Wormhole

I 💕 CAN 💕 FIX 💕 HIM

mysterious sexy men and the girls who bring out their soft side. it’s a tale as old as time, and one that’s found new life with the addition of dragons, magic, and faeries.

welcome to the $610 million world of Romantasy: a genre that has readers everywhere swooning with reaction videos and fan art of mega bestsellers A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing, Powerless, and more. but is there really a cross-section between romance readers and fantasy readers, and what are those readers seeking?

the genre is tied to so many tropes and stereotypes - how does a writer navigate it without pandering and what does a *good* romantasy novel look like? perhaps the answer to that may lie in understanding how romantasy even came about, its surprising origins, and defining what exactly it is.

authors and take us through the cogs in the machine powering the Romantasy phenomenon. this isn’t just for romantasy fans btw - fantasy readers, you’ll want to hear what our panelists have to share about the creative and publishing process behind a fantasy novel. it’s all connected, and it’s still a better love story than Twilight 💖💖

link in bio to sign up!

ROMANTASY: BEST OF TWO GENRES?
1 OCTOBER, 7.30PM

at a recent pop-up, we met someone who said they had been following us for a while “but i had no idea you guys are a bookstore” 💀 and this wouldn’t be the first time someone’s said that to us lmao. SO HERE IS A PHOTO OF A BOOK.

and not just any book, but the one everyone’s talking about. BABEL is an imagined version of the British Empire, fueling its reign with magic that comes from finding what’s lost in translation between languages. author R.F. Kuang cleverly uses this premise as a metaphor for colonialism, packaged in a historical fantasy epic that’s captured BookTok’s heart with its “dark academia” energy.

but is it REALLY historical fantasy? is it even dark academia??? does it stand up to all the buzz surrounding it? last call to join us tonight as we begin ’s WORTH THE HYPE? series and discuss all the contemporary reading trends you love, starting with R.F. Kuang’s work. link in bio for info!

BABEL AND THE POWER OF LANGUAGE
24 SEPTEMBER, 7.30PM

🍸 A WILD QUIZ NIGHT APPEARS 🐛

are you an expert on everything from fairy tales to zoology, from shapes to Shakespeare and SMRT?

if your answer is no, time to find someone who is AND JOIN OUR QUIZ NIGHT. form teams of 3 - 5 members and compete to be the smartest people in the room 👑 winning team gets dining vouchers, merch, Wanderlost Lounge’s signature Butterbeer, and everyone’s admiration!

plus, we’ll have a pop-up booth there.. yknow, just in case you suddenly feel the need to buy something. see you for an evening of fun and laughter, friendly competition, and book-inspired drinks by our venue partner !

link in bio to sign up ✨
2 OCTOBER 2024
7.30PM (registration starts 7pm)
WANDERLOST LOUNGE, BUGIS PLUS

✨WORTH THE HYPE?✨ IS BACK

8 brilliant minds, 4 insightful discussions on the hottest reading trends and books

this season, there’s NO way we can’t talk about current It Girl R.F. Kuang of Babel and Yellowface fame, or the BookTok phenomenon that’s consumed so many hearts (and other body parts 👀): ROMANTASY❤️🧚‍♀️

after that, let’s take a step back and examine the nuts and bolts of hype itself - what has sent older titles such as A Little Life and Stoner soaring back into relevance? does social media have the power to decide which books will be considered classics in the future? and how does hype affect our reading experience - our panelists challenge each other to read a few hyped books to see who hits the DNF mark!

thrilled to be back to host an exciting four weeks of WORTH THE HYPE? starting 24 Sep with and !

link in bio for details and to sign up!

a few things we’re bringing this Saturday at PARK(ing) Day, and looOoots more 🚗🐛 see you there!

14 SEPTEMBER
4 - 8PM
Open-Air Carpark @ Science Centre Singapore
admission is free but requires a ticket! link in bio for more info and to get your ticket ✨ organised by the good folks at !

🚗🐛 UPCOMING POP-UP 📍🚙

PARK(ing) Day is a global project where people all over the world transform parking spaces into temporary parks and community spaces, and it’s here in Singapore across 5 locations: Bedok, Yishun, Queenstown, Lengkok Bahru… and Jurong East, where we’ll be!

come join us and over 20 participating organisations at as we explore the theme “The Science of Happiness”!

😀 THE ART OF BEING HAPPY
evoking the concept of artists doing live portraits in parks, our resident designer will be turning all your fond memories and ✨good vibes✨ into one ever-expanding illustration that you can watch her do live. simply drop by and answer a question about happiness, and watch as your answers form a patchwork of thoughts on purpose and joy.

😃 FREE CUSTOM STICKERS
want to take home a piece of happiness? tell us something that makes you happy and have it drawn and printed as a lil’ sticker for free!

