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There are times when a novel is judged by its cover and title, rather than the blurb. This is one of those times. Our life goes in pursuit of better things, our heavens. The title The Heavens We Chase, along with a beautiful cover, appealed to me, and I took it up for review. The genre of the book is
Read more“Good satire comes from anger. It comes from a sense of injustice, that there are wrongs in this world that need to be fixed.” – Carl Hiaasen Giving words and a voice to our emotions through stories, or verse, is a way to express them without having to directly say what is troubling us. The world around us is not
Read moreShort Stories are always a delight to read. The author, Namrata is a reader, writer and reviewer herself. This got me excited. Normally short stories have a lot of genres clubbed into one. But in this one, all the 20 stories are love stories. Without even giving it a second thought I picked this one up to review. Here are
Read moreA strong blurb and a powerful cover page are the biggest drawing point for a reader to this book. This book aces in both the aspects. The cover page is fiery, dark and thought provoking. The synopsis gives us an idea as to why the cover page is what it is. I honestly loved it at one go. Ramya loses her
Read moreSufism has always intrigued me and so have its saints; Rumi being the most famous of them. The serene and subtle learning of the mystic culture is a soothing balm to the urban, modernised soul. Ankit Chadha in his book Amir Khusrau: The Man in Riddles explores the life and thoughts of the 12th century Sufi saint…
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Audio books haven’t picked up on a large scale in India, it is perhaps because the utility of this medium is not quite well-understood. There is a distinct hesitation amongst people, even voracious readers, regarding audio books – even more than they’ve resisted eBooks, perhaps. I did too. We are so attuned to the fact that a book is ‘read’
Read moreThe trio of journalist Chandrasekhar, historian Meenakshi Pirzada and intelligence officer Syed Ali Hassan from The Shadow Throne is back in Aroon Raman‘s 3rd novel – Skyfire. After dabbling in historical fiction for his 2nd book – The Treasure of Kafur, Raman is back to writing what he started off with and to a very large extent he doesn’t disappoint.
Read moreThe Murder of Sonia Raikkonen is Salil Desai‘s 4th published work and 3rd crime thriller. The book brings back the team of Inspector Saralkar and Constable Motkar from Desai’s debut – Killing Ashish Karve. And thankfully so. After a dismissal 2nd book – Murder on the Side Street, where the author attempted with a group of young investigators, I am glad
Read moreThe title of the book, a combination of three words, did not make much sense to me. I was hoping reading the book would clear that confusion up and bring a magical connection that will reveal the purpose behind the curious name. With the growing influence of vernacular words on the title, I wasn’t even sure if I was reading
Read moreCitadel of Love by Pratibha Ray was first written in Odiya as Silapama and is the winner of Odisha Sahitya Academy Award. Translated into English by Monalisa Jena, if there is one word that can describe the experience of reading this book, it is – brilliant! For one the book doesn’t read like a translation and therein lies the biggest achievement for Jena. As
Read moreNo Safe Zone is Adite Banerjee‘s 3rd fiction and this time she dares to steps out of her comfort zone. Her earlier two books – Indian Tycoon’s Marriage Deal & Trouble Has a New Name were pure contemporary romances but this one is romance with a twist and I am sure Banerjee had a blast plotting this one. With this book the
Read moreWhen Love Finds You is Yashodhara Lal‘s 4th book; a contemporary romance set in New Delhi. Like her earlier three, this one too is set in the corporate world and is an insider’s story with an alpha heroine, a loveable hero and a sly villain to complete the mix. But unlike the earlier books, one doesn’t come away impressed. To
Read moreChetan Bhagat in a recent interview said that many Indian women tell him that he understands them better than most men. If his latest book is anything to go by I think those women are right. I won’t say he understands Indian women completely but whatever he understands, he does understand bang on. So for one, Bhagat has researched really well
Read moreFirst things first. Three things that made me pick the book up: one its a Westland book, my experience says they pick good stories, second Preeti Shenoy is the only woman in the top five best selling Indian writers so I decided to take the plunge and third the cover is decent, not great but not bad either. My takeaway:
Read moreVarsha Dixit is back with Sneha, Nandini, Aditya, Nikhil, Gayatri and a new character Viraj. While the first book in the Right Wrong series was Nandini and Aditya’s story, the second one was about Sneha and Nikhil, the third book – Rightfully Wrong, Wrongfully Right brings to the readers the story of diva and vamp from the first two books –
Read moreTrue stories are the most difficult to review. Like how can a reviewer say that, this part should have been better or that part needed a little more spunk. I mean, it is reality painted on the canvas. It cannot be a shade lighter or darker!! The critic in me wanted to accept this daunting task and here I am reviewing
