Book Reviews

Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo I’d reviewed this book when I’d completed it half way in the June meeting, and I don’t have anything more to add to what I’d already mentioned then as I’d not like to spoil the story for anyone. It is about a young boy named Will who is on a vacation with his mother in Indonesia, when the elephant he’s riding on makes a sudden dash into the jungle minutes before a tsunami (this book is set in the backdrop of the 2004 tsunami and the Iraq war)

The Choice by Edith Eger The other day, I said that I have never believed in those listicles titled 'Top 25 or 50 books to read before you die'. However, in complete contradiction to what I said earlier, if I were to ever create a list of the top 25 books to read before you die, I would include this book. Hope. Hope is what makes me say that I will come to the next Bookaholics review meeting, even though multiple things can go wrong between now and then. Hope is a beautiful t

Overall rating: 4/5 This play is an easy read with a good enough plot but there is a lot more to it than just a family story. Set in the 1950s, the play explores gender roles, parental negligence, crushed hopes, unfulfilled ambitions and societal expectations. There is this one dialogue that really caught my attention, "A woman in a man's world is considered progressive, but a man in a woman's world is considered pathetic." It perfectly captures the double standards around ge

I read Someone to Watch Over Me by Judith McNaught back in 2013, and it’s an absolute 5/5 for me. It’s one of those romantic suspense books that completely sticks with you. The story follows Leigh Kendall, a successful Broadway actress who gets into a terrible car accident during a blizzard. When she wakes up in the hospital, her husband is completely missing, and the police actually start treating her as the prime suspect. That's when Michael Valente steps in—he’s this wealt

Eight-year-old Jess is uninhibitedly creative. She loves reading and listening to her mother narrate Shakespeare. She has an English father and a Nigerian mother, so, culturally, she feels like she belongs neither here nor there.

Awful Auntie The book is a fascinating deep dive into the psychological profiles of aunties, both local and global. Through this book, the author raises the following questions: What makes aunties aunties and what makes them awful ones? What is the threshold at which an aunty no longer remains just an aunty but crosses the border into being an awful one? The author has done a lot of research (there are detailed footnotes and sources) and dug into the past to extract a wealth

Rating: 5/5 A satirical, political allegory based on Soviet Union, mainly around Russian revolution. The characters are inspired on various figures involving in the movement and how power can corrupt people and institutions eventually with time. Depicts how propoganda shapes the public perception, how language is abused to manipulate the masses and how people who question the regime are exiled from the system. Systems change, people on top may change, but the masses are stil

At the heart of this book is an ethical dilemma faced by two young evacuees of war: David and Tucky. The youngsters, who are inseparable from each other, find a loving home in the moors. The setting is World War II, and it's Churchill versus Germany.

Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree 5/5 Seldom do you find books about mothers and daughters that celebrate the relationship instead of pick at the wound. Geetanjali Shree understands the beauty of mothers and daughters, we are after all mirrors of each other - 'the growing smaller mother' and 'the growing bigger daughter'. Although there are several other characters (see: Rosie, Bade, Sid, KK) these two primarily run the plot. Maji has turned old, and ageing has somehow brought

5/5 stars Harold Fry is a 65-year-old man who lives with his wife in an empty nest. One day, he gets a post from a special person. The content of that post motivates him to write back. But seeing how replying through a post wouldn't be commensurate with the solid relationship he has had with this person, Harold decides to meet her. How? By walking 627 miles across England. Harold is not someone who exercises, nor is he into walking, so when he decides to make this epic journe

Title: Yuganta: The end of an epoch (Marathi) Author: Irawati Karve Genre: Mythology, Nonfiction Rating: 5/5 I read this book in marathi....

Title: Orbital Author: Samantha Harvey Genre: Literary Fiction My Rating: 1/5 Outer Space is a fascinating magician, with lots of tricks...

There is something humbling about reading a book set during the holocaust. It reminds us how one could lose everything they owned –...

Synopsis: The witty soldier Vandiya Devan must adventure across the sea into the warring land of Elangai to find the young Prince...

What happens when you are introduced to a cemetery not of people but of books which houses hoards of forgotten gems from yesteryears?...

I was intrigued by this book ever since it was published. A book within a book, a book about stories and the power of words is a book...

I have tried audio books before but could never complete. I would find then difficult to concentrate on and my attention kept wandering....

I love a dystopian setting. The more bleak the better. So when I saw a review of the book on Bookstagram, I knew I would be reading it...

I love reading thrillers. That’s the genre that I can read any day. So when Simon & Schuster offered a review copy of House of...

I am a self-confessed non-reader of classics. I have a pre-conceived notion that they have too much of descriptions to be quick paced. I...