😋 RETAIL THERAPY
excuse me, money can’t buy happiness??? we’ve got books and adorable things by creators locally and in SE Asia: , , , .goods, , , &

🤩 NEW MERCH LAUNCH
get first dibs on Indonesian illustrator Bethania Brigitta’s () line of keychains, stickers, bookmarks, coasters, and more, launching right here at our booth!

14 SEPTEMBER, SATURDAY
4 - 8PM
Open-Air Carpark @ Science Centre Singapore
admission is free but requires a ticket! link in bio to get yours ✨🚘 organised by the good folks at !

while the Singapore Literature Prize has been recognising local authors, translators, and creators for over 30 years, this is a shout out to , a non-profit that’s been running SLP and working hard behind the scenes.

here are just some of this year’s shortlisted titles - head to ’s website to guess the winners and stand to win $100 book vouchers! PLUS, join us at the awards ceremony on 10 sept, deets on SBC’s website too 💫 see you there!

✨🔮 WORMHOLE x TAROT ON THE MOON 💫🐛

looking for guidance in life, love... or just what to read next? let our collab with Elaine () be your starting point!

LITERARY TAROT is a personalised service that comes in two tiers:

👉TIER A: 1x tarot reading + a book recommendation, where Elaine will tell you a book title that goes with the cards you pulled. NOTE: this does NOT come with the book itself.
👉TIER B: 1x tarot reading + a surprise book handpicked for your situation and delivered to you!

PLUS, book your slot now to enjoy our special launch rates at 14% off (yes, normalise odd discount rates) for a limited time only! deets at link in bio 💟

cooperation, not competition 💫🤝

we had a chat with our current Surprise Your Shelf curator Ibrahim Tahir to learn more about , but the conversation became about much more than any one bookshop.

this one is for every reader, every librarian and bookseller. that parent who makes it a point to read to your child. the friend who’s really excited to recommend you a book. anyone at all, who believes stories are our best chance at understanding each other. here’s to going on together, for as long as we can 💌

⁉️ SURPRISE YOUR SHELF NO. 12: IBRAHIM

SURPRISE YOUR SHELF is back! Every 2 months, we invite a different person to pick a mystery book. We give you clues along the way, but you only find out what it is when you receive it.

Our curators all come from different backgrounds and walks of life, each with their own personal tastes and experiences. This way, each edition of Surprise Your Shelf always brings a unique perspective and you’ll never quite know what to expect!

our guest curator this round is no stranger to the literary scene. having run for the past 22 years, Ibrahim understands the challenges of bookselling, the pain and persistence it takes to keep a bookstore open in times of instability.

it is perhaps what makes his SYS selection feel like such a personal one. this book is the memoir of a woman with the same passion, and a similar stubborn streak. and when you realise the time and place her story is set in, her refusal to play safe is all the more unfathomable.

written in a time of darkness, persecution, and bloodshed, follow her journey as she flees danger in every corner, narrowly escaping at every turn with some good luck, and surprising encounters with strangers, both friend and foe.

it’s got all you want out of a great story: a plucky protagonist, suffocating tension, and shocking betrayals. but it’s a true story, one that was almost lost to the world, if not for someone’s chance discovery of it 65 years later, leading to its translation and republishing. even till this day, it’s not a widely known book but at its heart, Ibrahim’s pick is a reminder of the duality of humanity, the unknowable extent of both our cruelty and our compassion.

swipe for clues, plus find out what else Ibrahim likes reading. link in bio to order by 25 August - comes with free delivery!

gotta love how tv writers always use the “book club = boring life” trope 🥲 hello, dua lipa runs a book club ok. anyway a friendly reminder that no matter how badly you mess up, you will never fumble as hard as umbrella academy season 4. wot an irreparable mess.

for that someone who matches your freak

some new stuff on wormhole.com.sg

“There is a template for how stories like mine should unfold”

identity is the complex issue that it is, when we confuse it with image. and image is everything in THE STORY GAME, a debut by Shze-Hui Tjoa (), a Singaporean writer based in the UK.

there’s the image of Bali, a land connected to her father’s lineage, stuck in a constant performance as a tourist’s paradise. there’s the image of Singapore, less cultured than its colonisers - an insidious thought that runs through the veins of her marriage to a European man. memoir and cultural criticism blend together as Tjoa reflects on the landscapes and environments that have formed her life.

but most essentially, there’s the image of Tjoa herself and this is where it gets interesting. each essay is bookended by imagined conversations between Tjoa and a phantom version of her sister, reflecting on Tjoa’s own reflections. things get a bit meta as Tjoa interrogates her own agenda, challenging the honesty of each story she tells.

and what is image, if not the sum of the stories we tell?