Read moreThe book has one of the most interesting titles and cover images. The title is a thought that resonates among millions of engineering graduates across the country. The cover picture is conceptualised well – one of a ‘wasted engineer’ holding a placard that announces her as a photographer, showing that she studied engineering but ultimately ended up following her passion,
Read moreLove makes your world go round. We have all had our own share of ups and downs when in love. You cry and laugh, when in love, but we all want to experience it. I love the feeling of being in love and being loved, and that is why I love to read this genre too. Nothing can beat a
Read moreSome stories need to be told, not because they are exceptional as stories or the author has exemplary narration skills but because some stories ask questions. This is one. Bhaavna Arora‘s latest book Love Bi The Way came to me while it was at the desk of the editors at Penguin as a spiral bound manuscript and later as a
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Writing a book is like having a baby. You nourish an idea for months, feding it from your own blood, sweat and soul (sometimes even tears in case Writer’s Block comes looking) and then, somehow, by some miracle, your baby is conceived – you finish writing it. Now comes the gestation period – the period of sending it off to
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There is no denying that romance is the favourite genre amongst Indian authors at present. However, the scenario has started to change, albeit very slowly. While some of the romance novels are runaway success, most fail to make a mark. This is mainly for two reasons. Firstly, the obvious – they are not well-written, well-edited and well-executed stories. Secondly, there
Read moreA nurse goes missing when she visits a patient. The investigation further delves into her story, and it begins to unravel. The cover art of this novel, Saanvri, gives the reader an idea of what to expect from the novel, the blurb makes it more interesting as it promises the story of a woman’s transformation from victim to exploiter. Perhaps
Read moreDon’t we all love romance? Well, atleast most of us!! Teenage love stories are even more special. Seeing a happily ever after to a teenage love story captivates me, precisely the reason why I picked U & I. The essence of love stories, for me, lies in how pure they are. This strikes a chord with the reader and in turn helps a
Read moreThe title of the book, thankfully devoid of superlatives, piqued my interest. What could be the qualities of an ideal wife? And was this book about the search for one? The cover is considered attractive in recent times, and as far as modern book covers with caricatures go. But it did not draw me in the way it should. It
Read moreBeing bold and fearless is a virtue writers ought not shun but preserve. We get inKonversation with an author who was fearless enough to go for self publishing because the traditional publishing system did not want to publish a book as bold as this. The BNO is his first literary baby and we are glad a courageous voice did not
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This is possibly the most apt post today. 15th September is International Day of Democracy. And we are talking about 5 books banned in the largest democracy in the world. In this third part about banned books in India, I would like to focus on books written by foreign nationals, but on India and its people. It’s surprising how global
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It is Engineer’s Day today – 15th September – and we asked our buzzing community of book lovers to tell us about their favourite Engineer turn writers. Presenting to you India’s 10 most favourite engineers who found their calling in spinning stories: Durjoy Dutta A mechanical engineer from the Delhi Technological University, he is a novelist, screenwriter and entrepreneur. He has written four shows, Sadda
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Hindi being the national language of our country it also happens to be the most spoken language in the country too, having its own versions depending on region. What better way to know our country and its culture than reading books in Hindi. Time and again these stories have captured the real essence of our society with its beliefs, culture
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It’s the day when Kerala’s prosperous and just king Mahabali Maveli is believed to visit his kingdom and his subjects. The promise that Vishnu’s 5th avatar – vaman allowed the king who in no terms was a bad ruler, before pushing him to the Nether-lands. If the erstwhile ruler of what is now the state of Kerala wants to take a
Read moreOnce in a while comes along a book that immediately catapults itself into your favourites. Into something that you want to go to when you are in an emotional turmoil. Into that external support that only words can give. Your go-to book. Dear Kalam Sir is that book for me. Dear Kalam Sir is a very innovative and beautiful coffee
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Are you a new mom? Do you think there is no time to do all the things you loved doing? Are you always busy with the baby and think there is no time to read? You love reading but don’t know how to steal time from the busy schedule? Here are few tips for all you bibliophile new moms out there
Read moreA collection of short stories make for interesting reading. I find that it helps when I am stuck in a reading rut, and want to break the shackles. Panorama: A Collection of Short Stories, written by Shilpi Chaklanobis offered such a chance. I had seen the cover of the book earlier, shared by one of my friends on social media,
