History

Books offer the perfect form of escapism, transporting the reader to another place entirely. I especially love reading novels set in destinations I’ve travelled to; even better if I’m reading them while I’m there. When you have a personal connection to a place, the story seems to grip that little bit tighter. So if you’re…

Penang’s location on the northwest coast of Malaysia, at the intersection of numerous cultures, countries, and trade routes, has always shaped its history. From a small island integral to regional trade, a strategic European possession to be fought over, to its recent history as a post-independence Malaysian success story, Penang’s fortunes have constantly changed throughout…