Imagine this: 1656 Delhi. Muzaffar Jang – an aristocrat with friends in low places. He has just finished solving a case that involved two Englishmen and the Imperial Exchequer. All he wants to do is take it easy and here come more cases waiting for him to be solved. Muzaffar Jang also happens to be a detective – a part-time one but a detective nonetheless.

The series of mysteries in this collection are something else – from the elephant that killed his mahout to the murder of an artist, these ten stories will have you wanting more. I am always biased to good mystery stories and when they came with an appropriate historical background, it makes it even better.

Madhulika Liddle’s writing has definitely come of age from her first book. The writing is crisp and taut, just the way a good mystery tale should be told. At the same time, the essence of the book is not lost. Delhi in 1656 must have been very difficult to conjure for any writer. Historical fiction is probably easier to write when supported by some facts as a map. In the absence of such a map, it becomes a task to invent characters and fit them in situations and yet exhilarating from the author’s point of view.

There were times I wondered and wanted the book to be a novel, only because I wanted to see where it would go and what turn it would take, more so for the last story, “The Woman who Vanished” as it is my personal favourite from the collection. The Eighth Guest and Other Muzaffar Jang Mysteries still stands as a testimony that Indian writers can write a good mystery. Madhulika Liddle is a writer to watch out for. Read this book and her earlier book, “The Englishman’s Cameo” as well.

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You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik is based on a true story and I just came to know of it while I was writing the review. It then may be changes the entire tone of the book for me (but obviously) and goes on to becoming more than just a read which I enjoyed to some extent. However, when the reader knows of the story having its roots in what happened for real then the entire perception changes. Especially in a story like this one – of an affair – between a teacher and his student.

Alexander Maksik worked as a teacher for the senior English class at the American School of Paris for five years before he was expelled for having an affair with one of the students. The book opens with three perspectives – of one teacher and two students, who have now aged and reflect on the year of their school life that changed everything. Will (the teacher) is now thirty-eight and his students, Gilad and Marie are twenty-four and twenty-five respectively. The book deals with not only the affair, but also the meaning of life. What does it take to life? What does literature mean to people? What can be made of literature and relate it to life?

The story starts when Gilad and Marie are students at an International School in Paris, the IFS (the name was changed). They are from privileged backgrounds – living life in the fast lane (some of the students) and Will Silver is a popular tenth grade English teacher. Marie is not Will’s student and cannot help but flirt with him and be enamored by his existence. Gilad on the other hand is his student of existential literature and wants to impress him at any cost. Both Marie and Gilad are in love with Will or may be the idea of what Will represents – confidence, charm, intelligence and the drive to live than just survive. Will then has an affair with Marie and things start spiraling down to another level. That is what the book chronicles – literature, life, art and an affair.

The writing is told from three perspectives, so the tone changes with every character. The setting does as well, most of the time. What I liked about the writing was that it did not take sides, considering it would have been easier to do so. What I didn’t like was the fact that there should have been more detailing to characters. For instance, something more about Marie’s background than just cardboard cut outs for parents. At the same time, the biggest plus of reading this book was the fact that literature was so seamlessly merged into it. Will’s passion for teaching and literature were made evident and also were metaphorical to some extent – choices such as “The Stranger” by Camus and “As I Lay Dying” by Faulkner convey Will’s state of mind in an effective manner. At some point though, while writing this review I am compelled to think of the girl (Marie) and what came of her after the affair and the expulsion of the author. However that may be is not for me to decide or draw an assumption on. Gilad’s voice on the other hand is real and honest and about coming to terms with how he feels for his teacher.

I would recommend this book to readers who love a little literature in their books and who want to know something more beyond what lies on the surface. You Deserve Nothing may be a true story, but I like how it has transformed itself on paper as a work of fiction.

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In the Orchard, the Swallows is a subtle poem to beauty lost, innocence ruined and sometimes what it takes to find your place back in the world. When I received a copy of this book, I was intrigued by the plot and immediately started reading it. When I read books related to a particular territory that is no longer accessible to the general population or is not what it used to be, a cord is struck within me and then it becomes very difficult for me to forget what I have read. In the Orchard, the Swallows is one such book.

In the foothills of a mountain range in Northern Pakistan, is a beautiful orchard. Or rather it used to be beautiful. The orchard is now neglected. No one takes care of it as it was once taken care of. Miles away, a young man has been released from prison. It is his story. His body – tortured and beaten tells the story of fifteen years of brutality. His family – now lost and the once love of his life, those are his stories to tell. He lands up at a stranger’s house and his story begins – of what once was and what is right now.

Peter Hobbs has created something else with this book. I had never heard of him before reading this book. I did not know who he was but after reading In the Orchard, the Swallows, I want to read more of what he has written or what he will. The beauty of the prose is an experience in itself – the descriptions of the lonely pomegranates hanging in the orchard, now no more there, will make your heartbreak in an instant. The writing could not have been simpler and evocative with the details. The emotions are in place and tug at the reader’s vulnerable heart.

In the Orchard, the Swallows is a book that you should not miss out on reading this year. It has all the elements that make a book memorable, without making it pretentious or phony. A read that I will recommend to everyone.