Read moreTwo thousand years ago, the poet-sage Valmiki wrote the Ramayana. It is the tale of Ram, the sun-prince of Ayodhya, who is obliged to follow family rules and so makes no choices. And of Ravana, king of Lanka, who does not respect anybody’s rules or other people’s choices. Over the centuries, hundreds have retold the tale in different languages, adding
Read moreA hardcore academician, an ace student and a avid, top ranking scholar. Ex-Director of a business school and MBA in both Human Resources & Marketing along with a Ph.D. in Leadership from Pittsford University, our author in the hot seat, is the bestselling author of two absolutely stunning and unconventional books – The Deliberate Sinner and Mistress of Honour. She also trains
Read moreIndraneel is a successful bollywood celebrity. He has all the good fortune of life, looks, education, fame, personality and a life that looks well settled. At the utmost peak of his life and career, things suddenly take a complete U turn, totally upending his life. Despair and hurt take refuge in his heart as he tries to see through the
Read moreLet the Game Begin, a thriller penned by Sandeep Sharma has been classified as a historical thriller by the author. Thriller as a genre often comprises the elements of suspense, mystery, uncertainty and anticipation to keep the reader hooked till the very last page. Historical fiction usually depicts historical figures in fictional scenarios, fictional figures in documented historical events or
Read more“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what is made by the friends we choose“- Tehyi Hsieh Unconventional stories always pull me. They always get me excited. Cabbing All The Way is one such tale that talks about 12 different people coming together for a common purpose. As this was also different than the normal genres I prefer
Read moreIf you have been reading me regularly you possibly, by now, know my love for short stories. Here I am back to yet another short stories collection. Here I go through how each of the 9 stories in this book worked/ didn’t for me: WEEDS: This one is extremely pale. There is no concrete story.It gives a feel that it is
Read moreA self-described cubicle dweller by the day and writer by night, our author in the hot seat, is the author of over a dozen books, some of which have been bestsellers in India and abroad. These books have also been translated into Turkish, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, German and Portuguese. He lives with a self-assigned target of writing a book a year
Read moreMurder on the Side Street by Salil Desai is the author’s second novel. I happened to read Desai for the first time while reading a review copy of Killing Ashish Karve, which was his debut work. And it was impressive. Tightly written. When I started using Kindle, I came across his second work on a monthly deal and the author’s name
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I am back with more banned books and looking at the history, I might continue this column for quite a long period! India has always thrown strong reactions to books that stir up some dirt from different layers of the society. It is not solely about books dealing with religion, there is every sphere that holds a record of works
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The most beautiful and purest of relationships that humans indulge in all through their lives is Friendship. The most unconditional one too. While it is extremely beautiful in real, books romanticise it even more. Stories bring out the multiple layers that this heartfelt relationship brings along and allows the reader experience many friendships from the comforts of his couch. On
Read moreFantasy fiction, a scarcely explored genre in Indian writing in English; not a genre that Indian readers will pick up easily to experiment for we are badly burnt by the incredibly out-worldly and impossibly illogical stories we are fed on our television, all in the name of fantasy. When Dark Things arrived from Hachette for review and the moment I
Read moreMy Chameleon Soul by Sumit G. Sehgal (an international wordsmith with a literary experience spanning eleven years with twenty-nine eBooks in tow) is a contemporary family sage that will definitely touch some of your own heartstrings. There are some moments which you will certainly cherish. And, some of the instances will shake your thinking cap hard and lead you to
Read moreWomen – We love them, we hate them but we cannot live without them. Whenever I read a synopsis with a woman as the main protagonist, I just want to pick that book up. Also one of the reasons why I am such a huge fan of Sydney Sheldon. This one has 2 women and a transgender. Seemed like a
Read moreI have always maintained that regional literature, like regional cinema, is what can enthrall and excite the minds of the story lovers; opening up new dimensions beyond the conventional genres. Thanks to translators and their tribe, the gems of vernacular languages are making way to mainstream publishing and what a pleasure they are on the reading senses. I have begun
Read moreOn an amavasya night, a night without the light of the moon, an eight year old girl walks into Saktidham, a sadhanasthal, a place where pujas are conducted. To most people, it would have seemed like Rhea had lost her way and ended up there. But Satya knows that her arrival is not a mistake, it’s more like a homecoming.
