Review by Abbas HassanPublished by Penguin, 2011, 527 pages This is a very readable and sweeping account of Charles Dickens' life. What I found striking about the book was that it presented a very lucid, chatty narrative with trivia about all the books he wrote, the friends he kept (and did not), his habits, his …
With no shadows, Noon: Aatish Taseer
Review by Imran Ali Khan Published by Faber & Faber / Harper Colllins India, 2011, 297 pages. At 7am when your eyes are still adjusting unwillingly to the sun, and you have just stood in a queue to have your bags scanned and your person felt up at the Pune airport, to find the shutters …
Nickle and Dimed—Undercover in Low-Wage USA: Barbara Ehrenreich
Published by Metropolitan Books, 2001, 224 pages. The America of mimimum wage workers is not one that gets a lot of attention in the media. To quote Polly Toynbee’s introduction to this book, it is “a secret continent”. “The barely reported truth about the American dream is that it exists in a country of widespread, …
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Snake Ropes: Jess Richards
Published by Sceptre, 2012 This is a strange and beautifully written tale told by two young women, Mary and Morgan. Mary lives in a community on an island where the islanders trade with the “tall men” who come from the mainland. Boys on the island start to disappear, and Mary suspects the tall men. One …
We Have Never Been Well-Read: Franco Moretti’s Pact with the Devil
This is a useful excerpt from the article you can access via the link below. New ground is better than common ground: not “I haven’t read that yet—let’s discuss something else” but rather “I may never read that, so tell me about it, it sounds interesting.” http://quarterlyconversation.com/we-have-never-been-well-read-franco-morettis-pact-with-the-devil Having now read Andrew Seal's (high-brow and apt to …
Continue reading We Have Never Been Well-Read: Franco Moretti’s Pact with the Devil
Atwood, again and again
Review by Usha Raman Publishing details: The Handmaid's Tale, published by Everyman / Virago, 1985, 392 pages. The Robber Bride, published by DoubleDay / Virago, 1993, 576 pages. Wilderness Tips, published by Nan A. Talese / Virago, 288 pages. Moral Disorder, published by Bloomsbury Publishing / Virago, 2006, 272 pages. I encountered Margaret Atwood first …
Ultimatum: Matthew Glass
Published by Atlantic Books, 2009, 448 pages. This is in response to Lulu’s review of The Twelfth Imam, which she said was her first political thriller and seems to have been quite disappointing. Try this one. The book is set in the near future. Because global warming has made sea levels rise, several countries are …
just checking….
as they say while testing microphones in India...testiiing 123 testiiiing 123 and if it works, I get to share some of the books that i have enjoyed too! Anusuya
One Shot: Lee Child
Review by Kamakshi BalasubramanianPublished by Bantam Press, 2005, 368 pages. Does it matter what the title of a Lee Child’s novel happens to be? One Shot is a pretty good read, even if you think you are about to get tired of Child and his brand of writing. The entire thing from start to finish …
Another duh moment…
Hi everyone, Another update from me. (I did warn you that I was new to this.) You don't need to sign your blogs. If you go to the blog instead of just reading it on the home page, the person's name shows. I'm sure a lot of you have figured this out before I did!
Talking About Books 