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It isn’t easy to write by mixing almost two genres together. It takes not only gumption but also some good writing skill. When I first started reading, “The Reluctant Detective” I did not think much of it. I mean come to think of it, here is an almost bored housewife (well not really bored) and she has the habit of poking her nose in other people’s affairs (but obviously – as the cliché would seem), till dead bodies turn up in quick succession around her and how she teams up with a detective friend to solve them.

So that is the plot in a nutshell. As I however read further (give it beyond the first three chapters), I was taken in into the book. Kay’s (Her name is Kanan Mehra) exaggerations and little vanities add the much needed humour in this one. Runa is the main detective, while it is Kay who happens to stumble on most clues as they go along solving the crime/s.

What I found most fascinating in the entire book, was how Ms. Manral has managed to create a character (interesting one at that you might note) out of the ordinary, whose major problem is controlling her cellulite and being first in queue at the next sale. Kay’s character is well-etched and for one most housewives would be able to relate to her, or at least some parts of who she is. The humour in the book doesn’t let the mystery element get ignored and vice-versa.

The book strings all elements in place – humour, mystery and the events of ordinary day-to-day living. I liked the writing. It is to the point and does not delve too much into descriptions, which makes for a light Sunday read. The Reluctant Detective is a read that I would recommend to almost everyone. It is fast, well paced and will keep you glued till you finish it.

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The Wednesday Soul is nothing like you have read before. It is funny, sarcastic, doesn’t-try-too-hard, simply written, and a whole lot of afterlife. Yes! You heard that right. The book is about the afterlife, or as the tag line goes, “the afterlife, with sunglasses”.

The protagonist, Nyra Dubey, dies in the first chapter and that’s where the story takes off. Nyra – the infamous vigilante, the Delhiite who knows how to deal with its men, is reduced to yet another corpse. Of course, she doesn’t want that. She wants vengeance and from none other than Death’s masters for the love she has had to leave behind on planet Earth. Things lead to more things and there are creatures’ unknown, mighty eagles and bad puns that have the power to kill.

The plot has never been heard of. It is too experimental, some might say. I loved the book. The writing could not have been simpler and Pant knows how to inject humour in every page. Death to him is not a tragedy; it is just another topic that can be written about keeping funny in mind. The writing is taut and perfect. The right amount of sarcasm and sometimes somewhere an emotion will take you by surprise. Sorabh Pant knows his audience and also what they expect out of him. A sequel is in the offing so I am definitely most excited about it, as somewhere some characters had too short a span in this one and I for one wanted to know more about them.

Sample this: “Living in India you automatically earn an honorary Ph. D. in Queues. You study them closely as you wait for licenses, liquor, movies, and brides i.e. shaadi.com” See what I mean! This is how he writes. I would definitely recommend, “The Wednesday Soul” to one and all.

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Writing about relationships is not an easy task. The writing has to come from a personal place, known and sometimes unknown to the writer. While reading Overwinter, I had mixed feelings – sometimes of joy but mostly of sadness and Ratika Kapur, intelligently has managed to evoke these emotions in her reader/s.

Overwinter is not an easy book to forget. It has been two days since I have finished it and cannot get it out of my head. Ketaki is your typical urbanite – a well paying job and a life that seems perfect, before the most important man in her life – her maternal aunt Neeta’s husband falls into a coma, almost nearing death. Ketaki blissfully goes on from man to man, in order to hide her pain and wanting some connection with her aunt. Her father’s arrival from New York leads to the wall being broken through a secret long held in the family. The secret then begins to shape the lives of the characters and what end will come out of this story.

Overwinter made me see my relationships differently and assess them – because sometimes relationships need to be assessed. Ratika Kapur writes with urgency, almost speeding somewhere and that works for the book. The descriptions and building of the atmosphere is critical to the book, which again the author does justice to in a beautiful manner. Ratika Kapur knows the pulse of what might work considering she used to work for a publishing house before venturing into writing.

For me the book worked on the level mainly because of its language. Every word fit every emotion and that matters a lot to me while reading a book. It just shows the skill of a writer, in addition to the plot and the storyline. I have enjoyed reading Overwinter and cannot recommend it enough.

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Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil is a book that doesn’t leave you till you have finished it. It is not only a disturbing read, but also highly intense. It captures all elements of Bombay, who is coincidentally the hero or heroine of the story, which is what I loved the most about the novel. Bombay is the protagonist as it always is – harsh, sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter, sometimes cunning and sometimes giving, and the action of the book is set here, for its characters to play on this wide canvas, to let their emotions and feelings take a different turn altogether.

Narcopolis is everything you imagined but were too scared to say it out aloud – blue smoke, drugs, opium drug dens, heroin and Bombay at the heart of it all – the glitter of the city juxtaposed with its bleakness, its gutters and its diseases of race, class, religion, violence and death.

