The idea of first lines in literature has always intrigued me, they are like the opening notes of a raga, a teaser of an ad campaign, or a movie trailer. First lines set the tone for what readers can anticipate, serving as gateways to the rich imaginative worlds – a promise of the journey ahead... Continue Reading →
The Nutmeg’s Curse, written by the master storyteller Amitav Ghosh, can be aptly described as an epic spice journey – an exploration of climate change told through the lens of a small fragrant nut. Continuing the narrative of a planet in crisis from his previous work, The Great Derangement, he takes us on an enthralling... Continue Reading →
Book 1 - 2023 Kohinoor - The Story of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond - William Dalrymple and Anita Anand The ownership controversy erupts every time there is a chance of public sighting of this infamous diamond. And with the coronation of the new King of England, it was appropriate to dive deep into the... Continue Reading →
One famous author recently announced the print date of his new book, 4th in the series. While the book release is still some time away, the pre-orders have already opened. And it was pretty heartening to note that pre-orders started with independent book stores. For the last few years, most of the pre-orders of books... Continue Reading →
Written by a journalist author who is loved and hated in equal measure by the public, who courts controversies through his written words, the book The Twice-Born by Aatish Taseer is probably last in the series of both his fiction and non-fiction writings inspired by Indian subcontinent. A book based on my hometown Banaras, the... Continue Reading →
"But I too hate long books: the better, the worse. If they're bad they merely make me pant with the effort of holding them up for a few minutes. But if they're good, I turn into a social moron for days, refusing to go out of my room, scowling and growling at interruptions, ignore weddings... Continue Reading →
A little late to the party, but I loved the book The Ride Of A Lifetime by Robert Iger of Walt Disney fame. The Ride Of A Lifetime is not just a memoir of Iger's professional journey but also of his life's lessons and experiences. And he shares it all - if you want a... Continue Reading →
This last week I finally read How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates, a newly released book that was a self Birthday gift couple of months back. A book that is timely in many respects - some people (organisations, agencies or publications) prefer to call it climate emergency rather than climate disaster or... Continue Reading →
The Age Of Pandemics 1817-1920 How They Shaped India and The World by Chinmay Tumbe is a well researched book to add to the must-read history of India that has been forgotten and ignored. A book written while the nation and the rest of the world was and still is in the grip of yet... Continue Reading →
As the year began, on one cold, rainy, and foggy morning in Del-NCR a conversation in one of the WhatsApp group caught my eye - discussing what else but weather. Someone described it as "raining cats and dogs here ... wretched weather" - and just reading those words plummeted the mood. The reply came from... Continue Reading →
Come, winter, come! and with thee bring - thy season of literature festivals. And with them what I call the season of Litfest syndrome. A trend that started with Jaipur Literature Festival in 2006; JLF has become a Mecca for authors, publishers and book lovers who throng the small town at the peak of sometimes... Continue Reading →
We, the readers, are constantly on lookout for new authors. With the Bookstagrammers or the book Instagrammers, Kindle recommendations and Twitter, the task has become very easy with plethora of options in the last few years. Earlier we had to rely on few book reviews in newspapers or magazines, recommendations from friends and one's own... Continue Reading →
