KarachiFahmida Riaz2018Vani Prakashan I listened to this novel in the audio version so I am not sure of the page numbers or the publication details. Storytel lists it as a Hindi novel, which if it is, is a Hindi that I am not familiar with. It is so replete with Urdu words that five minutes…
Misfit MadhuDivya Anand2022Puffin Bookspp 277 As the name of the book says, the story revolves around the life of Madhu, a class seven student, who feels that she doesn’t fit in with the rest of her class. She is different from her peers as she is more interested in computers than in fashion, she does…
Three Thousand Stitches Sudha Murthy 2017Penguinpp. 250 The book is a collection of about a dozen anecdotes from Sudha Murthy’s life. A non fictional, autobiographical account of Murthy’s life that covers ideas, values and thoughts that she cherishes and that have probably helped her become the kind of person that she is. The book is…
The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel BalochSanam Maher2018Aleph Book pp. 272 The book documents the life of Qandeel Baloch (Fouzia Aseem), Pakistan’s first social media star. Her life was truly sensational! The mystery surrounding her and the struggle against a world that does not just create physical and psychological barriers for her to continue her…
Yeh Daag Daag UjalaQuratul Ain Haider2009Bhartiya Gyanpithpp. 190 Yeh Daag Daag Ujala is a collection of short stories by Quratul Ain Haider. The stories have been translated by Dr. Sadiq. The stories are interesting although some of them are written in a context totally alien to me. The symbolism in some stories are totally lost…
Kore Kagaz (Hindi)Amrita Pritam2007Bhartiya Jnanpithpp. 95 (audiobook on Storytel.in) Kore Kagaz, loosely translated as blank papers, is a novel by Amrita Pritam. The story starts with a young man who comes home to witness the death of his mother and discovering the mysteries surrounding his birth and life. He realises that he is not his…
Bhali Ladkiyan, Buri Ladkiyan (Hindi)Anu Singh Choudhary 2016Eka/Hind Yugmpp. 228 I wanted the first read of this year to be a book by an Indian woman author. I had started reading other books simultaneously but this is the first one that I have managed to complete. With this beginning, it promises to be a good year….
The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices Xinran 2003 Vintage Books pp. 229 This book presents stories of women in China in the last few decades of the twentieth century. As a document of what transpired in China, this is an important book for times to come. The writing is lucid and full of emotion…