Amidst all this is Dimple and this is her heart-breaking tale. Dimple is a eunuch and her story unfolds as does the story of the city and then there is also the enigmatic Mr. Lee from China who lends a totally different approach to the story. The story takes you on a roller-coaster ride – and sometimes the funny part is, you don’t know which turn is going to come next. Bombay has various aspects to it as a city and Mr. Thayil has beautifully explored each and every one of its aspect.

The writing is packed with punches and more. It will not make you want to keep the book down at any point. At the same time you feel really bad when the book ends, because you don’t want it to. I remember Jeet Thayil reading poetry once at a book launch and I wondered why he didn’t write fiction. Now that he has, I am wondering when the next book will be out. All in all, Narcopolis is a great read and I would recommend it to all.

One icon that instantly comes to my mind is “Coco Chanel” and it is not because of the laurels. It is because of the life she led. So when I received a detailed biography of Chanel’s life, I jumped at it and finished it in a matter of two days. Prior to this I had seen the movie based on her life, “Coco Chanel” starring Shirley MacLaine (who by the way made a perfect Chanel in her later years) and wanted to know about the designer who ruled the fashion scene for years.

Lisa Chaney’s book, “Chanel – An Intimate Life” is the most comprehensive biography there is on Chanel’s life and I say this after the research I have done on works written on her. Chanel not only chronicles Coco’s life before she turned Coco, but also proves to be an entertaining read.

The sadness and deprivation of her early years are heartbreaking – when the family did not have enough to eat and survive. Lisa then moves on from here to her emergence into fashionable society and the love affairs that defined her, to the man she loved the most and lost (Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel), to the point when she became a brand thereby changing the face of fashion to the war years as well as the loneliness of her later years to the re-emergence of Chanel in fashion.

Chaney clearly has the extraordinary ability to enter into and make her readers also understand the lives of people who were closely connected to Chanel. The writing did get pedantic in parts; however I ignored it because the rest of it was beautifully written. I liked how the author described the times Chanel lived in and how difficult it was then for any “new fashion sense” to make its presence felt. The analysis of the artistic scene then (Dali, Picasso, Cocteau) had a great impact on Chanel’s work and Lisa has given us a brilliant take there in most chapters.

Chaney’s book is an honest attempt to detail one of the most talked about lives in Fashion. It is a moving portrayal of a strong woman who did not let go of what she thought and believed in. Chanel makes for a great read.

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Jeff Kinney does it again! One doesn’t tire of reading the journal/diary of Greg Heffley and this time he is back with twice the fun and antics of Rowley and him. I remember when I first started reading this series, only three of them had been published and I finished them in all under two hours. I also remember not only recommending them to friends and family, but also gifting them the first book. Needless to say that I love this series.

The book is set between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Greg needs to be good so Santa can be good to him in return. He and Rowley decide to be good boys till Christmas Eve. However, all does not go well as planned. They are accused of vandalizing school property and before any action can be taken, there is a blizzard in the season and the ground is covered in three feet of snow. This only means that Greg is locked with his family in his house and cannot step out.

My favourite part in the book was the flashback when Greg’s younger brother Manny is just a newborn and Greg’s mother buys him a doll to get used to the idea of being a big brother. The book is hilarious. It has so many moments of Greg and his brothers (Rodrick and Manny) stuck at home, that there were times I actually laughed out loud.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of those books I wished was published when I was growing up. I have enjoyed the drawings and the prose with every single issue, but this time it was very-well written. Though the book is definitely American and Indian kids might have a bit of a problem relating to the content in some parts, I would still highly recommend Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series to every kid.

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Short stories have always been close to my heart. More than novellas and novels. I do not know why but they are. Short stories are more compassionate – I do not know why again but I think they are. Honestly sometimes they also say more than full-length novels can and I have repeatedly said and maintain that.

The minute I started reading, “The Selected Stories of Merce Rodoreda”, I knew there was something different about this one. These 30 stories address every grim complexity of life and longing, heartache (very subtly done), capturing the necessary elements of chaos and peace. I had not heard of Merce Rodoreda before this book, and I am certain most people have not.

Merce Rodoreda’s stories take the extra leap that is required – of venturing into the unknown and writing something so worthwhile. For instance, in, “Friday June 8” a homeless girl ties a rock around her new born baby’s throat, a product of rape and throws her into the river. Shocking? Yes! But it is the prose that is used while writing this which will get you to weep silently. Stories such as these make you wonder: Should I continue reading this? And you know that you must, because it is about the writing and the delicate plots that will make you want to.

“Before I Die” is another such story. A housewife tries to come to terms with her husband’s past love, who she got to know of through the secret letters in his suitcase. The emotion and sensibility of the wife are well captured. “Carnival” on the other hand is a simple and poignant love story (I can safely say that), of a man and a woman (strangers) dressed in carnival outfits and walking together.

Most of the stories are short and that’s how it should really be – giving away some and hiding some. The stories come from three different collections published in 1958, 1978, and the last one seems to have been collected after her death. The stories are published in a chronological order and as the reader reads along, the different writing styles are clear – from simple to more experimental towards the end.

There is wide range to these stories, and enough and more for every kind of reader. Rodoreda goes into the heart of the human condition and churned out these brilliant stories. I would highly recommend this one, as I am all for short stories.

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