Title: Who Moved My Cheese Author: Spencer Johnson Genre: Self Help, Motivational “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Written by Spencer Johnson, who also co authored the massively successful, The One Minute Manager with Kenneth Blanchard, this little motivational book is a fable about the inevitability of change. The success of the...
Sam and the Firefly by P. D. Eastman: Book Review
Title: Sam and the Firefly Author: P. D. Eastman Genre: Children, Early Reading Sam and the Firefly is a lovely book for children, simple, fun, wondrous with attractive illustrations. Published in 1958 and edited by Dr. Seuss, it is a classic Beginner book. Philip Dey Eastman was an American screenwriter, children’s author and illustrator....
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: Book Review
Title: The Bell Jar Author: Sylvia Plath Genre: Fiction, Autobiographical “If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I’m neurotic as hell. I’ll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days.” What a tour de force this...
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger: Book Review
Title: The Catcher in the Rye Author: J. D. Salinger Genre: Fiction ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ is a classic coming of age book, featuring teenage angst and un expected maturity. With its dry wit and dark humour, the book delves deep into the psyche of a young adult who is trying to find...
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: Book Review
Title: Rebecca Author: Daphne du Maurier Genre: Mystery, Gothic Romance 80 years after it was first published, Rebecca continues to enthrall millions, being considered one of the literary greats of the 20th century. Rebecca is the story of a young woman, shy, socially awkward and from a disadvantaged economic background, who marries the wealthy,...
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghose: Book Review
Title: Sea of Poppies Author: Amitav Ghosh Genre: Historical fiction For the Indian subcontinent, whose geography, culture and psyche has been shaped by hundreds of years of colonial invasions, it is natural that scores of books be written about those times. Sea of Poppies is one such book, with excellent research and eminently etched...
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan: Book Review
Title: Mudbound Author: Hillary Jordan Genre: Fiction I came to this book through the movie adaptation, which had a few Academy nominations. Forceful narratives make for good films and I looked forward to this acclaimed debut work, set in the Mississippi Delta, addressing racism, among other things. Mudbound, the farm, is in the rich,...
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig: Book Review
Title: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values Author: Robert M. Pirsig Publisher: Bantam Books Printing: 1984 Pages: 380 Genre: Philosophy, Autobiographical When I first picked the book to read, I was unaware of its cult status. I had a vague idea of it being popular and being high brow...
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes: Book Review
Title: The Sense of an Ending Author: Julian Barnes Genre: Fiction The 2011 Man Booker Prize winner Julian Barnes’ novel ‘The Sense of an Ending’ deals with time and how unreliable and inaccurate memories can be. This compact novel reads sometimes like a memoir and sometimes like an essay. I traveled through the pages,...
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: Book Review
Title: The Girl on the Train Author: Paula Hawkins Genre: Mystery, Psychological thriller No place can be better than a train journey to read this book, or so I thought to myself as I looked forward to a fast paced thriller hurtling to its conclusion, holding me in suspense and terror. Hugely popular, a...