link in bio to order! preorder closes 15 August and each copy comes signed by Tjoa 💞

welcome to ’s rat boy summer

stickers available on wormhole.com.sg

“you’ll send a summary of what you just said, right?”

demotivational things on wormhole.com.sg

“Her screams echo against the petrified silence of her neighbours, who retreated to their houses and watched from their windows”

a woman’s shocking murder upends the peace and quiet of a local neighbourhood, and all signs point to Flordeliza Martinez, a Filipina maid, as the culprit.

foreign domestic workers are everywhere yet invisible – and that’s what makes Cora, Donita, and Angel perfect to spot the cracks in a case that paints outsider as villain. Balli Kaur Jaswal spins together interconnected plots of intrigue, betrayal, and the secrets of the upper middle class; seen through the eyes of the people who clean their homes and care for their children.

NOW YOU SEE US lays bare the day-to-day reality of foreign workers navigating the class divide and social norms of Singapore; social commentary disguised as a murder mystery that’s pretty hard to put down once you begin.

signed copies now available on wormhole.com.sg

greeting cards to avoid the intensity of saying “i love you” with

new sherchle things on wormhole.com

“Our diets shift to accommodate the new needs of the stranger we see in the mirror every morning”

aging is a funny thing when it comes to food. it turns milk sour, but adds flavor to cheese. it puts a premium on wine, and a 50% discount on pastries at the end of the day.

THE SLOW PRESS, an independently published magazine that illuminates Singaporeans’ rich and diverse relationships with food, holds a magnifying glass over the double standards and complexities of an expiry date. from the appalling practices in meal provisions for migrant worker meals to the reusing of overripe fruit, this issue is packed with fresh content about the stale.

but it isn’t just about the expiry of food. expect sincerely written reflections on the shelf life of food trends (is tea here to stay? *cries in chicha san chen), the longevity of wet markets (the writer’s views here might not be what you expect), and more. one family’s relationship with salt, the preserver of things. the loss of a grandmother’s recipe.

absence and gradual degradation loom over each article, seasoned with a deeply personal and intimate touch that comes through, even with the free stickers that come with each issue for you to personalise the cover and make it your own 🍲

THE SLOW PRESS now available on wormhole.com.sg

new prime minister, new merch

now available on wormhole.com.sg

some book-related moments in One Day

(why is dex always leaving the bathroom door open when he’s in the shower? like, throughout the two decades that take place in this show. yes i was keeping track)

if at first you don’t succeed, buy again (that’s how the saying goes, right..?)

shiny new things on wormhole.com.sg

uh this comic will make a lot more sense when we tell you we meant to post it on valentine’s day lol

join us and let’s rediscover the spark in our love for reading 💖 limited slots left for our Bookworm Club membership - link in bio to sign up!

BOOKW🕳️RM CLUB MEMBERSHIP

stuck in a reading rut for a while? with new books being published every four seconds and Goodreads asking if you want to set your 2024 reading goal, it’s becoming a common practice to attach guilt to not reading enough. so we’re doing Bookworm Club a little differently this year.

instead of a one-off session, we’re going to commit the rest of 2024 to figuring a way out of your reading slump together through a membership program — not by making you finish x number of books this year, but by taking the pressure off and helping you redefine your relationship with reading.

sign up as a member and enjoy these perks:
🐛 $20 Wormhole gift card
🐛 complimentary sticker sheet to laugh at your own reading-related guilt
🐛 two private book club meetings
🐛 a members-only monthly newsletter
🐛 private access to exclusive content on our Instagram
🐛 early bird access to ticket sales for Wormhole events
🐛 a community of fellow bookworms to geek out with 🫶

while we will be discussing 2 - 4 titles this year, you’re welcome to go at your own pace and our discussions will accommodate varying levels of progress. after signing up, you will receive an email with the title of the first book and more membership details.

LIMITED TIME PROMO
$40 one-time signup fee (U.P $60) for the first 10 signups. promo ends 17 feb, 23:59. link in bio to sign up!

just be yourself, everyone says.

but how do we do that when the self is in constant flux, sometimes unknown even to us? and when we each have multiple selves residing within us, which one should we be? identity and selfhood are at the core of Max Pasakorn’s micro-memoir, a chapbook that’s small in size but colossal in bite.

the q***r child of a late Thai immigrant, Max was raised in Singapore, a country with expectations and rules that leave little room for Max’s identities. the essays and poetry in A STUDY IN OUR SELVES showcase a love affair with language and metaphor, as Max puts each of these selves under the lens with relish: a throat as a 15-storey shopping mall, men as expiring Gardenia bread, a lonely child as a popcorn kernel brimming with pressure.

unabashed in its frankness and defiance, the experiences in this (which won the 2022 OutWrite Chapbook Competition award!) are deeply personal, classic Singaporean, and painfully universal all at the same time.

preorder closes 9 February, link in bio 💖