Read moreLike most people would probably have assumed, I thought that the Kali in the book’s title meant the name of the goddess, as in Kaali, the female goddess of destruction until realisation struck in that it was Kali, the last yuga as per hindu mythology. A funny misconception that, given I have always been told the Mahabaratha signified the end of
Read moreI have said it so many times that I love reading short stories. It just feels like an opportunity to read 10-15 stories in the same book. I feel it is a reader’s heaven!! That is why I never leave the opportunity of reviewing Short stories. A Walk With A Call Girl – Simple sweet tale. Perfect Feel good kind of a
Read moreYou know, when it works, love is pretty amazing. It’s not overrated. There’s a reason for all those songs. – Sarah Dessen Love is the most interesting topic. To discuss, To feel. It is almost always a favorite genre to read. And stand alone, these novels take you into a dream world, or make you feel emotions that, you, then want
Read moreWhat we know of history is only what the archeologists have so far dug out and a story that historians have written. What is there is a story different from what the historians have written? Because the archeologists haven’t found something so far, does not mean it never existed! This is the thrill of historical fiction. A well researched and
Read moreThis is the story of a year, in fact of a lifetime narrated in the time span of a day. Rajesh Talwar in this novel chooses to not have to do much with dialogues and chooses on a monologue narration. There is only one man who talks in How To Kill A Billionaire, the protagonist himself. This is his story.
Read moreCrime fiction in India especially Indian writing in English (IWE) has always lacked that one awesome, swish-buckling investigator. Barring the ones in regional literature translations like Byomkesh Bakshi or Feluda, our crime fiction is still very nascent as far as looking forward to a rocking investigator and his/ her awe inspiring criminal invincibility is concerned. Though authors like Piyush Jha
Read moreRapes have become the most prevalent topic to discuss these days. Everyday the newspapers are filled with how girls are raped and gang raped. Few days back I read a story about how a 28 day old baby was raped. Apalled as I was, I got the opportunity to review a book which talks about how a woman resurrects herself
Read moreTabish Khair’s latest literary offering is a read for everyone in the times that we live. These days, not a week doesn’t go by without a terror attack being reported. Lives are being ripped away mind-numbingly. And humanity is losing trust and faith, both. Fear is caging hearts and mind, all around. In the name of a religion? In the
Read moreThere is much to like about Ruskin Bond’s Roads to Mussorie. It is like a warm cup of tea on a cold winter morning, something you’d love to have when you are on a hill station. One of the finest Indian authors takes us through his personal memory lanes as he talks about Mussorie, Dehradun (Dehra), Landour, and nearby places,
Read moreMy Father is A Hero and the overall premise behind it, is one I will never fail to be impressed by. No matter how many men she comes across in various capacities and various relationships in her life, a father is always a daughter’s first hero. So the title is not all that surprising. The blurb attracted me in the
Read moreThe Speaking Ghost of Rajpur impressed me with the title. It is one of those titles that promises a good read, if carried off correctly, like I hoped this one would be. The blurb was very exciting and it was with a pleasant anticipation that I began reading this book. The theme of the cover and the caricatures of four
Read moreEvery story is real, every reality is a story. I love translations possibly because so far all the translations I have read, be it Malayalam to English or Tamil to English or Bangla to English, all of them are superlative. Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag was originally written in Kannada and translated to English by Srinath Perur. There are times when
Read moreReading this book has been like a breath of fresh air. No plot, no thrill, no path-breaking psychological insights into complicated characters. Yet, I enjoyed the read because on every page I read something that a) reminded me of my childhood, b) made me smile because I recognized a similar funny incident/situation in my own life and c) for those
