books
BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / Unseen chains of consequences
When a few boys arrive at the couple’s flat to seek out their college-going daughter, Rekha, the parents are thrown into a whirlwind of adventure.
ESSAY / Evil never looked this good
Even without a full-blown sympathetic backstory, a villain’s motivations can be complex.
ESSAY / Musings of a romance reader
Navigating the lines between gender politics, feminist beliefs and love for romance
THE SHELF / Beyond the page: Podcasts discussing POC authors
The following are podcasts that focus on POC writers, a list made because of the heavy Eurocentrism still present in the lists and bookstores known around Bangladesh.
Beyond Nilkhet: Dhaka’s second-hand book markets
The second-hand book market is a buoyant one and there are places in Dhaka, other than Nilkhet, where your desire to buy books meets affordability. With a keen eye and some bargaining skills, it is possible to make a deal at these places.
Conquering that stack: 5 ways to finish a book in a week
Let's face it. Our to-be-read piles have started to look like a leaning tower of literary Pisa now. If you are a bookworm, you will relate to this one much too well.
BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / It’s ‘Mean Girls’ meets ‘Heathers’ meets ‘The Craft’
The best part of this book is perhaps the fact that all the weird, bonkers cultish stuff just happens with no rhyme or reason to it.
BOOK REVIEW: NONFICTION / (Re)visit to the alleys of contestation, narratives, and memories that the Partition left behind
The book discusses the lack of sensitivity among policymakers in acknowledging the distinct socio-cultural differences and linguistic and community identities of the refugees that often got merged. It explores how different categories of refugees received different treatments.
THE SHELF / 6 Books to add to your summer reading list
As summer rolls around and our lifestyle changes to adjust to the heat, so do a lot of our books! So here are a few books that might make a good addition to this year’s summer reading list.
Revisiting ‘Chobir Deshe, Kobitar Deshe’
The book captures all the enjoyable experiences of travelling, and the food they ate, and provides descriptions of France's seas.
Discovering enlightenment and creativity at Dhaka Flow Festival
In addition to the activities, the event offered an array of distinctive stalls for festival goers, featuring sustainable and healthy products rooted in Bangladesh.
Witnessing the council of animals in the Sundarbans
Mayurpankhi’s books have the calibre to engage readers of all ages. This book is not an exception either.
ON THE WINGS OF POETRY: Flight of the Angsana Oriole
Last week it flew in, landing on my doorstep, and flapped open its wings released from its bubble wrapped cage. As the delivery man from Amazon Italy drove away, I regarded the poetry book in my hand.
‘Island Life’: A collaborative children’s book
Through visualising the beautiful island nation of the Maldives and the unique environmental features of Bangladesh, the book hopes to foster an appreciation for our shared natural heritage and raise climate awareness.
Love, lies and loneliness
The very first time I came across a description of this book, previously published under the title The Nigerwife (Atria Books, 2023),
4 witchy romance novels to read this Halloween
The fascination with October’s magic and mystery hasn’t subdued over the centuries. And what can be more magical than falling in love in October?
If you don’t like reading, then comic books are for you
Very few avenues of storytelling have the same level of diversity and versatility as comics, and if you are someone who has an aversion towards reading general books, comics might turn that dislike into a regular reading habit.
Emily Wilson’s ‘The Iliad’ is a triumph in translation
Wilson hasn’t written a retelling from the perspectives of the subjugated but has rather been true to the original, although she doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the sheer misogyny of the Homeric period.
Books with playlists: A new trend among contemporary authors?
A question that comes to mind is why does a book even need a playlist? There are two solid answers.
