There is a boy named Gogol. Not a great name, not one that fits easily into the world he grows up in. And that is, in many ways, where this novel begins. Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake is, on the surface, the story of a name and the person who carries it. Beneath that, it is…
There are books that tell you stories, and then there are books that help you understand them. Mahadev belongs to the second category. It does not rush you through battles and blessings, through cosmic dances and divine marriages. Instead, it sits you down, makes space for curiosity, and lets you ask the questions you might…
When you pick up a biography, you expect to meet someone as they were, not as they wished to be seen. That expectation becomes more complicated when the subject is a future king (when this book was written – the king now), and the author seems determined to rewrite decades of public perception. This biography…
The Secret of the Nagas picks up the thread from the first book without missing a beat. There is no pause, no summary, no breathing room. If you just finished reading about Shiva’s journey in Meluha, you step directly into what happens next. This is not a book that stands alone. It builds on everything…
I need to say this upfront. Magical realism is not the kind of writing I usually pick up. I like my stories a little more grounded, a little less slippery. But Shame worked for me in ways I did not expect. Not all the way through, and not without resistance, but enough to stay with…
Ken Follett has been writing big, bold stories for decades. He knows how to take real history and turn it into something that keeps you up way past your bedtime. His books are not just about wars and politics. They are about the people caught up in all of it. The small choices that big…
There are names we hear in history podcasts that we forget once it ends. And then there are names that deserve to stay with us, not because someone told us they matter, but because when we look closely, we realize they shaped things far more than we ever knew. Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan is one…
There are books you read, and then there are books you live with for a while. Lotus in the Tide belongs to the second kind. This poetry collection does not demand your attention with loud emotions or dramatic turns. Instead, it asks you to slow down, breathe a little deeper, and notice what you might…
The Ramayana is a story most of us know before we even read it. We grow up hearing about Ram’s exile, Sita’s abduction, and Ravana’s defeat. We know how it begins and how it ends. So when a writer decides to retell it, the challenge is not about revealing what happens next. The challenge is…
Agatha Christie understood something most mystery writers miss. Evil does not need fog or storms or shadows to thrive. Sometimes it flourishes best in broad daylight, on a beautiful beach, among people sipping drinks and soaking up the sun. Evil Under the Sun proves this with brilliant precision. This is a novel where paradise becomes…
R. K. Narayan’s retelling of the Ramayana is not trying to dazzle you or challenge what you know. It is not written to shake up old ideas or present bold new readings of an ancient story. Instead, this book does something quieter and perhaps more generous. It opens a door. It invites you into one…
This is a spoiler-free review of the second book in the Arsène Lupin series. Think of it as a heist story meets detective fiction, where the thief is the star and everyone else is just trying to keep up. The whole thing reads like a playful rivalry between brilliant minds, written with a smirk rather…