The Runaway Dosa by Suma Subramaniam
“The more you eat, the more you crave! You can’t catch me, no matter how brave!” In another review I mentioned that I like folk tales, though if one is retold just to retell it by adding a few diverse elements, but keep the rest, I am not really a fan. However, The Runaway Dosa showed me that might not always be the case. Suma Subramaniam took The Gingerbread Man story, but added an Indian twist that pays tribute to the old and new. Based […]
Desert Queen by Jyoti Rajan Gopal
Well HOT DARN! (Only I was not saying darn!) Desert Queen has probably been written for several reasons. The first, to give representation to the people of India. But also, to show how one middle class boy would grow up and show the world how to bend perceptions. Queen Harish was the alter ego of a boy from a small community, who became an orphan young, and left with two sisters to raise. His love of dance and his talents would make him dare to […]
The Elephanta Suite by Paul Theroux
CBR15Passport India The Elephanta Suite is a collection of three tales, each describing the encounter of an Anglo with India. The first story is that of a retired British couple who stay longer than they intended, the second is of a Bostonian businessman who become a Jain monk, and the third is of an American college student who falls in love with an elephant. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the first two. The retired couple were self-centered, and treated the Indians with whom […]
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
In the last year, I’ve made it a point staying on top of the hot book du jour that caught my fancy. Most of the time, the hype is so suffocating, I have to put it down and come back to it. There’s nothing wrong with the book, but after hearing for months about how life altering it is, the expectations become impossible to reach. I usually come back to those books and wind up enjoying them independent of noise. I’m also trying hard not […]
A Taste of Honey: Kamala Outsmarts the Seven Thieves ( by Rebecca Sheir
The Tale of the Unwelcome Guest: Nasruddin Teaches the Town a Lesson by Rebecca Sheir
A few reviews back I wrote about another A Circle Round Book by Rebecca Sheir. Each one has been illustrated by different people. Therefore, that change might help you enjoy one over the other. But also, the flow and tone of the story is slightly different and that can help one’s enjoyment of them. The Great Ballgame was illustrated by Joshua Pawis-Steckley and is based on Native American mythology and culture. A Taste of Honey: Kamala Outsmarts the Seven Thieves (illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat) has […]
Our World: Italy by Francesca Di Marzo
Our World: Mexico by Cynthia Harmony
Our World: Brazil by Ana Siqueira
Our World: India by Meera Sriram
Our World: Italy by Francesca Di Marzo, Our World: Mexico by Cynthia Harmony, Our World: Brazil by Ana Siqueira and Our World: India by Meera Sriram have two things in common. The first, they are awesome books and second, they are about the world aimed at the young reader/listener. Some are already published, while others are coming within the next few months. The stories follow the culture, language and more in a small format. The authors and illustrators (while the illustrations are similar to each […]
