There is something odd about Ms. Keiko Furukura. She is in her mid-thirties and works at a Convenience Store for over 18 years. At age 36, she is trying to understand her place in society and trying to adapt herself in society’s mould. From childhood itself, Keiko Furukura is considered to be an oddball character….
Category: Readathon
The Vegetarian | Han Kang
What would happen if any ordinary, mediocre person will have a sudden, random change in his/her personality resulting in a 180 degree change in the behaviour. How should the people surrounding him/her be reacting? How can they fathom the reasons and face the repercussions because of such sudden changes? And most importantly, what’s happening in…
Just An Ordinary Day | Shirley Jackson
When you talk about Shirley Jackson then you immediately think about her stories detailing the supernatural world or other worldly characters. This anthology of her short stories – some published previously & some unpublished ones, cover both of these categories; but they are not limited to any particular genre here. There are total of 54…
Troubled Blood | Robert Galbraith
Margot Bamborough; a doctor, practising GP has walked out for the day of her shared practice on 11 October 1974. Her evening plan was well-known to her colleagues as well to her husband; which was to meet her best friend. From there, straightforward heading to home to her infant daughter- Anna. But as she steps…
Dancing In Cambodia And Other Essays | Amitav Ghosh
This is what happens when an accomplished novelist is also a brilliant historian as well as a noted columnist; essays mixing all these different elements to present us with a nuanced view of South East Asia. The namesake of the book titled ‘Dancing in Cambodia’ takes up to the tiny Buddhist nation of Cambodia; neighbouring…
Cicadia | David Gilbert
On a typical Saturday night, three boys set out in the late evening to attend a party. The car is driven by Rodney, Ben is sitting just next to him and Max is in the back seat. Although the story is of these three friends, it belongs more to Max. Max- the dreamer, the philosopher…
The Girl Who Saved The King of Sweden | Jonas Jonasson
When I first picked up this book and went through the blurb on the backside cover; my immediate reaction was the plot seems bit weird but might be wonderful. And yes, I can now summarise that my initial guess was correct – quite a charming but weird tale with multiple whacky characters. So, the story…
10 Minutes 38 Seconds In This Strange World | Elif Shafak
Tequila Laila has lost her life. Suddenly, tragically, suffering to the end for no fault of her own. It seems her death had the same gloom surrounding her just like her birth. But as that infant; so many years ago, born with a stubborn mind and resolute heart – she is not ready to leave…
The Illicit Happiness of Other People | Manu Joseph
Why Unni did what he did? This question is at the heart of Manu Joseph’s Chacko family tale titled The Illicit Happiness of Other People. It traces lives of Chacko family members- the downward spiralling father Ousep, disturbed Mother Mariamma and perplexed teenage brother Toma. True to his journalistic work and using the trick of…
Bear Town | Fredrik Backman
We are the bears….. We are the bears from Bear Town!! A small, secluded village lies in one forgotten corner of Sweden; sleepy, downward bound in terms of economic growth but famous for only one thing, it’s Ice Hockey Team. Peter used to be one of the most famous and well-loved player of Bear Town….
The Cairo Trilogy- Sugar Street | Naguib Mahfouz
The end of a trilogy but not of the lives of Al-Jawad family. Like the real life, their lives continue beyond the ending of this mighty novel. In this penultimate book of the series; the focus veers slightly from the main house of Al-Jawad family towards the extended branches living at the Palace of Desire…
The Cairo Trilogy- Palace of Desire | Naguib Mahfouz
The lyrics of a famous Hindi song were the ones came to my mind when I completed the second novel in the Cairo Trilogy. As the song goes, this novel talks about descending into recesses of one’s soul because of unrequited love. हम बेखुदी में तुमको पुकारे चले गये हम… हम बेखुदी में तुमको पुकारे…
The Cairo Trilogy – Palace Walk | Naguib Mahfouz
The Cairo Trilogy is more than just a book; it functions more like a time machine, taking you on a trip of bye gone era. This Cairo is far off from the pyramids and pharaohs you have heard of. This is a city of living, breathing neighbourhoods behind the massive gates & narrow alleyways of…
Belinda | Anant Samant
अनंत सामंत यांच्या कथा आणि कादंबऱ्या त्यांच्या अतिशय वेगळ्या अशा दर्यावर्दी भवतालामुळे, त्यातील खलाशी आणि देशोदेशीच्या नानाविध लोकांच्या कहाण्या मांडण्यामुळे अतिशय प्रसिद्ध आहेत. त्यांच्या ह्या वेगळेपणामुळे त्यांचा असा खास वाचकवर्ग आहे. बेलिंदा ही शीर्षकथा आणि इतर लघुकथा असलेला हा कथासंग्रह देखील आपली निराशा करत नाही. ह्यामधील बेलिंदा आणि ती ही कथा हि समुद्राच्या, जहाजच्या प्रवासात…