Category Archives: Books in 2019

What Mina Did by Geeta Menon | Book Review

I had seen this book doing the rounds of Bookstagram a while ago and going by the reviews and the blurb, it looked like an intriguing read. And I’m glad I finally got to read it. Here’s my review of a book that encompasses different emotions, relationships, and the intricacies that exist within them.

Life in the Sunshine by T. Sathish | Book Review

When you say ‘cricket’ in India, there’s a sense of euphoria and loyalty that permeates the atmosphere, along with a brightening of the eyes. This sport affects so many people and shapes their lives into what they finally turn out that it simply becomes a part of them. They could go on and on for ages expounding knowledge about the sport, analyzing it, and playing it with a zeal that becomes so hard to find most times. And Life in the Sunshine: Autobiography of an Unknown Cricketer is the story of three such people: Sat, Sam, and Trib, called the Triple Sundae.

Circus Folk & Village Freaks by Aparna Upadhyaya Sanyal | Book Review

The first thing you’ll notice about this book is its stunning cover. The second thing you’ll notice and one that will leave you in awe is that it is a stunning, sturdy hardcover. And open the book and flip through the pages and you’ll see the third and the fourth things that will intrigue you to no end. These are stories written in couplets! And there are illustrations!

Snakes in the Meadows by Ayaz Kohli | Book Review

‘Snakes in the Meadows’ begins with a letter that I felt, for some insane reason, was accusing me of being ignorant and unwilling to take action. It was a personal jibe when I first read it. And I didn’t understand why such a letter was addressed to me. Here’s a couple of lines from the letter:

“I can’t believe that you’re unaware of our misery, oblivious of our suffering. And if you indeed don’t know anything, well, you don’t deserve to.”

Atonement by Ian McEwan | Book Review

The word ‘atonement’ usually means making amends for your actions that have done wrong to a person or people around you. And when a book with this name starts off with a teenager trying to direct a play that she can show off at a family gathering, you wonder why it is named thus. It is only some tens of pages into the book that you read on, becoming horrified with each page as the story progresses and clears the contextual meaning of the title for you.

Bestseller by Ahmed Faiyaz | Book Review

The publishing industry, especially in India, is one that is fraught with uncertainty. Which book will be accepted? Which will go through the process? Which will be a success? Nobody knows. Not even the people who back them. But when things do click and books become blockbuster hits, there’s no looking back for the author as well as the publishing houses. Because isn’t it what every book-related person lives for? Isn’t it a dream to write, and help a book become a bestseller?

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak | Book Review

As everyone who’s been following me on BookTube and Bookstagram knows, I fell in love with Markus Zusak’s writing after reading The Book Thief. That book still gives me the chills and makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry. It is because of The Book Thief that I was so goddamn excited about Bridge of Clay when it released. There wasn’t a minute when I didn’t covet that book and when I finally got it, I would sit and stare at it for what felt like ages.