Read moreI absolutely love reading a collection of short stories. This book, That Woman You See by Sujata Parashar has all nine dedicated to women. I just had to pick this one up for the mix it provides. Ganga: She who is pure – This describes the girls of the night. How a girl full of love gets into the flesh
Read moreThere are some books that, when writing about, leave one kind of wordless. They might be extremely good, hardly giving a need to write about them; or extremely bad, making it impossible to find something to admire. The third kind would be those books that tick the right boxes in the right amount, leaving me mesmerized. A collection of stories,
Read moreAs soon as I noticed the title of this book, I knew it will be fun. In a society like ours where body shaming is a regular practice and marriage is the only testimonial for a good girl; Shuchi Singh Kalra‘s I am Big So What shows a girl who fights against all odds and succeeds in vindicating an independent woman’s concept
Read moreAn endearing novel of self-discovery, Sutak is a thoughtful look at the way in which flawed human beings are wrong – and right. This story is about two sisters and their ever intertwining lives. Lalitha and Vinodini though appear like two different species at a glance have more in common than they ever cared to acknowledge. They are like two
Read moreThe question ‘What is good fiction?’ would bring different responses from different readers. For some, it would be the believability of the story, which is not necessarily over the top or unrealistic. For some, it would be the ability of the story to transport them into a world unlike the one around them; a fantasy land where there’s magic and
Read morehistorical fiction provides an opportunity to make connections with the past. And, this is what The Counterstroke by Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran offers you. It presents a story that took place during a notable period in Indian history. The book takes us to seventeenth century India when Aurangzeb (the Mughal prince) was planning to forge a bloody path to the Mughal throne and Shivaji (a Maratha landholder) had started creating trouble for the Mughal Empire.
Read moreI am making a comeback to solicited book reviews and City of Death by Abheek Barua is the book that marks it. A review copy accepted after long and was it worth it or not? Lets find out. City of Death is primarily the story of a serial killer who is trying to perfect his act of slaughter. It is
Read moreShreyas Bhave’s first book The Prince of Patliputra (Asoka Trilogy #1) offers an action-packed story-line to the lovers of historical fiction. Taking a well-known personality from Indian history and weaving a gripping tale on his life is not an easy task. The task becomes more difficult when the personality the author is choosing is a well-known name among his possible
Read moreRalph Findlay, a successful businessman, commits suicide. Jack, his son, is devastated. But soon after the suicide, a note finds its way to Jack from someone named The Saldirgan, claiming to know Jack’s secret. Already traumatized by the loss of his father, the note makes no sense to him. Not till his dear friend is killed, and he discovers the
Read moreJust as a kite flies against the wind, one must defeat resistance or fall to the ground. This is what entrepreneurship is. Take risk, fly high or be ordinary. We all take risks in our lives. Sometimes we take risk because there is no other option and sometimes because that is our choice. Women are inherently risk takers. You ask
Read moreBlurb, they say, is the window of the book. It helps a reader decide whether he wants to spend that money and go ahead and read. Many a times I have had this complaint that authors do not give appropriate justice to the blurb. But this blurb is apt and pertinent and evokes the exact excitement to read such a narrative.
Read moreHonestly speaking, it is the title of the book that caught my attention more than anything that compelled me to agree for the review. Let me tell you, I am not disappointed with my decision to read the book. Where are my Pants? is a collection of blog posts put together by Nikhil Kumar. Perhaps some of you have visited his blog.
