Rating: Must-Read

Everyone has been a new kid (or adult) sometime in their life. So everyone would be familiar with that nervous feeling when one is in a new place and alien surroundings, slowly settling in, trying to make friends. And later becoming so well adjusted that it’d be hard to believe […]

The New Kid – Kanika G

Must-Read Children by Sujata Sahoo

Keep Calm And Mommy On by Tanu Shree Singh is a reference book on parenting, outlining strategies to calmly deal with various parenting issues. Tanu has a doctorate in Positive Psychology. The book focusses on parenting strategies for toddlers and teenagers. It deals with a variety of issues including, diversity, […]

Keep Calm And Mommy On – Dr Tanu Shree Singh

Must-Read Non fiction Parenting by Kanika G

Boo! When My Sister Died by Richa Jha, is a picture book appropriate for children above the age of 6, and may help them figure out how to cope with the death of a loved one. Noorie’s sister Zoya ia dead. It seems to Noorie, that her mother has only […]

Boo! When My Sister Died – Richa Jha

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Kanika G

I read the stories in My Lawfully Wedded Husband and Other Stories back to back, one after the other. I know that’s not how short stories are ideally read, but I couldn’t help myself. Waiting to reach the end was agony. The way the stories begin, the plot appears to be […]

My Lawfully Wedded Husband and Other Stories – Madhulika Liddle

Must-Read Anthology Short Stories by Sujata Sahoo

The Dark Prophecy is the second book in the series, The Trials Of Apollo, by Rick Riordan. The series is set in the Percy Jackson universe with some overlapping characters. Apollo has been cast down to Earth in the body of a gawky mortal teen named Lester Papadopoulos by his […]

The Dark Prophecy – Rick Riordan

Must-Read Adventure Fantasy Humour Mythology by Kanika G

The Vague Woman's Handbook - Devapriya Roy — Friendship can strike you at the oddest of times and does better things for your heart and general well-being than love (damn the uncertainty and the drama). Devapriya Roy’s The Vague Woman’s Handbook is one such story, though there is also a newly married young couple adjusting to married life […]

The Vague Woman’s Handbook – Devapriya Roy

Must-Read Chicklit Feminism by Sujata Sahoo

Akriti is in the eleventh standard. She studies in Chennai International Public School. She loves sketching and listening to music. She isn’t all that bothered about her studies, always nodding off in class and barely managing to pass. She hates her younger brother Ranjith, a do gooder and teacher’s pet. […]

Unbroken – Nandhika Nambi

Must-Read Young Adult by Sujata Sahoo

Childhood is a gift and should be cherished before the raging hormones of teenage make their appearance and the daily drudgery of adulthood sets in. School days, people say, are the best days of their lives. Zainab Sulaiman’s Simply Nanju reminds you of that. 10-year-old Nanjegowda, fondly known as Nanju, has […]

Simply Nanju – Zainab Sulaiman

Must-Read Children Middle Grade by Sujata Sahoo

The Gory Story of Genghis Khan - Nayanika Mahtani — The Gory Story Of Genghis Khan by Nayanika Mahtani is a light-hearted account of a weighty subject. The book is a breezy read, with many illuminating details about Genghis Khan, his tactics, campaigns and even his ruthlessness. Nayanika tells you all about the good, the bad and the ugly as […]

The Gory Story of Genghis Khan – Nayanika Mahtani

Must-Read Children History by Kanika G

Lessons in Forgetting - Anita Nair — A good book isn’t necessarily one which keeps you glued to it for hours. Having said that, Anita Nair’s Lessons in Forgetting was all that and more! I read it in a tearing hurry to get to the end, while simultaneously wanting to prolong it. It has two stories which […]

Lessons in Forgetting – Anita Nair

Must-Read Contemporary Fiction by Sujata Sahoo

White Mughals - William Dalrymple — White Mughals by William Dalrymple is an interesting blend of history and a real life romance. It is not just the romance of two people, but the romance of two cultures. It is set between the late 18th century and mid 19th century in India, which, at the time, was […]

White Mughals – William Dalrymple

Must-Read History Non fiction Romance by Kanika G

Sleeping on Jupiter - Anuradha Roy — When I heard the book’s name, Sleeping on Jupiter, I knew I would be reading it. I am a sucker for poetic titles! I looked at the stunning cover and I knew I would be buying it, sooner, rather than later. I put off reading it thinking it would be […]

Sleeping on Jupiter – Anuradha Roy

Must-Read Literary fiction by Sujata Sahoo

Em and the Big Hoom - Jerry Pinto — Jerry Pinto’s Em and the Big Hoom deals with bipolar disorder, which is a very real and serious issue, but the author handles it with humour, giving it a touch of lightness. I read it when I was on a holiday — at peace with myself and without real life […]

