Didda knew that a grand destiny awaited her. She sometimes wondered whether her mother had bribed the astrologer to predict greatness and fortune so that Didda, who was not just a girl, but also lame, would not be killed at birth. But the prediction was made, and Didda was determined to fulfil her destiny. Queen of Ice took me through beautiful, turbulent tenth century Kashmir, bringing alive a time and place about which I knew nothing. I usually do enjoy historical fiction, and this was no exception. Court intrigue and the sheer power of the characters made me turn page after page until, before I knew it, the book was over. The wonderfully drawn relationships amongst the characters, the balance of murkiness and clarity in the machinations of Didda's court, and the effortless storytelling made Queen of Ice the powerful book it is. Title Queen of … [Read more...]
Talking of Muskaan
Talking of Muskaan has been on my to-read list for a long time, and I finally bought it, read it and loved it. It was everything it promised to be - moving, relatable and real. Muskaan knows herself better than a lot of others her age. That does not make life easier for her; in fact, it makes things much more difficult. It is impossible for her to pretend to be something she is not. More importantly, why should she need to? But it's the people around her - her "friends" - that make all the difference. She doesn't come out about her sexuality to everyone, yet rumours spread and whispers grow louder ... I love the range of characters in the book, touching almost every kind of person I know. Aaliya - determined to be heterosexual because she believes she can convince herself. Subhojoy - empathetic without being an activist. Rashika - the peacemaker who wishes things could just be … [Read more...]
I love limericks!
Limericks are fun! Very often, during a short session on creative writing, we work with limericks. They're good fun, sparking much conversation and laughter. Many, many children love limericks too - one of my students even wrote a short story in limericks, which is part of Flickering Flames - An Anthology of Poems and Short Stories. But that one deserves a post on its own, so I'll come to it some other time. Recently, we were talking about limericks at a workshop for 7 to 10-year-olds. One girl wanted to share a limerick she knew by heart, so she did. It's a famous one by Edward Lear, which may be familiar to many. There was an old man with a beard, Who said, "It is just as I feared— Two owls and a hen, Four larks and a wren, Have all built their nests in my beard!" Very often, though, in a workshop that has a widish age-group of children, I need to … [Read more...]
Reading Challenge at Clover Dale, Aurangabad
I put a ten-rupee coin into the bubblegum machine Soon, bubblegums flew out and hit my head! For a moment, I wondered; then I realised That I'd put a hundred-rupee coin into the machine instead! - adapted from a poem written in about seven minutes by one of the participants at yesterday's workshop.* *If anyone who reads this knows the name of the writer, please share it in the comments below! I love the Reading Challenge, and The Big Friendly Read is among my favourite themes. "Could you name a book you enjoyed?" I asked. "Grrr," replied a serious-faced young participant. For a moment, there was silence; then everyone burst out laughing. "I've read it too!" cried one. "Me too!" "Me too!" "I liked No!" said another. "No!" Laughter and madness go hand-in-hand when we explore Roald Dahl, a range of other stories in the collection, and Sir Quentin … [Read more...]
The Emily Series
If I wanted to make friends with Anne Shirley, I was Emily. I deliberately use the italics Emily loves; Mr Carpenter isn't here to censure! With a pang that borders on envy, I wonder, how could L.M. Montgomery create so many wonderful characters? Emily of New Moon tells the story of a sensitive young girl who cannot choose not to write. As I read it, I was convinced that I alone could understand Emily's "flash"! No one around her understands what she means; of course not! "The flash" is so unpredictable, so incomprehensible, so wonderful! With the first mention of "the flash" I was a fan of the Emily series forever.L.M. Montgomery's talent for creating characters and situations is incredible. I found myself blossoming as I read the Emily series. I loved Perry and Ilse; I loved everything about the story. What warmed my heart from the beginning was the fact that Emily was … [Read more...]
The Anne of Green Gables Series
Pictureskew. Kindred spirits. The Lake of Shining Waters. Carrots! Rilla-my-Rilla. Puffed sleeves. The first time I read Anne of Green Gables, I felt the queer ache that Anne describes when she comes across something beautiful. Beauty that is intangible, almost unknowable. If I'd known the word 'sublime', I would have used it. Of course there were parts that were dull. Of course there were parts were the sentences ran on and on. Of course there were paragraphs on end that I skipped. But I loved Anne. I loved Anne so much that I was jealous of Diana Barry. Diana, mundane and unimaginative, did not deserve Anne! When I finished Anne of Green Gables, I read the next and the next and the next until I could breathe again. That's when I discovered that there was a movie called Anne of Green Gables. I could not believe that Anne could be made into a movie. … [Read more...]
Books and Travelling Go Together!
I've had a lot of work to do, so I've obviously been avoiding it by reading everything I can. I read a few old favourites, swallowing them whole as comfort reading as I postponed all the work that lay pending. I returned to Georgetter Heyer after a long time, rereading Venetia and These Old Shades ... Ah, how I enjoyed them! I think the word 'sparkling' suits her writing so well! I also got around to reading a lot of books that have been on my reading list for ages, so here's a list from the last month. Yes, I just read the wonderful Pippi Longstocking for the first time! A couple of years ago, I read Pippi in the South Seas and I did (kind-of) apologise for not having read Pippi Longstocking yet. I finally read it and loved it! For me, Pippi has a Dahl-esque quality of ridiculous humour that makes me laugh almost … [Read more...]
More Books – AFCC 2017
AFCC 2017 had a charming activity that was open to the public. Pick up a public programme and explore the book fair, programme in hand. As you visit each stall, get your book fair map stamped. If you're among the first 20 to get all the stamps, you win a book voucher worth ten dollars! Walking through the book fair reminded me of all the times my parents took me to bookshops - and once, to a book-ship. This time, I was drawn more to the picture books than anything else, and I ended up buying one picture book and one chapter book. Both were simply lovely! Shortlisted for the AFCC Asian Children's Book Award by Genting Singapore, Don't Be Sorry, Dad! is now right up there with my favourite picture books. Little Nari loves time with her dad, but he keeps apologising to her because there are many things he cannot do, unlike other dads. … [Read more...]
Reflections: AFCC 2017
The first two days of the Asian Festival of Children' Content were the highlights for me, but sessions here and there stood out too. On the first day of the teachers' congress, I attended a lovely session on reading and empathy conducted by Maria Alessandrino. More than the first half of the session, I thoroughly enjoyed the second half, where we went through all kinds of books that build empathy in the reader. I have a whole new list of books that I am waiting to get my hands on. I ended up buying just one of the books Maria recommended - Where's Grandma? - and I loved it! Here are a few others I want to read ... ... I could go on and on and on! Another session I loved was Elaine Fong's talk on reading in the digital age. Much of what she said does not apply to me in my reading programmes because we don't have a public library system in … [Read more...]
The Lit Bug Fest 2017
Do you see all the red marks? That's what I attended at the Lit Bug Fest yesterday! The first event of the day was a play written by a young girl and performed by Pushkar Rangmanch. A sweet story, performed with enthusiasm! A few months ago, I invited Leela Gour Broome to address the Writers' Club at St. Mary's. Yesterday, I watched how she told a story to children of varied ages. I also watched Kakoli Bagchi tell a story for the first time. With lovely little puppets, they brought Mrs Broome's story Red Kite Adventure to life! After that, she told the story of a shiny red ball that travels the globe ... I enjoyed the story as much as the children did! My event was next on the agenda, and I loved it! I did have a wide range of children there, and I'm afraid the older children weren't as involved as the younger ones, but all in all, it was such … [Read more...]
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