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@Write.love.read

Books have always been my passion. I have always needed to read before I sleep. Before the days of the smartphone, a book was my constant companion, and I would never step out of my home without a book in my bag.

As I entered my teenage years, I was first introduced to romances, and my love for a ‘Happily Ever After’ has stayed with me since then. I found lending libraries and stores renting out romance books as a student and once I moved overseas from my home in India, I discovered the wonderful public libraries in Sydney and London that fed my constant need to have romances to read.

In my adopted home of Singapore, my first task on moving here was getting a library card. Singapore’s Libraries are the best gift for avid readers like me. I have not run out of romances to read in the 20 years I have been here. Many new, more inclusive and modern stories are featured and stocked for readers regularly. Of everything I love about Singapore, their public and free libraries is my favourite. Please check out my Instagram account featuring reviews of the books I enjoy the most and those that offer something new and exciting for the reader!

Thank you @katemcmurraygram for making me dream of cats for a solid couple of weeks, as I read through your entire series based at the Whitman Street Cat Cafe. The characters definitely included a few cats with very distinct personalities! My favour
Thank you @katemcmurraygram for making me dream of cats for a solid couple of weeks, as I read through your entire series based at the Whitman Street Cat Cafe. The characters definitely included a few cats with very distinct personalities! My favourite of the three books was ‘What the Cat Dragged In’, I felt for Paige and her search for true love and I could feel the innate goodness in Josh as they both found their way to each other. This one felt very authentic and of the moment. ‘Like Cats and Dogs’ was a great representation of enemies to lovers, which I feel is often the most difficult of all tropes to write. Caleb and Lauren, a vet and a cat cafe manager, the setting was ripe for arguments and banter, but when someone is meant for you, they find a way to you. I loved following their progression through the series too. ‘Chasing your Tail’ was a great read because of all the food, restaurant food channels and food show references. Lindsay is complicated and Brad is bashful, but who doesn’t love a hero that cooks and here he is pastry chef? Even better! Their second chance at love was heartwarming. Thank you @katemcmurraygram for taking me to Brooklyn and making every chapter and book so real and current. Looking forward to discovering more of your work! #romance #romancereads #romancebookstagram #nlb #katemcmurray #enemiestolovers #secondchanceromance #truelove #datingstories #brooklyn #catcafe
I hope @sajnipatelbooks indulges my song choice for this post as this song echoed in my mind while I was reading her lovely books ‘The Trouble with Hating You’ and ‘First Love Take Two’. The whole Gujju community abroad milieu
I hope @sajnipatelbooks indulges my song choice for this post as this song echoed in my mind while I was reading her lovely books ‘The Trouble with Hating You’ and ‘First Love Take Two’. The whole Gujju community abroad milieu was familiar and felt so true to reality. Any Desi expat will vouch for the regressive attitudes, the excessive importance give to our so called ‘standing’ in the community, and the never ending influence of Desi aunties and uncles. Liya and Jay’s story took me through a gamut of emotions, joy at the witty banter in the classic enemies to lovers story, despair at reading about Liya’s father and understanding how alone she must have been to face the wrath of her family and community for being true to herself and for exposing the evil that lurks in our elders, and finally happiness at Jay’s maturity and steadfast support for Liya. Women really do write the best men as characters, reality can’t live up to this ideal! After Liya’s book I was ready to dive into Preeti’s story straight away. The setting was now familiar but the contrast in the home environment that Preeti had compared to Liya’s was so stark. Daniel was easy to root for, I wanted to claim his grandparents as my own, and he can cook! The only disappointment for me was that @sajnipatelbooks hasn’t written Sanaa’s story yet. I want to know if her arranged marriage situation works out! Thank you @sajnipatelbooks for your words! Looking forward to discovering more of your work… #sajnipatel #desiromance #nlb #gujju #desibooks #romancereader #romancebooks #romancereads #romances
