Not all stories begin with the phrase Once upon a time. There are some cases wherein the second you open the book, youll be tossed into a world of chaos and confusion.
In an abyss | Review of Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li
Lis new book is a memoir of radical acceptance about loss, motherhood, and the limitations of language
History of a movement | Review of The Dravidian Pathway by Vignesh Rajahmani
An account of how the DMK converted the Dravidian movement into a political and electoral force
Review of A Different Story, poetry by Amlanjyoti Goswami
The poets understanding of people results in a collection of over 200 verses both profound and affecting in its restraint
Secrets in the dark | Review of Susan ChoisFlashlight,shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025
With almost Mrquezian descriptions, Choi lends elegance to this story about a migrant family while lifting it from its political moorings
Know thy villain | Review of The Menon Investigation by Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari
In this police procedural set in Kerala, male protagonists are the victims of an unjust patriarchal society
Emerald Fennells Wuthering Heights: What would Emily Bront think?
Emerald Fennells sexy, scandalous take on Wuthering Heights promises sweat, desire, and fiercely divided opinions. As a lifelong Emily Bront fan, Im not entirely horrified. But does it do the story justice?
Sweet child o mine | Review of Claire Adams LoveForms, longlisted for Booker Prize 2025
Adam keeps readers guessing till the last page in this story about a woman forced to give up her daughter for adoption
Review of The Penguin Book of Poems on the Indian City, edited by Bilal Moin
This collection of 375 poems is both an audacious undertaking and a tremendous labour of love
A new biography on M.S. Subbulakshmi takes a peek into her art and life
Sivam Subham: The Biography ... of a Couple by Malayalam poet and lyricist Harinarayanan, was launched recently on the legendary singers 109th birth anniversary.
Author and algorithm: Calvino, cybernetics, and ghosts in the machine
What lies underneath the warm rapport between writer and reader? On Italo Calvinos birthday, we re-read his work to understand the logic of storytelling, the hidden design of language, the limitations of machines and why they can never replicate human imagination
Witch Hat Atelier wins Harvey Award for Best Manga for the second time
Kamome Shirahamas spellbinding fantasy claims the top manga honor at New York Comic Con, marking its second Harvey win in five years
Laszlo Krasznahorkai | Master of melancholy
In the works of the Hungarian novelist, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature for 2025, a central theme is the fleeting and precious nature of human life
Fabien Toulm explores love in Bengaluru
Fabien Toulm, a French graphic novelist researching how couples meet, part, or stay together, has discovered both similarities and differences in Bengalurus approach to relationships
Making sense: On Krasznahorkai and the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2025
Krasznahorkai gets recognition for melancholic stories in an absurd world
Jeffrey Archer: You cant buy a packet of stories
The bestselling author discusses the final chapter of the William Warwick series, concluding his 50-year career with a historical novel bigger than Kane and Abel, and his love for India and cricket
Now, read and sing the Hanuman Chalisa in English
Diplomat-poet Abhay K. launches a singable English version of the Hanuman Chalisa, blending poetic rhythm with devotional spirit.
A pilgrims progress | Review of A Return to Self by Aatish Taseer
Aatish Taseers travel writings seek answers for both historical puzzles and questions about his exile
Interview | Author and Rajya Sabha MP Salma on juggling writing and politics
A new translation of Salmas first novel, The Dark Hours of the Night, foregrounds the voices of marginalised women
World Mental Health Day | Review of Homecoming by Neha Kirpal, Nandini Murali
From diagnosis to recovery, two professionals provide a lucid account on ways to negotiate severe mental health conditions
The Hindu Groups coffee-table book on legendary illustrator Maniam released
Veteran actor Sivakumar, an artist himself, released the first copy of the book, produced in association with Maniam Selven, the son of the late illustrator
Bureaucrats latest books turns the spotlight on Indias environmental concerns
In his latest book Testimony By Fire, Atulya Misra traces the journey of a young man across our country to understand its environmental concerns
Anatomy of a genocide: how it feels to live amid death and ruins in Gaza
In two years of Israels assault on Gaza after Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, many of them women and children, and thousands displaced. While two books collect testimonies, another explains the conflict in Gaza, providing a historical context
The home of Dracula. Uncovering the story of Bran Castle.
Enter if you dare! Its time to take a step into a gateway that can take us into a vampires fortress in the real world.
This is one gun that isnt specifically used by professional snipers; rather, it is used in a profession where the pen is the mightiest weapon.
