The book is The Art and Beauty of Flower Arranging by Frederic Girard, a French artist and illustrator whose work became widely recognised in the 1960s and 70s. Girard was known for translating the natural world into strong graphic compositions, combining botanical precision with a very modern visual language. His illustrations were often used in art books and educational publications, yet they never felt academic. They were bold, joyful, and deeply aesthetic.

This book is a collection of his flower prints from the 1970s. Every page feels confident and alive. The colours, the shapes, the rhythm of the compositions. It is timeless rather than nostalgic, and endlessly inspiring. Without a doubt, the winning Christmas present.

Written by Richard Adams and published in 1972, Watership Down follows a group of rabbits who leave their warren in search of a new home. What gives the book its lasting relevance is not the plot itself, but what it examines beneath the surface.

The novel explores power, leadership, and the trade offs societies make between safety and freedom. Adams built a complete culture for the rabbits, with their own language, mythology, and social structures. Through this, the book shows how systems can appear protective while quietly limiting choice and individuality.

What is striking is how understated the resistance is. There are no grand speeches or dramatic revolutions. The rebellion is quiet and persistent, expressed through memory, storytelling, cooperation, and the refusal to accept a life that feels fundamentally wrong.

A few days ago, while walking through the botanical gardens, I saw someone walking a rabbit on a leash. The image immediately brought the book back to mind. The irony was difficult to ignore. A rabbit, an animal defined by instinct and movement, carefully controlled in a place designed to celebrate nature.

That moment echoed one of the book’s central ideas. Control is often presented as care. Safety is often offered in exchange for freedom. Watership Down asks whether that exchange is ever truly neutral.

That is why I still recommend this book. It can be read at different ages and understood in different ways over time. It is calm, thoughtful, and quietly radical, and it continues to reflect back uncomfortable questions about power, choice, and the stories we tell ourselves about protection.

There are books you read, and there are books that quietly rearrange the inside of your head. Haruki Murakami’s Novelist as a Vocation falls into the second category. It is not a sentimental guide on how to write. It is a clear and almost technical look at how a writer builds a life, choice by choice, habit by habit.

Murakami began writing later than most. He owned a jazz bar and lived a routine that had nothing to do with literature. Then one afternoon at a baseball game, he felt a thought land in his mind with surprising certainty. He could write a novel. He went home, closed the bar at night, and started.

Murakami began writing later than most. He owned a jazz bar and lived a routine that had nothing to do with literature. Then one afternoon at a baseball game, he felt a thought land in his mind with surprising certainty. He could write a novel. He went home, closed the bar at night, and started.

The book is filled with sharp and practical observations like this.
He writes about how ideas often come when you are away from home and out of your familiar patterns. He explains what to do when you have no idea what to write. He talks about characters as if they have their own logic and simply use the writer as a channel. He believes imagination is a muscle, and like all muscles, it needs training.

One of the most memorable parts of the book is his belief that writing is physical. He runs every single day. He is strict. He keeps a routine. He treats writing the same way he treats distance running. You build stamina. You stay steady. You show up even when you do not feel like it. Good sentences come from a body that is awake and a mind that is disciplined.

He also states something many writers avoid saying out loud.
The first book is often the easy one.
The second is where most people stop.

The book is not romantic about the writing life.
Murakami does not chase awards.
He has a very small circle of friends.
He values solitude.
He focuses on the work.

Novelist as a Vocation is a thoughtful look at the discipline behind creativity. It is about constructing a life that allows you to write, choosing habits that support the work, and understanding that stories are built slowly and honestly.

Highly recommended for anyone who writes, or anyone who simply wants to understand the quiet machinery behind a creative life.

Nala has always lived in the worlds of beauty, craft and storytelling. Now we are opening the doors to something we have wanted to bring into our universe for a long time classical music. We are proud to host our first chamber concert at nala Kantoor our creative HQ inside the Kasturi.

For this debut evening we are collaborating with the COARTLA Quartet the string ensemble from the Coartify Collective founded by Coartify Labs. COARTLA brings together some of the most exciting young musicians in Malaysia. Performing with us are violinist Alyssa Chong known for her expressive tone and international appearances, violinist and instrument maker Samuel Wong whose artistry and craftsmanship sit side by side, violist Christopher Oh a familiar and respected figure in the classical scene, and cellist Timmy Lim a versatile performer, arranger and educator. Together they create a quartet that feels fresh confident and alive.

Their program features selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker the unmistakable sound of the holiday season and a perfect match for an evening at Kantoor.

The concert takes place on the 13th of December inside NALA Kantoor an intimate setting where music and design meet effortlessly. Before or after the performance you can enjoy a coffee from Ghostbird downstairs a small ritual that completes the night.

We have one hundred seats so bring your friends and your family and make it a night out. Seats are limited and registration is required. Sign up through the QR code on the poster or online. And since this is our Christmas edition we invite everyone to arrive in something festive.

Kantoor After Dark begins with the Nutcracker.
Reserve early and be part of this beautiful night.