Was lucky enough to find many Denise Williams (@nicwillwrites ) books in a span of 2-3 weeks at the library. Each was better than the last and as I tend to read books in chronological order of their release date, I can confirm that every book written
Was lucky enough to find many Denise Williams (@nicwillwrites ) books in a span of 2-3 weeks at the library. Each was better than the last and as I tend to read books in chronological order of their release date, I can confirm that every book written by @nicwillwrites makes you want to find the next one immediately! I first read ‘How to Fail at Flirting’ a few weeks ago, am a sucker for and introvert and it was fun to find out how Naya and Jake could get past their many professional and personal challenges to find each other. ‘The Fastest Way to Fall’ is probably my favourite because I am always rooting for a plus sized heroine, and Britt and Wes were what my dream couple would be like. RJ and Lear from ‘Do You Take this Man’ could not have been easy to write, the prickly divorce attorney and the charming Lear had to find their way to be together in spite of their differences. Cord and Pearl were meant to be, I loved them when they featured in Wes and Britt’s story and I was so happy that they got their own book in ‘Technically Yours’. ‘Love and Other Flight Delays’ was a quick breezy read about 3 couples who cross paths at the airport. Eagerly waiting for what Denise Williams (@nicwillwrites) offers next! The common thread of couples who are right for each other, but their relationships might not strictly be acceptable because of their circumstances, makes all her books compelling and difficult to put down! #romance #denisewilliams #romancebooks #romancereader #anthology #nlb #workplacerelationships #airportromance
This is a heartfelt appreciation post for @nlbsingapore ! I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge @nlbsingapore and the amazing public libraries in Singapore for always introducing new, diverse and relevant voices in romance. In the 20 years tha
This is a heartfelt appreciation post for @nlbsingapore ! I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge @nlbsingapore and the amazing public libraries in Singapore for always introducing new, diverse and relevant voices in romance. In the 20 years that I have lived in Singapore, I have never run out of books to read. I have always discovered new authors and have followed them over the years, as the libraries continue to restock and add new titles regularly. My favourite library remains the lending library at the basement of the impressive National Library Building in Bugis. I used to be a regular at the Marine Parade library too which is now closed for rebuilding. The library@orchard was impressive too, it is currently closed for renovations, so am looking forward to seeing it in its new avatar. The closest library to my home is the Geylang Public Library, which for a neighbourhood library, is also extremely well maintained and very well stocked with the latest titles. I hope to someday visit all the libraries in Singapore. To me, this is the best and most advanced public library system that is truly inclusive, encourages readers of all ages, provides a clean, inviting space for book lovers and is present in close proximity to almost every resident of Singapore. Thank you @nlbsingapore and all your staff and team members for your hard work. Readers of all ages and lovers of books in Singapore are lucky to have @nlbsingapore . If you need someone on staff to vet all the romances before you allow them to be available for Singapore readers, I am forever and always available! #nlb #publiclibraries #publiclibrary #publiclibrarysg #nationallibrary #books #read #readmorebooks #reading #romance #romancebooks #romancereader #newauthors #diversebooks #singapore #singaporereads #singaporereadingmovement #thanks #appreciation
It was a lucky day at the library, when I was able to borrow six books at once from one of my all-time favourites @jillshalvis . I have been reading her for so many years and have always looked out for her books. I am a huge fan of her writing style,
