Daily Star Books
Book Review: Fiction / Western Lane: Grief unfolding on squash court
There is more squash in the book than most readers will take a liking to, but the game sometimes works as a metaphor for the bigger picture.
BOOK REVIEW: NONFICTION / 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.
News report / Eminent author, journalist Gita Mehta passes away
Mehta also directed the documentary film Dateline Bangladesh based on her time stationed in Bangladesh during the war.
BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / The occult thrills of ‘The Centre’
Rarely does a book arrive, a debut no less, that feels as inventive and accomplished as Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi’s The Centre. Her novel is built on the crossroads of interpretation and ownership, of the power of language and of those privileged enough to reclaim it.
THE SHELF / When all else fails, satirise
This week, the Daily Star Books compiles a list of satirical fiction for our readers to feast on. In sociopolitical climates rife with crackdowns and censorship, satire takes on the burden of giving a voice to matters that cannot be spoken about otherwise.
BOOK REVIEW: NONFICTION / A paean to storytelling
Following the trails of Imaginary Homelands (Penguin Books, 1992) and Step Across The Line (Modern Library, 2003), comprising essays written and lectures given by Salman Rushdie between 2003-2020, Languages of Truth is Rushdie’s third collection of nonfiction works and is as a delectable read as its predecessors if not more.
Book review: Nonfiction / When literature meets food
The author paints an engrossing picture of her experiences and memories, both influenced by food, which is true for most of the people in this world, and particularly for South Asians.
Book Review: Fiction / ‘The Dark Elf Trilogy’: The synergy between the novels and graphic novels
By visually capturing the characters, landscapes, and action scenes, the graphic novels enhance the reading experience and offer a fresh perspective on the beloved story.
BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / Jane Borges’ 'Bombay Balchão' is a crafty explosion of flavour
The characters crackle with life, quirky and contradictory, despicable and sympathetic in turns.
THE SHELF / 5 books for readers with an appetite
The Hundred Foot Journey is the story of an immigrant Indian family who sets up a restaurant right in front of a famous French relais and the feud it ensues.
The brilliance of Bibhutibhushan: Of sensations, details, and accentual intimacy
Bibhuti Babu’s pen tenderly reveals the nudity of apparently disturbing feelings and emotions that we are so ashamed and afraid to accept and express.
The beauty of translation and Tagore’s lyricism
"This book is a way for me to express my own emotions associated with Tagore’s lyrics”, Fakrul Alam shared his thoughts at the launch of 'Gitabitan'.
Feeding desperation
Dickens, a literary luminary of his era, exposes the vicious cycle where hunger and desperation divide society, laying bare the inequities perpetuated by an exploitative system.
Into the unknown: Fairytale retellings in ‘The Myth Bridge’
The creators discussed the thought process that led to the creation of the characters' journey, the challenges they encountered during the writing and editing process, and the inspiration behind the narrative choices.
Navigating the maze of nutrition myths
Unlike online influencers and their various outright claims of right and wrong, Dr Wolrich’s approach is grey.
Of lost recipes and forgotten flavours
I have always had a rather avoidant recoil to the aftermath of death.
Dining at Oxbridge: “Formal”, please
I was a little anxious. It was only the second day of my life at the University of Cambridge, and I was already bombarded with instructions on how to dine.
The perks of being a reader in residence
The goal of this project is to bring together readers to explore literary contributions, showcase artistic quality and celebrate women in the creative world as well as to foster interests and understanding of the accomplishments of female writers and artists.
The new speculative literary magazine on the block
Veering off from stories for a bit, Fahim Anzoom Rumman’s “The Secret” was a breath of fresh air. The piece seemed to be a cross between a poem and the kind of fable your grandparents would tell you as a kid to get you to fall asleep.
Mood mirror
Whenever depression is depicted in pop culture, it is shown in some visible extreme, with blue-grey lighting, dark rooms, ashen faces peering out through rainy windows, bodies curled up in bed.
6 wonderful books to celebrate the Women in Translation month
‘Women in Translation’ is an all-inclusive, international project that aims to terminate the continual discrimination faced by non-English female authors, and gives them due recognition.
