Review: Newsman by Rajdeep Sardesai
Review / October 30, 2018

Newsman is an anthology of hand-picked articles by Rajdeep Sardesai. Followers of the author might be disappointed at not finding anything new but newcomers to Indian politics will find this a nice read.

Review: God is a Gamer
Review / February 12, 2015

Author: Ravi Subramanian
Publisher: Penguin Books
Year: 2014
ISBN: 9780143421399
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
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Touted as the world’s first Bitcoin thriller, GIAG is a big letdown given the potentially promising platform it is set upon.

Review: 99 – Unforgettable Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry and Humour by Khushwant Singh
Review / January 21, 2015

Author: Khushwant Singh (Author), David Davidar (Editor), Mala Dayal (Editor)
Publisher: Aleph Books
Year: 2014
ISBN: 9789383064755
Rating: ★★★½☆
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“99” is not a genre-redefining book by any stretch of imagination but it gets its basics correct as an anthology. Couple that with the natural dynamism of Singh’s writing and you get a good bedside companion for many a long winter night.

Centrestage: The saga of NaMo
Review / June 30, 2014

Author: Uday Mahurkar
Publisher: Random House India
Year: 2014
ISBN: 9788184005141
Rating: ½☆☆☆☆
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In a country like India, it is practically impossible to be neutral. If you are neutral, then your opinions probably aren’t worth listening to. If you search for online reviews of Uday Mahurkar’s Centrestage: Inside the Narendra Modi Model of Governance, chances are that you will come across words like “dispassionate” and “balanced”. Given the fact that Mahurkar has spent the greater part of his life in Gujarat, you would not be wrong in expecting that this just might be THE book which might unravel the substance behind the Modi hype that has enveloped the nation for the last six months.

Fiction or Not? The Making of a Serial Killer
Review / May 26, 2014

Author: Hannes Rastam, Henning Koch (Translator)
Publisher: Canongate Proof
Year: 2013
ISBN: 9781782110705
Rating: ★★★★★
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Thomas Quick has more than thirty kills to his name. He murders irrespective of sex, age, colour, caste or creed. His weapons of slaughter includes knives, clubs, wires and sometimes even his bare hands. He makes it a point to dismember his victims and, if he is in the mood, eat their body parts. His bloody fingerprints are splattered all across Sweden and Norway and even Finland.

Catch-22: Living Up to the Hype?
Review / May 20, 2014

Author: Joseph Heller
Publisher: Vintage
Year: 1961
ISBN: 9780099536017
Rating: ★★★★☆
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Catch-22 is a good book – there is no doubt about it. When you consider that the greater part of “World War II fiction” is synonymous with the works of Frederick Forsythe and Alistair Maclean, Catch-22 is a much needed breath of fresh air and possibly one of the most mature novels of its kind. Exciting the book definitely is, but is it important?

Just for Kids? Where Are You Going, You Monkeys?
Review / May 12, 2014

Author: Ki. Rajanarayanan, Pritham K. Chakravarthy (Translator)
Publisher: Blaft Publications
Year: 2008
ISBN: 9788190605649
Rating: ★★★★½
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The last thing you would be reading right now (assuming you are an adult well past your puberty) is a book of fairy tales. So if I say that a book of fairy tales is perhaps the most enjoyable read I have had in some time, it would not be wrong to presume that you might read further with a heightened sense of skepticism.

E-books and E-book readers : what Indian readers want
Article / April 3, 2014

This report, compiled by IndiaBookStore, was first published at www.NextBigWhat.com . Most of us still like the good old printed book. The dead tree edition, some say. But things are changing quite fast. E-books are slowly picking up, with Amazon, Google, Apple and the likes of Flipkart trying to push e-books. But what will make a reader buy an e-book? Or even an e-reader? A recent survey by IndiaBookStore, a search engine that helps users find price and availability of books offers some answers. The survey of 325 online users asked what would tempt someone to buy an e-book? Or would they stick to the dead tree edition? And other such questions. The respondents were classified as Light readers (36%), serious readers (30%) and obsessive readers (20%) and the rest were very light readers. Here are the findings. What would tempt you to buy an e-reader? 46% of light readers and 44% of our serious readers are waiting for e-book prices to come down. The obsessive reader is the only one (excluding the academic and non-reader) for whom a change of lifestyle (43%) is more important to buy an e-book reader as compared to its price (38%). Which reading format…

An interview with Shobha Bondre
Authors Exclusive / December 12, 2013

Shobha Bondre is a famous writer and novelist who has won many awards for her contributions to Marathi literature. Some of her best-selling novels are Uncha Uncha Zoka, Not Only Potels, Sonachya Killa etc. Some of her novels have also been translated into Hindi, English and Gujarati. Her novel 'Saata Samudrapar' received Maharashtra's Best Novel Award in 1997.

Apart from writing novels she also writes columns, articles and short stories in journals such as the Maharashtra Times, Lokprabha, Loksatta etc. She is also very popular thanks to the dialogues she has scripted in many Marathi serials like Abhalmaya, Manasi, Ardhangini and Oon Paaus.

Review: Shalimar The Clown by Salman Rushdie
Review / November 7, 2013

Author: Salman Rushdie
Publisher: Random House
Year: 2005
ISBN: 978-0679783480
Rating: ★★★☆☆
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Shalimar The Clown is a one-time read, especially for those not acquainted with Kashmir and its strife. Salman Rushdie weaves his normal magic with magic realism, but the results fall short of the lofty objective