It was a lucky day at the library, when I was able to borrow six books at once from one of my all-time favourites @jillshalvis . I have been reading her for so many years and have always looked out for her books. I am a huge fan of her writing style, her characters always seem very real and the worlds she creates in her many, different series are compelling and keep you coming back for more. @jillshalvis’s latest Cedar Cove series really impressed me, the different stories and couples featured were just a bit different, but still provided all the good feelings we romance lovers expect. Each book is a stand-alone with no obvious connections between them apart from their setting, which is very unusual. And for a change I could not always identify an obvious or specific romance trope for each of these books which also is surprising. The heroes and heroines in each of these were real, complex and seemed like everyday people. And the supporting characters were just really wonderful - quirky, funny, honest and direct - they moved the stories along wonderfully. @jillshalvis is the kind of writer I would want to be if I could be a romance novelist. Every book I have read has been great and unputdownable. These six books I devoured in ten days! Thanks so much @jillshalvis for your wonderful body of work. Looking forward to much more… #jillshalvis #jillshalvisbooks #cedarcove #romancebooks #sgromance #nlb #laketahoe #romances #romancereader #romanceseries
A men’s only romance book club aka the Bromantic Book Club. Where men learn to overcome toxic masculinity, understand the motivations and behaviours of their partners, learn to share and help each other navigate their dating and marriage woes b
A men’s only romance book club aka the Bromantic Book Club. Where men learn to overcome toxic masculinity, understand the motivations and behaviours of their partners, learn to share and help each other navigate their dating and marriage woes by using romance books as manuals! It is such a genius idea and am guessing only a fictional one. @lyssakayadams has given us a Christoper Nolanesque book universe with different genres representing different couples. I am in awe of her creativity and talent. I stumbled upon books 3 and 4 first, and fell in love with all the characters. And quickly had to find the other 3 books as soon as possible and I can’t thank @nlbsingapore enough for having the full collection available for eager fans like me. The photos give you some idea of the couples and genres featured. 1. Starting with Gavin and Thea’s road to navigating an unhappy marriage with the help of a Regency romance. 2. Headstrong Liv and dashing Braden are forced to join forces and find a way to be together just like any typical Romantic Suspense. 3. Noah and Alexis redefine unrequited and secret love in their book with parallels to a Sports Romance. 4. I have a soft spot for gentle giant with stomach issues, Vlad and his ‘married for convenience’ wife Elena whose story mirrors period Spy Romances like Casablanca. 5. And finally we have a Christmas Romance in Colton and Gretchen’s love story. The meta, ‘story within a story’ stories, combining heartfelt love, inspiring romance tropes and most interestingly the possibility of romances helping and improving relationships, so much is covered so beautifully by @lyssakayadams . Am hoping for more please, maybe Roman the cheese guy’s story? And also hoping that the Bromantic Book Club is a reality soon! @penguinrandomhouse #lyssakayadams #romance #nlbsingapore #regencyromance #romanticsuspense #sportsromance #spyromance #christmasromance #toxicmasculinity #romancebooks #sgromance #penguinrandomhouse
Thank you @katemcmurraygram for making me dream of cats for a solid couple of weeks, as I read through your entire series based at the Whitman Street Cat Cafe. The characters definitely included a few cats with very distinct personalities! My favour I hope @sajnipatelbooks indulges my song choice for this post as this song echoed in my mind while I was reading her lovely books ‘The Trouble with Hating You’ and ‘First Love Take Two’. The whole Gujju community abroad milieu Was lucky enough to find many Denise Williams (@nicwillwrites ) books in a span of 2-3 weeks at the library. Each was better than the last and as I tend to read books in chronological order of their release date, I can confirm that every book written This is a heartfelt appreciation post for @nlbsingapore ! I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge @nlbsingapore and the amazing public libraries in Singapore for always introducing new, diverse and relevant voices in romance. In the 20 years tha It was a lucky day at the library, when I was able to borrow six books at once from one of my all-time favourites @jillshalvis . I have been reading her for so many years and have always looked out for her books. I am a huge fan of her writing style, A men’s only romance book club aka the Bromantic Book Club. Where men learn to overcome toxic masculinity, understand the motivations and behaviours of their partners, learn to share and help each other navigate their dating and marriage woes b
 

