I have loved reading ever since I can remember. As an introverted child and then an adult, reading provides a natural escape to alternate worlds. But it’s not just what’s on the pages, every excellent book is a puzzle looking to be solved. I am always in search or what’s between the lines, why the author made these plot choices, why the characters behave in a certain way and why write this story at all.…
Book Reviews
For the unfamiliar, Anna Katherine Green is considered the ‘mother’ of mystery novel writing in the US. I stumbled upon A Strange Disappearance when an extensive collection of free ebooks was made available on Book Depository a few years ago. It’s also now free on Kindle. The plot of the mystery novel is relatively straightforward. A young maid has disappeared in odd circumstances from the house of a famous diplomat, Mr. Blake. The only who…
After having read the entire series of LOTR and Harry Potter, and never taking a liking to Terry Pratchett, I naively believed that I had read all there was to be read in fantasy fiction. In the end, there are only so many underdog heroes, dark lords, and imaginary worlds that you can take. But the beauty of fantasy fiction has always been in the power of magic and the belief that such a world…
I almost squealed with delight when I saw The Wreck of the Golden Mary the library. No, I had never heard of it, nor anyone had ever recommended it to me. But what made me happy was that Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins wrote this book. Till I read this book, I had no clue that they were colleagues or even friends!! So what is The Wreck of the Golden Mary about? This novella tells…
I first learned about the Salem Witch trials when I read Robin Cook’s ‘Acceptable Risk‘ way back in 1998. I was immediately intrigued. What would drive intelligent educated people on witch-hunts? What was that hysteria that gripped Europe in the middle ages and the US as late as the 17th century? Arthur Miller’s critically acclaimed play The Crucible dramatizes the Salem Witch Trials and gives a glimpse of what may have happened. The Plot The…
Coming of age story of a teenage Australian boy who ends up spending his last year in school living with his aunt. Read More…
‘The Umbrella Man’ was my introduction to the delightful world of Roald Dahl. After that I never skipped a chance to read Roald Dahl’s book – and honestly, I did not like all of them equally. But I do believe that Roald Dahl is the master of short stories, especially the creepy and macabre ones. ‘The Best of Roald Dahl’ is a collection of outright creepy stories. You browse along happily page after page and…
Why this? Cloud Atlas remains an all-time favorite and my first book by David Mitchell. Having loved it, I was on the constant lookout for another book by him which I found at an airport shop. The title Black Swan Green doesn’ tell you much but I knew that I could take the risk. If it’s David Mitchell it will be at the least good writing and I was not wrong. The Plot The semi-autobiographical…
