Courtesy of Jessica Huwae

Author Jessica Huwae and her books are inseparable. She usually carries one or two books to read on the go, as well as others that she gives away to friends.

The library owned by a state bank where her father used to work became like a second home during her childhood. On weekends, her mother used to take her on the bus from their home in Cibubur, East Jakarta, to the library
on Jl. Proklamasi, Central Jakarta, and left little Jessica alone there for the day as she went about her church activities.

'€œIt was a long trip and I used to suffer from travel sickness. My mother always reminded me that I would soon be meeting with the books to keep me from retching on the bus,'€ Jessica recalled.

'€œWhenever new books arrived, the librarian would hurriedly wrap them in plastic covers and allow me to read them first.'€

She was voted the library'€™s best member on several occasions for the most books borrowed, and by way of prizes, she was given dictionaries and a trivia encyclopedia.

A book hoarder herself, Jessica has a number of books that she has not yet read, either on her bookshelves or stacked high in corners of her home. '€œEach book has its own time to be found and read,'€ she said, adding that she had just begun to read Ayu Utami'€™s Maya (Unreal), which was released in December last year, while rereading Chuck Palahniuk'€™s Fight Club.

Along with several authors, Jessica has established a book club and is also gathering books to donate to various libraries. She is currently setting up Nyonya Buku (Mrs. Book), a company that will handle the marketing for aspiring writers.

Cala Ibi (2003)
by Nukila Akmal

I always love words that rhyme. Nukila Ahmad pulled it off in Cala Ibi with the word play, rhymes and metaphors. It has become something like my bible, now.

Other women authors whose work I love are Maggie Tiojakin, Oka Rusmini, Ayu Utami and Egyptian writer Nawal El Saadawi.

Kentut Kosmopolitan (2008)
by Seno Gumira Ajidarma

I read this compilation of essays a while ago when I was still working as a journalist. Kentut Kosmopolitan (Cosmopolitan Fart) deconstructs my different perspectives on Jakarta. It was an enjoyable read.

Works of S. Mara Gd

I'€™m an eclectic reader, but detective novels are my guilty pleasure. And the novels written by S. Mara Gd swept me off my feet. I grew up reading her books and even to this day, I am still hunting for all her first editions at book fairs and sales. I now have 60 percent of her work in my collection.

'€” JP/Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak

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