@best.dish.list

My other passion in life is Food, specifically tasty food. Nothing spoils my mood more than a meal that is not tasty enough to eat, I find it wasteful! I have been lucky enough to have travelled the world and have sampled cuisines from everywhere. I am not too fussy about what I eat but am very fussy about the taste and quality of the food that I eat.

Many times I will go back to my nostalgic favourite food places because of the comfort of the familiar and the tried and tested dishes. I also love to try new places though and I am lucky enough to live in Singapore where I am unlikely to run out of new places to eat in my lifetime! My Instagram account features old favourites and new discoveries, both. Please check the account and read through all my foodie adventures.

Strong cravings for a some spicy Pork Krapow with a crispy fried egg with a runny yolk, led me and my friend to go to @eatkrapow at Chinatown Point. A couple of friends had previously recommended the place and so was excited to finally go try their signature dishes. The highlight was of course the Krapow, we tried both the Pork and Chicken versions. The spice level was easily bearable, maybe we should have not requested for a medium spicy and gone for the full on spicy version. The taste was excellent though and portions were generous. And the fried egg on top ofcourse makes the dish. We were not in a Thai curry mood that evening so we ordered the Steamed Fish to accompany our Krapow. It was light, the fish was cooked beautifully, flaky and moist and retaining the flavour of the lime, lemon grass and chili broth. We also had to have a Mango salad since no visit to a Thai restaurant is complete without a Thai salad. It was fresh and well prepared too, lovely mix of nuts, onions and raw mango. I feel like I have only scratched the surface at @eatkrapow though, I need to go back, and with a bigger group of people so I can try the other stuff on their menu that looks amazing. Their Drunken Noodles, the Pork Belly Krapow and their Double egg and Tofu Pad Thai is calling me back. Hope to go back soon… Photos Credit 📸: My Foodie Friend M #sgfood #sgfoodies #sgeats #sgfoodstagram #sgfoodblogger #sgfoodlover #thaifood #krapow #steamedfish #mangosalad #chinatownsingapore
Been a fan of @barcicheti and @cichetirestaurant and was excited to try their newest concept @casacicheti in Tiong Bahru. They have chosen an appropriately cool location and I was keen to see if the quality here was as good as their fabulous pizzas at @cichetirestaurant . We had the Gnocco Fritto with coppa ham and truffle honey glaze and the Burratina with chili crunch and country bread to start with. The Coppa ham was lovely but the glaze was too subtle for my taste, the Burratina was excellent, elevated by the chili crunch and the lovely bread. For the mains we went with a pasta (Rigatoni Alla Vodka) and a pizza (Salsiccia). The rigatoni promised a pink sauce but it was too red for our tastes, the pasta was cooked beautifully al dente though. The pizza divided us, I liked the taste of the fennel sausage and the bell peppers but my friend was not very impressed. We ended with the Pistachio Profiterole and the Hazelnut Budino. I liked the profiterole, the pistachio cream was luscious and the choux pastry was crispy and light. My friend liked the Budino, to me though it was way too much hazelnut overload! Frankly it was a mixed bag, we liked some of what we tried, a couple of dishes got divided opinions but the service was good and the cocktails we tried were nice. So I would say that it’s best to go try @casacicheti yourself and then make up your mind. 📸: My Friend M🥰 #casacicheti #cichetisg #sgeats #sgfoodies #sgfood #tiongbahru #tiongbahrufood #italianfood #pastapizza #profiteroles #burrata #coppaham
I must admit that I was skeptical about having dinner at @27degreeswest.sg because I have not been very impressed by Indian fusion, fine-dining restaurants in Singapore. Chef @varuninamdar’s innovative menu surprised me in the best possible way! We started with the Dahi ‘Pie Tee’ Chaat which was a delicious mix of textures which still tasted familiar to us chaat lovers. The Burrata Mango Chaat was wonderful too, the crispy lotus stem chips, elevated this dish to something special. The Kheema Pav with crispy bacon was the only non-vegetarian dish we tried, it was good, the bread was well made, but it made me nostalgic for the traditional Irani version. The Baked Palak Paneer had a nice green chili kick and the toasted almonds added a nice crunch. The Cauliflower Steak was dressed in a lovely garlicky dressing but it was a tad undercooked for my liking. We had a nice Butter Naan to accompany the mains. We finished the meal with the Falooda Tres Leches which was pretty good, but no match for a banging Royal Falooda! I feel like I should go back another time to @27degreeswest.sg to try more of their menu items especially the non-vegetarian options. Will have to plan something soon! In the meantime, please check my ratings for everything we tried, and do give Chef @varuninamdar and his team a chance to impress you! #sgfood #sgfoodies #sgfoodstagram #sgeats #orchardroad #varuninamdar #indianfoodlovers #indianfusionfood #chaats #palakpaneer #cauliflowersteak #falooda #tresleches