British author Jilly Cooper dies at 88
Jilly Coopers book Rivals found a new generation of fans when it was made into a series for Disney+ in 2024
Interview | Andrew Miller on his Booker-shortlisted novel, The Land in Winter
The author draws on fragments from his childhood, examining a transformative time in 1960s Britain
Price of invisibility | Review of Amrita Mahales Real Life
The novelexplores what unfolds when we try to retreat from the grip of near-constant surveillance in a hyper-connected world
Bundle of contradictions | Review of The Hindi Heartland by Ghazala Wahab
Once the political and cultural centre of India, the States that comprise the Hindi heartland are now anchored to restrictive social ideas
How Visvesvaraya, Muthulakshmi and Mahalanobis shaped modern India
Three biographies examine the life of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Muthulakshmi Reddy, and Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis trailblazers born in colonial India in the 19th century, who have gone on to make foundational contributions to independent India in the 20th century
Wild cities: The secret lives of urban lizards, frogs, birds and insects
Bengaluru-based writer and journalist Deepa Padmanabans recently launched book, Invisible Housemates, highlights our dynamic relationship with urban wildlife while also showcasing some of these animals unique traits.
India will reject Chinas arrogance of power, Manmohan Singh wrote in one of his last essays
The late former Prime Minister advised reassessment of India-China ties after 2020 Galwan clashes but urged India to expand trade ties with Asian neighbours, including China
Gangster drama | Review of Shreyas Rajagopals Gunboy
Rajagopals biggest strength is characterisation, and the easy manner in which he conveys the lived reality of small-town India
Review of Sannapureddy Venkatarami Reddys Tiger Lessons, translated from the Telugu
Reddy highlights a summer in the lives of hill-grazing shepherds who navigate extreme wilderness for their livelihood
Supreme Court dismisses plea seeking ban on Salman Rushdies novel The Satanic Verses
The top court refuses plea to ban Salman Rushdies The Satanic Verses citing lack of relevant notification
Imperfect postures | Review of Fascist Yoga by Stewart Home
How Indian or Hindu is yoga? A new book presents another origin story
Experimenting with form and genre, these page-turners invite readers to join in on the fun
Act of resistance | Review of Dapaan by Ipsita Chakravarty
Chakravarty gathers stories from places in Kashmir before they are erased
Crime, comedy and pensioners | Richard Osman on the fifth book in The Thursday Murder Club series
The Netflix adaptation of the first novel in The Thursday Murder Club series came out in August
How to start conversations around life, death and organ donation
Relative to Indias population, the organ donation rate in India remains low. Here is a reading list that educates and empowers all to make an informed choice about the life-saving contribution as we approach World Heart Day on September 29
Daily Quiz | On F. Scott Fitzgerald
American novelist and writer F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on this day in 1896. Here is a quiz on one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.
Nepal wants more democracy: S.Y. Quraishi on his new book Democracys Heartland
The former Chief Election Commissioner explains the recent Gen Z protests, and why he puts the spotlight on South Asia in his new book
Ex-winner Kiran Desai shortlisted for Booker Prize for The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
The 53-year-old Delhi-born author, who won the Booker Prize 19 years ago in 2006 with The Inheritance of Loss, joins six writers from around the world on the coveted literary shortlist
Kafka in Budapest | Review of David Szalays Booker-longlisted novel,Flesh
What makes this novel about the life of an ordinary man so deeply sensory?
Interview | Author Natasha Brown on her Booker Prize-longlisted novel, Universality
By placing journalism within a novel, Brown plays with the fundamentals of trust, forcing one to question the very basis of society
On Pinochets trail | Review of 38 Londres Street by Philippe Sands
Sands new book on self-delusional tyrants is history, reportage, moral investigation, memoir, and legal chronicle
Bureaucrat-turned-writer Devdas Chhotray to get Sarala Puraskar
Ila-Bansidhar Panda Kala Samman will be conferred on painter Baladev Maharatha and musician Guru Ramhari Das
Unwrapping the China Enigma book launch highlights
The evening featured discussions and conversations on the book and Indias relationship with China
In the run-up to Independence, a little-known resistance in the Malabar region
A new book sheds light on the Malabar Revolt in a region which had a history of Muslims and Hindus collaboratively persevering in their resistance against colonial forces. Other books explore its links to the Khilafat movement and why it is more than a peasant uprising
Review of 2006 Booker winner Kiran Desais The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Desai returns with a sad-happy masterpiece about two young Indians in the U.S. and their families, set against larger political changes
Daily Quiz | On Agatha Christie
A quiz to celebrate the queen of crime Agatha Christies 135th birthday
Mary, quite contrary | A review of Arundhati Roys memoir
The bookis as much a study of Indian society as it is an unravelling of the tangled web of a mother-daughter relationship between two brilliant women
Review of Ravi K. Mishras Demography, Representation, Delimitation
Are southern States justified in saying they are being penalised for successful population control? A new book joins the delimitation debate