Em and the Big Hoom – Jerry Pinto

Must-Read Contemporary Fiction Humour Literary fiction by Sujata Sahoo

Pehelwaanji Learns a Slippery Lesson - Sanjiv Jaiswal 'Sanjay' — I have done a few reviews of Pratham books (The Elephant Bird, The Cat in the Ghat and Chuskit goes to school to name a few) and it is always a joy to do them. Pratham Books is a not-for-profit children’s book publisher with the mission to see ‘a book in […]

Pehelwaanji Learns a Slippery Lesson – Sanjiv Jaiswal ‘Sanjay’

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

I believe in the adage that a book is not to be judged by the wrapper. Seeing the promising cover page of Band, Baaja, Boys!, by Rachna Singh, I was wary about how it was going to turn out. However I was not disappointed. It was entertaining and funny right […]

Band, Baaja, Boys! – Rachna Singh

Must-Read Contemporary Fiction Humour by Shiny Babu

Before We Visit the Goddess - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni — Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Before We Visit the Goddess is the first of her books that I picked up, though her Palace of Illusions is more popular. Lately, I prefer books that open a window to a specific period or a culture, so I chose this book to quench my thirst for […]

Before We Visit the Goddess – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Must-Read Literary fiction by Menaka S

Invisible People - Harsh Mander — Invisible People by Harsh Mander, is a collection of short stories about the lives of people, who found themselves in frightening and desperate circumstances, often for reasons beyond their control. The stories explore, how these people coped, and sometimes even blossomed, with the raw hand life had dealt them. The […]

Invisible People – Harsh Mander

Must-Read Non fiction Short Stories Social commentary Young Adult by Kanika G

Glitter and Gloss - Vibha Batra — Glitter and Gloss by Vibha Batra is an entertaining book for young girls and those others who are young at heart and still have that romance kicking in their minds. The style is quite different from what I usually read and I was not sure if I would like it. […]

Glitter and Gloss – Vibha Batra

Must-Read Chicklit Contemporary Fiction Romance by Shiny Babu

Hot Chocolate Is Thicker Than Blood - Roopa Gulab — Hot Chocolate Is Thicker Than Blood by Rupa Gulab is a novel suitable for 10 to 15 year old kids, but worth a read for their parents too, because parents sometimes forget what it was like to be a teen. It deals mainly with adoption, and teen crushes. But it […]

Hot Chocolate Is Thicker Than Blood – Rupa Gulab

Must-Read drama fiction Humour teen by Kanika G

The Palace of Illusions - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni — The epic tale of The Mahabharata has fascinated most of us. For all those who have got their Indian mythology dose from the Amar Chitra Katha, or the television, this book will make an engaging read. Chitra Banerjee’s, ‘The Palace of Illusions,’ is a re-telling of the famous epic of […]

The Palace of Illusions – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Must-Read Indian Mythology Retelling by Veena Gandhi

Going home in the rain & other stories - Monideepa Sahu — Going home in the rain & other stories, a collection of short stories written by Monideepa Sahu is a thin book that did not look inviting. A collection of fourteen stories each showing a slice of life that we may have experienced at some point. + + + – – […]

Going Home in the Rain & other stories – Monideepa ...

Must-Read Short Stories by Menaka S

The Yard - Aliyyah Eniath — Aliyyah Eniath’s The Yard not only tells the story of an enduring love, but also offers an enticing glimpse into the lives of an extended Trinidadian Indian family. In the 19th century, after Britain abolished slavery, indentured labour from colonies far and wide came forth to fill in for menial […]

The Yard – Aliyyah Eniath

Must-Read Contemporary Fiction General Fiction by Payal Dhar

Beastly Tales From Here & There - Vikram Seth — Beastly Tales from Here & There , written by Vikram Seth, is a collection of 10 stories presented in verse form. Eight of the stories are ancient folk tales from various countries. As expected from the cleverly chosen title, all the stories are centered around animal characters and usually explore […]

Beastly Tales From Here & There – Vikram Seth

Must-Read Humour Poetry Retelling Satire by Kanika G

Squiggle Gets Stuck - Natasha Sharma — Natasha Sharma’s Squiggle Takes a Walk was well-received and appreciated as a fun book to explain punctuation. So, when I received its sequel Squiggle Gets Stuck, I knew what to expect. When Squiggle is happily seated on the cover of her book, a gigantic book from the lopsided piles of […]

Squiggle Gets Stuck – Natasha Sharma

Must-Read Children Education Humour by Menaka S

The Crooked Road – Anay Agarwal — Young people these days aspire to be entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, only a few have it in them to venture out and succeed as well. In his novel, The Crooked Road, Anay Agarwal narrates the story of how a young man, disillusioned with his first job, realizes his dreams. Sahil is one […]

