I took a while to sink my teeth into The Extraordinary Colours of Auden Dare. I went slowly through the first few chapters: I found the narrative voice a little puzzling, and I could not figure out whether I liked the protagonist, Auden Dare. Once I got sucked into the book, though, it was a different story. The cover asks […]
The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day
As I read The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day, I realised yet again that Christopher Edge is a writer I want to look out for. The first book I read of his was probably Twelve Minutes to Midnight. I enjoyed it so much that I ended up buying two copies of it – one to keep and one to gift. Somehow, the sequel, […]
The Bubble Boy
I had just started reading The Bubble Boy, when I came across an article on ‘sick-lit’, which made me think. There really are a lot of books about children who are ill, but I’d never thought about it in that way. And yes, the idea of the dying girl redeeming a broken man would irritate me. As […]
Wildwitch Wildfire
Wildwitch Wildfire. The name seems to hark back to an earlier time, a time when magic was different, ancient, unknown. Yet, the cover, with its bright red, and a cat staring a girl down gave me the idea of something almost modern. I picked it up, curious about what it would offer–and put it down when […]
Septopus: Trouble on the High Cs
Question 1: How many books have you read about octopuses?Question 2: How many books have you read about an octopus with seven and a half tentacles?Question 3: How many books have you read about an octopus band – an oct-estra – playing Mozart? The answers to those questions will show you how unusual, unexpected and […]
No. 9 on the Shade Card
When I started reading No. 9 on the Shade Card, I was not sure if I would enjoy it. I liked the idea, and I was fascinated by the fact that we never seemed to learn the narrator’s name. We know her so well, but we don’t know her name – unless I just missed it because I got too […]
The Night Diary
Recently, I revisited a review of a book I loved – My Name is Rose. The book made a particularly powerful impression on me because the lead character cannot speak, not because she is mute, but because of the weight of the world on her shoulders. Nisha from The Night Diary is a character just like that. Already overcome by […]
The Diamond of Drury Lane
I love Julia Golding. There were a couple that I didn’t end up writing about – The Glass Swallow and Ringmaster (Darcie Lock Book 1), but there were others that I devoured and simply had to gush about. Here are four that come to mind: Empty Quarter (Girl on the Run Book 2) Dragonfly Cat’s Cradle The Middle Passage And now, […]
Dead Man’s Cove
The cover of Dead Man’s Cove, the first of the Laura Marlin Mysteries, has a snippet from a review, proclaiming that the book will delight Enid Blyton fans. And so, even though I read the second book, Kidnap in the Caribbean, some time ago, I began this one with different expectations. The most wonderful part was that those expectations were […]
Me and Mister P
There are times when only a polar bear will do …” Arthur and Liam’s Mum I’m still smiling as I write this review, even though I finished reading Me and Mister P yesterday. It’s such a charming read, one that reminded me of Nurse Matilda and Mary Poppins. Except that there’s no nanny here – because there are times when […]
The Little Rainmaker
It is the year 2028, and it hasn’t rained for ten years. The last time it rained, Anoushqa was in her mother’s womb. She kicked when it rained. That’s her only experience of rain, an experience that she does not even remember. Sometimes, she wonders if rain is even real, or just part of one […]
The Lies We Tell
I finished reading The Lies We Tell last night. I woke up this morning, still disturbed. For a moment, I just had a vague sense of unease that I could not place, but a few seconds later, I knew I was still in another place, in another character. I was still Irfan Ahmed. I read Talking of Muskaan two years […]
Bungee Cord Hair
Five months ago, an editor mentioned to me that publishers in India believe that Asian literature, apart from books written in the subcontinent, will not sell. I was taken aback by the idea, but I didn’t know what to say. I had not thought about it at all, so I did not have an opinion. […]
Top Ten: Young Adult Books in 2018
There’s so much happening in the world of Young Adult books! Some people may classify a few of these books as MG rather than YA, but again, I put forth the usual disclaimer – associating an age with a reading level is impossible. Many of these books are crucial – they deal with ideas and […]
Top Ten: Middle-Grade Books in 2018
My list of favourite middle-grade books was the most difficult one to make! Until the second I hit ‘Publish’, I kept changing my mind about which books to include. I almost made this top fifteen – it is my blog after all, no one is dictating how many I should have here … But I restricted […]
Top Ten: Books for Young Readers in 2018
I know that ‘books for young readers’ is a very vague title, but these aren’t all chapter books, though the age-group for all the books on the list is similar. I also don’t read as many chapter books as I do other children’s books, but as I was making this list, I realised that I […]
Top Ten: Picture Books in 2018
It’s when I make lists like this that I realise how many books I read each year. It makes me deeply conscious of how privileged I am to be able to devote so much time each year to reading. Year after year, I read more books. More often than not, I don’t buy them – […]
Invisible People
How does one begin to write about a book as powerful as Invisible People? Stories of hope and courage – that’s what the cover promises, yet I did not expect to be moved as much as I was. I knew I would come across extraordinary stories because I have faith in the fact that there […]
The Peculiars
Kieran is one of only two male Reception class teachers on the Isle of Wight.His days mainly consist of singing nursery rhymes, tying shoelaces, trying to locate who has had an ‘accident’ by sense of smell alone, and vast, endless mountains of paperwork. Author profile on Goodreads Aren’t you interested already? Writing good author bios […]
Paradise End
Especially when I’m struggling with my writing, I find myself wondering all kinds of things. What makes a good book? What keeps me reading? When do I roll my eyes at melodrama, and when do I have to swallow a gulp in my throat? Where are all these boundaries? Also, I’m a picky reader. I […]