nanyang Technological University, said
while there are “more things that compete for attention these
days”, such as television and social media, people still read,
which is why there are lively discussions whenever she posts
book-related content on her social media accounts.
The #JemmaRecommends idea was borne out of her personal
frustration in getting good book recommendations.
Ms Wei said: “One of the worst things that can happen
to a habitual reader is getting stuck in a book that’s just not
great ... It feels like a total waste of time. And so when you get
a good recommendation, you feel overwhelming gratefulness and
totally refreshed, and that’s why I think my followers respond so
well to my book-based content and actively take part in the
conversations too.”
Her book recommendations have drawn “incredible”
reception, with people regularly sending her photos of them with
the shelf when they visit the airport and tagging her with their
own reviews.
To Ms Wei, it is an exciting sign that “people are
still visibly and loudly” committing to reading.
Ultimately, both Mr Ho and Ms Wei feel cultivating a
strong reading culture goes beyond the Government’s job.
And even though Singapore’s National Library Board has
been running a National Reading Movement, as Ms Wei put it: “It’s
different when someone your age is excited about reading and when
corporations tell you that you should read.”
Lauding efforts by independent bookstores such as
BooksActually in driving support for local writers,
Mr Ho said:
“We must change the way people think about reading … because it
enriches our inner life.”
todayonline