Read moreIn Loving Memory is in Haimanti Dutta Ray’s own words a memoir where a doting daughter recounts how she had seen her father the late painter Shyamal Dutta Ray, who passed away in 2005, at close quarters as well as her reflections on the art fraternity to which her father had belonged. This book is not in the genre of
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A snowy landscape strewn with barren, dying trees. A world so white that the horizon blends perfectly with the ground, not leaving any scope to demarcate between sky and snow. You might be imaginative enough to be envious of me sitting on snow and writing this article. Alas, this sums up a description of Siberia from ‘Kane and Abel’ by
Read moreCategorized as a superhero fiction, a part of speculative fiction by the author; the story narrated by the author often blurs boundary. A part “social satire”, a part “super-villain” story, a part study of human evolution; The Legend of Yuck-Man begins as a story of exploitation and displacement fostered by greed and augmented by capitalism; however, it soon descends in
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Should books by Indian writers be banned in their own country? Should books by any writer be banned in India? These are controversies that never die and history keeps repeating itself with books being banned even today. Books on politics, politicians, celebrities, religion, even fiction have been barred to reach our readers. We are no judge of right and wrong,
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While I got my reading habit from my mother, it was my father who bought me my first sets of books when I was not even two. Yes, they were picture books. Then came the mythological books with pictures, which he who read only technical books, would read out to me. I remember once when I was about 5 or
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A couple of weeks ago, my wife received a message on WhatsApp from the mother of one of my daughter’s classmates. The mother – let us call her Mrs X, for convenience – had heard from her son that Kaavya (my daughter) is one of the better students in school when it comes to writing in English. Mrs X wanted
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If you, like me, are astounded that anyone actually needs to be told reasons for reading humour, then this piece is not for you. Or, maybe it is – for after all, more often than not, one is only preaching to the choir and it would ill-suit me to dispense with my only possible audience. But there I go too
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From the time you had dreamt of writing a book, to finally writing it and getting it published, you have treated your book only with love. And of course, you’ve wanted that everyone does so. But, when you are sending your baby out in the world, for readers to devour and enjoy it, be prepared that it will also be
Read moreThe cover page of this particular book grabbed my eyeballs. Seeing it and without reading the synopsis (a first for me!) I had decided I want to read this one. It lets out such a strong message. Kudos to Geetali for a splendid job. Smita and Krishnaprem are in love. They are ambitious people. Also dealing with their own complications.
Read moreThe Siege is a book on the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, focused almost entirely on the Taj Hotel, by career journalists Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark. The duo happen to be married and are co-authors of an impressive array of investigative journalism style books on terrorism. While reading the book, it is easy to forget that the book is fact
Read moreI picked this book up because I had seen the seriously hilarious movie The Perfect Murder based on a book of the same name by Keating. If you haven’t seen the movie, do go ahead and watch it… It is one of the lesser known gems of Indian Cinema. However, this was the second time that a Merchant Ivory film led me
Read more‘Reflections on contemporary living and relationships’ – the tagline that accompanied this book of collected essays said more about the content than anything else. Having been a Times of India subscriber since it began publishing a few years ago in my city, I have gone through Ms. Nangia’s columns in the special glossy Sunday Times supplement, Times Life. The short
Read moreI picked this book up at the Bombay airport a few years ago and read it on my journey to Delhi. At that point, I just remembered Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron as the movie that had that timelessly funny Mahabharat scene, which as college students we would watch on loop sometimes, on Youtube. The rest of the movie was a blurry
Read moreThe second book of the Hastinapur duology, The Rise of Hastinapur, concentrates on the second and the third generation of the Kuru clan, mainly the Queens. This book revolves around Amba who was wronged by Bhishma’s actions and whose daughter eventually led to Bhishma’s death; Gandhari, the queen of Gandhar, who was later married to Dritarashtra, the grandson of King