The Crooked Road – Anay Agarwal

Must-Read Contemporary Fiction by Shiny Babu

Monster Garden - Jerry Pinto — Jerry Pinto’s Monster Garden is a difficult to classify book, being a mix of Nonsense verses and a D(raw)IY Picture Book. Starting with a physical description of who Jerry Pinto is, in the same nonsensical verse, the book heads into a garden which monsters inhabit. Monsters, did I say? Well […]

Monster Garden – Jerry Pinto

Must-Read DIY book Picture Book by Menaka S

Tania Casts a Spell - Kanika G — I saw the link to “Tania Casts a Spell” by Kanika G posted by an FB friend. I vaguely remembered that another book (Tania Has an Idea) by Kanika G was reviewed on this site. Recalling that I was intrigued about the ending of that book, I downloaded this book. […]

Tania Casts a Spell – Kanika G

Must-Read Children by OO

Half the Field is Mine - Swati Sengupta — With a blurb talking about a friendship between two girls — one of whom is the daughter of the domestic help of the other — based on football, this book Half the Field is Mine by Swati Sengupta was irresistible for me. Thirteen-year old Oli has been initiated into football […]

Half the Field is Mine – Swati Sengupta

Must-Read Children Middle Grade Sports by Menaka S

The Vigil and Other Stories - Gita V. Reddy — Gita V. Reddy’s collection of short stories, The Vigil and Other Stories, deals mainly with the many emotions and problems faced by women in Indian society. Each story competes with the other to gain one’s attention. There is sure to be a character in each of these stories that a […]

The Vigil and Other Stories – Gita V. Reddy

Must-Read Short Stories by Shiny Babu

When She Went Away - Andaleeb Wajid — Sixteen-year-old Maria Sulaiman has a nasty shock when she wakes up one morning and finds her mother gone. There’s a brief note on the fridge: ‘Leaving you and the kids. Khudahafiz.’ And thus begins a tumultuous year in her life, when everything she knew, everything she took for granted, is […]

When She Went Away – Andaleeb Wajid

Must-Read Young Adult by Payal Dhar

Our Nana was a nutcase - Ranjit Lal — A health break seems to have its benefits. One tends to look at things with a new perspective and that is what happened to me with this book. It was only because it is my favourite author Ranjit Lal’s book that I picked it. He did not disappoint me. Our […]

Our Nana Was a Nutcase – Ranjit Lal

Must-Read General Fiction Young Adult by Menaka S

Drawing the Line - (ed.) Priya Kuriyan, Larissa Bertonasco & Ludmilla Bartscht — In the aftermath of the Nirbhaya incident, somewhere amidst the uproar created by victim-blaming politicians and sensational news that was served aplenty in all channels and media, there was a mutation in the DNA of the country – a mutation, that triggered a spirit of fighting back, in the attitude […]

Drawing the Line – (ed.) Priya Kuriyan, Larissa Bertonasco & ...

Must-Read Feminism Graphic fiction Social commentary Visual art by Menaka S

Caravan to Tibet – Deepa Agarwal — Caravan to Tibet by Deepa Agarwal is an adventure story based on the annual journeys of Indian traders in the Himalayan hills to Tibet. Fourteen-year-old Debu lives with his mother and his younger brother Hayat in Milam, a small village in the Himalayan hills of Kumaon, India. During the trip […]

Caravan to Tibet – Deepa Agarwal

Must-Read Adventure Children by Menaka S

Tania has an idea - Kanika G — I literally stumbled upon this book as I was browsing my flipkart eBooks App. Tania Has An Idea is a free ebook written and published by Kanika G. It is available on the Smashwords link at the bottom of this page. This is the fifth book in a series of […]

Tania Has An Idea – Kanika G

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

The Gita For Children - Roopa Pai — I have never read the Bhagavad Gita, till yesterday. It all started with my daughter saying (whining) that she is-not-familiar-with / did-not-know “God Stories” like her friends. An outcome of having atheist parents! We pacified her, and asked her to look at the lives of great people, by reading their […]

The Gita For Children – Roopa Pai

Must-Read Children Self-Help Spirituality by Devi S

Woofus 'Don't want to learn' - Reena I Puri — To wind up the Woofus series of Woofus ‘Everybody Works’, A Home for Woofus, Woofus ‘My Mom’s the Best’ and Woofus ‘I am hungry’, we picked the only remaining one Woofus ‘Don’t Want to Learn’. Reena Puri and Savio Mascarenhas have gently touched upon the need to learn and how everyone learns. Woofus is bored and wants to […]

Woofus ‘Don’t Want to Learn’ – Reena I Puri

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

I remember reading an article (circa ~1975) in “The Illustrated Weekly of India” (or was it the magazine section of the Indian Express?), by one Prof P N Oak. The essence of the article was to claim that the Taj Mahal was not the tomb of Mumtaj Mahal, but was […]

