What a powerful, beautiful book.Across the Line is one of the South Asia Book Award Honor Books 2020. I was intrigued by the title and the cover image, but I didn't know anything about the book, except that it was South Asian, probably Indian. And the name naturally suggested to me the partition.I was not wrong. And yet, Across the Line is much more. It's about the cultural baggage we continue to carry, so many years after India was divided. The story begins in 1947 when the line was drawn, dividing the nation. Mountbatten chose to leave India to its mess, even though he knew that a bloody massacre was likely to follow. The story alternates between New Delhi and Rawalpindi, tracing the lives of two families that happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.And then, before we know the whole story of the characters we meet in August 1947, we move to the more recent … [Read more...]
The Good Thieves
I've said it before and I'll say it again - you cannot go wrong with Katherine Rundell. The Girl Savage, Rooftoppers, The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer, and now, The Good Thieves. I've loved all of them. I love the poetry in the storytelling, the feisty characters and the power of relationships. Katherine Rundell's work just sucks me in each time and holds me in the story until I've read the last sentence.A rich conman Sorrotore has swindled Vita's grandfather out of his home, an old castle that is falling apart. Sorrotore insists that he bought the castle cheap - he paid 200 dollars for it, and her grandfather's account reflects the payment. Yet, he never sold it. He would never sell something so precious to him, and however pressed he was, he would never sell it for a paltry two hundred dollars.However, lawyers are expensive and the family cannot afford to fight a long legal battle, … [Read more...]
All of Me
It's been a while since I wrote a book review, simply because I haven't been reading much for the last two months. I wrote about that for The Curious Reader - about reading old favourites, but not really taking the plunge and reading something altogether new. Finally, a few days ago, I settled into a newer kind of reading. I began (finally!) to look for books to buy and read on my Kindle to keep me going until libraries reopen and I feel comfortable enough to go visit them.And the first book I bought was All of Me by Venita Coelho.There are some books that when I read, I feel, "I write much better than that, come on! This story is ... just ... mediocre."And then, there are some books that make me wonder why I am a writer at all when there are people who write so well, sucking you into the story and keeping you there, chapter after chapter.Considering I never review books I … [Read more...]
Top Ten: Middle-Grade Books
Narrowing down to my top ten middle-grade books is always the hardest of all! Some of these books are younger than others, as always, because age ranges are hard to define. A few of these would be borderline chapter books; a few would be borderline young adult.The Racehorse Who Wouldn't GallopWriter: Clare BaldingIllustrator: Tony RossPublisher: Penguin UKAs a child, I loved the Animal Ark series so much that I longed to be a vet. When I learned that studying medicine involved cutting things up, I balked. Yet, animals were special to me, and I would go as far as to say that they are special to most children.The Racehorse Who Wouldn't Gallop is a charming story of love for animals. It is a tale of friendship and grit: friendship among animals, people, and animals and people. Once more, it is a story that explores the idea that children can do … [Read more...]