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Drama has always been a predominant factor in India. This rich, glorious tradition has been preserved in Natyashastra where oral narratives being enacted were more in vogue. The beginnings of Loknatya or People theatre has been a major part of culture in different states of India from the 17th century onwards. In Bengal Yatrakirtaniya, Paol and Gaan in Madhya Pradesh, Mach in Kashmir, Bhandyathar in Gujarat,
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As we celebrate Easter today in all it’s fun, frolic and great food, how can we stay away from the joy that books bring. That. is. the. real. joy. Right? Here we go…we bring you 5 fiction books that capture the beauty of real christian life in India in all it splendour, highs and lows. Em and the Big Hoom
Read moreI read this book in tenth standard a few months before the stress of the Board exams began. I am quite surprised that this book isn’t that well known, considering it was quite well written and inspired me (fleetingly) to consider taking up a career in the Civil Services. Ultimately I chose the path of least resistance (with respect to
Read moreThere has been a dearth of good readable Indian history books and The Ivory Throne helps fill that void. (Other eminently readable and lesser known Indian history books: 1857 by Vishnu Bhatt, Do and Die by Manini Chatterjee). Manu S. Pillai’s Ivory Throne is a fantastic book that chronicles the history of the kingdom of Travancore. To be frank, I only picked the book
Read moreWritten by renowned polemicist, Hitchens, The Missionary Position is a sort of sting operation conducted on the life of Mother Teresa. At 99 pages, it is also probably among the thinnest yet incredibly good books that I have read. Hitchens lays bare Teresa’ life like it should have been. After all, what’s wrong with a little bit of devil’s advocacy? And,
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If you’ve ever written a book or if you’re planning to write one soon, then I’m sure you understand the pains that come with it. You can’t escape those long, torturous hours wrestling with yourself in your head about what your characters’ arcs will be. And once you do, you can’t help falling in love with these characters and spend
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They introduced you the wonderful world of books. In case you are the younger sibling, chances that you got into reading because your older sibling loved reading. My sister, in particular, introduced me to Enid Blyton and the classics. It was thanks to her I read Pride and Prejudice when I was 14, Gone with the Wind at 16. You
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We all love our favourite festival of colours – Holi soo much. Isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be fun to see it come alive all through the year, whenever we want. Yes, Yes…we know and we bring you exactly that this Holi. We have complied a list of gorgeous coffee table books that capture the true and beautiful spirit of Holi
Read moreI have recently gotten hooked to Indian history again, after a few years. To be honest, except Guha’s “India after Gandhi”, I wasn’t aware of any good book on India’s history post Independence. And I have recently come across around five… I read Amritsar right after Kuldip Nayar’s fantastic ‘Emergency Retold‘ and loved it. Mark Tully and Satish Jacob take
Read moreSoorina Desai’s debut novel, Anamika, was first published in the year 2005 and republished in 2015. It is the story of Anamika and Rajbir. Written with an eye for detail, the story describes a time when India had newly gained its freedom. Romance in that era was very different from what we understand today. There’s a certain old school charm
Read moreI got onto this book after reading the fantastic ‘Rokda‘ from the same publisher. I am in a phase where I am finding contemporary Indian history interesting, which is why I breezed through Shobha Bondre’s ‘Dhanda‘ in two days. Though I liked the book, it had two major flaws. One, except the Gujarati Mayor character, I had heard of none
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Poetry is an expression of experience, so I noted very recently. When we write, it is borne from that experience, be it emotional or observational, or even inspired by the work of another poet. I love reading. One of the blessings of this life has been that love for reading that has been inculcated in me since childhood. One of
Read moreThis virtually unknown book came to my attention as I was trawling Amazon’s book pages during one of their umpteen ‘Dhamaka’ sales. Filled with anecdotes that went on behind the scenes during the making of ‘Sholay’, I found the book a terrifically fun read. ‘Sholay’ started off as a four sentence story idea that Salim and Javed had about a
Read moreDid you know India and French have a literary connection? Lets Explore! Many Indian origin writers have written in French and many french writers have written about India. And we being we, the World of Indian Reads, wanted to celebrate this beautiful connection. What better day than today! It’s the International Francophone Day. 20th March, observed as the International Francophone Day, is
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