Reader: Audrey Wong, 39, artistic co-director of arts venue The Substation. She joined The Substation in 1996 as a development executive and launched the film programme Moving Images in 1997. She was appointed to her current position in 2000.

She is also a founding member of women's arts society Magdalena (Singapore), which organised Crossroads 2006, the first women's contemporary theatre festival here.

Wong, who is single, holds a Master of Arts degree in English literature from the National University of Singapore and another MA in arts management from Goldsmiths College, University of London.

What are you reading now?

I'm currently reading Be Near Me by Andrew O'Hagan, which was longlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize.

It was a birthday gift from my friend Phan Ming Yen, the artistic development director of The Arts House.

The novel is about an English priest serving in a small Scottish town and his disastrous involvement with two bored teenagers, leading up to the inevitable sexual and religious scandal.

The priest struggles to come to terms with his past, particularly with the loss of the love of his life at a young age.

I'm only about 100 pages in, but I already like the author's style, particularly how brilliantly he teases out the inner doubts and turmoil of his characters. He knows them better than they know themselves, and this adds to the sense of tragedy.

If your house was burning down, which book would you save?

I don't think I'd save any book if my house was burning down. I've learnt that material possessions aren't so important in determining who or what you are.

If there's a book I'd save, though, it would probably be Cooking To Perfection by Marguerite Patten. It is full of advice and instructions on the basics of cooking, from making sauces to baking.

The author was apparently one of the first celebrity cooks, with a programme on the BBC back in 1947.

I'd save it because my sister gave it to me for safekeeping when she moved to the United States in 2005, and she's still very fond of it. Without it, our family might not have had any of the fabulous Christmas turkeys she used to cook.

Second on the list is Fredric Jameson's Postmodernism, Or The Cultural Logic Of Late Capitalism. I first read it maybe 15 years ago, and it changed my life even though it's not a self-help book.

Basically, he argues that postmodernism's fascination with simulacra and pastiche has resulted in a loss of connection to history. He argues for the importance of that historical connection, and the return of a sense of political struggle.

I'd save it because it's a big heavy book and it would be a b**ch to buy it and carry it home again.

Be Near Me ($18.85) is available from Books Kinokuniya, while Postmodernism ($31.96) is available from zakoola.com. Cooking To Perfection (S$6.84) is available second-hand at amazon.co.uk. Prices include GST where applicable.

Is this article useful to you?