Raana Haider

Around the world in bookstores

Spectacular is the bookstore in Buenos Aires El Ateneo Grand Splendid; a former opera house built in 1903 and now shelved with books in a massive remodelling exercise.

1y ago

A Book, a Bookstore, a City and the Aftermath

During the long lockdown in early 2020, I took stock of my shelvedunread books. A mint-green hardback covered book-spine caught my eye;A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

3y ago

Malta: Room to Roam

Different scenario unfolds at every turn of a corner. Grand in a domestic dimension is the historic house museum - the Palazzo Falson - apparently the second oldest building still standing in the walled city of Mdina.

4y ago

Malta: Room to Roam (Part I)

“Room to roam” remains my indelible imprint of this idyllic historical island. A less trodden route.

4y ago

Samarkand: A Review

“Look ‘round thee now on Samarcand, Is she not queen of earth? Her pride Above all cities? In her hand

4y ago

Origins: A Memoir

The Lebanese-born and Paris resident explores the notion of being an émigré. As he says, I seldom return to my country of origin, and then only when circumstances compel me to…almost always the death of a loved one.” Correspondingly, he is told “Here, families have

4y ago

On Becoming

Do not judge a book by its cover; notwithstanding the glamorous becoming photo profile that graces this book. Do judge a book by its title. A more appropriate book title is hard to conceive of. Becoming in a single word summarises the passage of the extra-ordinary

4y ago

A Bibliophile’s Review of Bargain Buys

Phobia and mania remain inexplicably internalised conditions. Such was my dilemma as I stood at the crossroad one Saturday morning waiting for my friend as she undertook her Saturday errands in Purley, Croydon, outside London. To my left, stood the Cat Protection

4y ago
December 1, 2018
December 1, 2018

The 42nd Annual Book Sale of the Friends of the Library, Trinity College, University of Toronto and a Book Buy (Part 1)

The University of Toronto (UFT) holds an annual book sale every October at its prestigious academic and architectural landmark building Trinity College established in 1851.

August 11, 2018
August 11, 2018

A Reader's Guide to Writers' Britain

Awakening your wanderlust, in hand is the ultimate travel guidebook to Britain's rich literary heritage. Here, innumerable destinations feature multiple authors, landscapes and legendary characters that transport both the studious and the curious into unforgettable literary trails.

June 2, 2018
June 2, 2018

A Review of The Sunset Club

'Boorha Binch' is the term used by walkers and wanderers in the historical urban jewel that are the Lodhi Gardens in central New Delhi.

May 5, 2018
May 5, 2018

Ghalib Ki Dilli (Part II)

Some years back, I had read of the restoration of the Ghalib haveli. The premises in 1995 had served as a heater workshop. It opened

April 28, 2018
April 28, 2018

Ghalib ki Dilli (Part I)

I should have been listening to one of the scores of imaginative events on the poetry, life and times of the pre-eminent poet of the

December 24, 2016
December 24, 2016

A Paean to Aleppo

The heart-breaking visuals and devastating destruction that has befallen the citizens of Aleppo, its infrastructure and

June 4, 2016
June 4, 2016

New In Nagaland

The war that changed India and the world had one of its history-changing battles take place in the sprawling hills of Kohima. Across

May 28, 2016
May 28, 2016

NEW IN NAGALAND

Once upon a time, there were head-hunters. Only presence we found in April 2016 were two skulls perched on bamboo shafts on

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