The Taj Conspiracy – Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

Must-Read Mystery Thriller by OO

Spinning Yarns - (ed.) Deepa Agarwal — Spinning Yarns – The Best Children’s Stories from India edited by Deepa Agarwal attracted me with its interesting title and attractive cover. Short stories being my favourite genre, I suddenly realized that it has been long since I read any. As I read, I found myself enthralled by the genre once […]

Spinning Yarns – (ed.) Deepa Agarwal

Must-Read Anthology Children by Menaka S

Moin and the Monster – Anushka Ravishankar — Being unwell has its own advantages. One can curl up with a book and relish every word of it, without the pressure of the next thing on the to-do list. If the book in your hands is delectable, then it is even better. So it was that I curled up […]

Moin and the Monster – Anushka Ravishankar

Must-Read Chapter book Children Humour by Menaka S

Woofus 'My mom's the best' - Reena I Puri — It was with no expectation that I read Woofus ‘Everybody Works’ and A home for Woofus. As we enjoyed them a lot, I decided to try another one in the series, Woofus ‘My Mom’s the Best’. Reena Puri and Savio Mascarenhas did not disappoint us. What does Woofus puppy do at bedtime? Well, mom gives him a […]

Woofus ‘My Mom’s the Best’ – Reena I Puri

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Akbar and the Tricky Traitor - Natasha Sharma — Finally, I laid my hands on the first in the History Mystery series written by Natasha Sharma. After reviewing Raja Raja and the Swapped Sacks, Ashoka and the Muddled Messages and Razia and the Pesky Presents in the series, I was curious to read the first one as well, so as to have the satisfaction […]

Akbar and the Tricky Traitor – Natasha Sharma

Must-Read Children History Humour Mystery by Menaka S

Woofus Everybody works – Reena I Puri — Woofus ‘Everybody Works’, from Think Big Books, written by Reena I. Puri caught my attention, while I was looking at the F-Page of its illustrator Savio Mascarenhas. So, I decided to try it out for my little son. Woofus is a puppy, who lives with his mother dog in her kennel. One […]

Woofus ‘Everybody works’ – Reena I Puri

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

A Chola Adventure - Anu Kumar — A Chola Adventure by Anu Kumar is the first book I bought in the Girls of India series of historical adventures by Puffin. It is Hemant Kumar’s cover illustration that caught my attention. The protagonist is twelve-year old Raji, whose mother, the famed dancer Menaka, is in exile. Hazy versions […]

A Chola Adventure – Anu Kumar

Must-Read Children Historical Fiction by Menaka S

The Simians of South Block and the Yumyum Piglets - Ranjit Lal — When I discovered Ranjit Lal a few months back, I decided to explore further and bought this book, based on the title and the blurb. But I procrastinated the reading for too long, being entangled in other priorities. Storyline A certain industrialist and a certain minister in Delhi’s South Block […]

The Simians of South Block and the Yumyum Piglets – ...

Must-Read Children Contemporary Fiction Humour Politics by Menaka S

The Stupendous Timetelling Superdog - Himanjali Sankar — Having read Himanjali Sankar’s Talking of Muskaan, a book meant for young adults dealing with a serious topic, I was only too eager to read this book to see the author’s attempt at humour. Rousseau, named after the eighteenth century (do make a note of the exact time period, lest Rousseau’s humans, […]

The Stupendous Timetelling Superdog – Himanjali Sankar

Must-Read Chapter book Children Humour by Menaka S

The Dugong and the Barracudas - Ranjit Lal — Everytime I read a book of Ranjit Lal, one of my favourite authors, there is one thing guaranteed – I am richer by a few words. His latest, and yet to be launched, The Dugong and the Barracudas, does not disappoint me in this regard, right from the title. Now that […]

The Dugong and the Barracudas – Ranjit Lal

Must-Read Children General Fiction by Menaka S

Ambushed – Nayanika Mahtani — Tara Tripathi’s adventure in the heart of a jungle, while her father is on a tiger trail experimenting with his photography, is the crux of Ambushed, a story written by Nayanika Mahtani. This one is not for the weak-hearted, I dare warn you. Tara, a 10-year old gadget geek, living […]

Ambushed – Nayanika Mahtani

Must-Read Adventure Children General Fiction Information by Menaka S

Daddy Come Lately – Rupa Gulab — Imagine a family where there is a single mom and a daughter, living happily with the support of grandparents and friends. What-if the Dad makes an appearance out of nowhere? What-if the daughter doesn’t want this “Dad the Bad” to intrude into her life, but this Dad decides to become […]

Daddy Come Lately – Rupa Gulab

Must-Read Young Adult by Menaka S