A river runs through it all | Review of Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal
In giving a potted history of various issues, the narrative in this ambitious debut novel ends up feeling distant
Bengaluru chronicles | Review of Water Days by Sundar Sarukkai
Sundar Sarukkais new novel is a loud affirmation that a city has its own language
Up and away | Review of Sanjaya Barus Secession of the Successful
Baru on why so many Indians are investing in the destiny of other nations instead of their own
Trisha Sakhlecha on The Inheritance: I wanted to flip the narrative
Diplomat and writer Trisha Sakhlecha talks about her third novel, The Inheritance, where a rich Indian family reunion on an island goes horribly wrong
Storied rivalry | Review of Gideon Haighs Indian Summers
Haigh on what makes India and Australia matchups special
Wood wide web: trees have their own network to preserve life
What is a tree? When were trees born? Three books urge readers to think of trees not as passive, aesthetic entities but as key shapers of the environment. Trees are rain-makers above ground and redistributors of water underground, among other contributions
On World Suicide Prevention Day, a wake-up call on mental health
A new book, Homecoming, compiles lived experiences of 11 women, with emphasis on care and healing
Marisa Abela: It felt like we were in Jane Austens world
Marisa Abela, who plays Elizabeth Bennett in the Audible production of Pride and Prejudice, talks about the joys and challenges of playing one of English literatures most iconic protagonists
Seething poetic anger | Review of Kiriti Senguptas Selected Poems
The poets newest collection is best coded by a rebel, anti-establishment tone and intolerance with social inequity
Hear me out,sakhi | Review of K. Srilatas Footnotes to the Mahabharata
This book of poems on five women from theMahabharatais raw, powerful, and delicate all at once
Review of Society Girl by Saba Imtiaz, Tooba Masood-Khan
Two writers use an unsolved murder case to explore various aspects of 1970s Pakistani society
Unforgiving memories | Review of poetry anthology Sing, Slivered Tongue
This collection of 68 poems reflects on womanhood in a patriarchal society, with trauma as the focal point
Review of Arundhathi Subramaniams The Gallery of Upside Down Women
The poet builds lyrical communion with her spiritual foremothers, mystic rebels and wandering poets in contemporary verse
Review of Rafael Nadal biography The Warrior by Christopher Clarey
A biography of tennis great Rafael Nadal is also a history of the French Open, red earth and all
Beyond Ram Rahim | Review of Deras by Santosh K. Singh
Understanding the unique belief system of the Deras, an offshoot of older religious traditions
Alternating between text and illustrated panels, Paro Anand and Priya Kuriyans book A Girl, a Tiger and a Very Strange Story, is a tale of friendship, injustice, and the wild
Amish Tripathi launches his new book, The Chola Tigers: The Revenge of Somnath in Chennai
Did you know the Cholas had a women regiment in their army? Author Amish Tripathis new book The Chola Tigers: The Revenge of Somnath, explores their grandeur, highlighting the bravery and sacrifice of past warriors
Why singles are choosing book clubs over dating apps
Reading clubs and offline hobby circles are becoming the new places to meet potential partners
Review of The Remnants of Rebellion by Ponnu Elizabeth Mathew
A debut novel that paints a picture of verdant Kerala while also highlighting its dark chapters of communal and caste violence
Mystery andmayhem | Review of Chhimi Tenduf-las A Hiding to Nothing
Theres potential in the chaos that the author brings to his new novel, but a case of too many cooks spoils this thriller
Column | War, witches and wildlife
A diverse selection of popular fiction, frommysteries to historical fiction
Watch: Arundhati Roy on why The God of Small Things did not become a movie
In Delhi, Arundhati Roy gives friends and family a peek into her memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me
At a private gathering, Roy read excerpts from her book and spoke about why she did not want The God of Small Things to be made into a movie
I just want to be. Let me be, says Arundhati Roy
Arundhati memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me is a window into her mother world, as well as her own
Let civil society breathe: two voices on contemporary challenges
Parliamentarian and academic Manoj Kumar Jha pushes for constructive and inclusive politics in his book of essays; another veteran, former MP Shahid Siddiqui, takes a walk down memory lane to give a ringside view of Indian politics from Rajiv Gandhi to Modi
Only the rich can be austere, says Manu Joseph
The author talks about why there is peace between the classes despite glaring inequality in his new book Why The Poor Dont Kill Us: The Psychology of Indians
No Public Feeding Of Stray Dogs SC Modifies Previous Order; Dogs To Be Released After Sterilization
Only aggressive and rabid dogs to be relocated to shelters
The book was launched in Kolkata last week, at a time when Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court faces the possibility of impeachment after the recovery of wads of cash from his official residence
Life of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay on NIF Prize longlist
Ten books which deepen our understanding of Indias recent past and present
Interview | R.F. Kuang on why she chose to set her new novel, Katabasis, in hell
The Yellowface authors new book presents a scathing critique of academia, and also has Lord Yama in it
Good To Go Death Literacy Festival to debut in Bengaluru
Good To Go, a death literacy festival, aims at asking difficult questions and helping one navigate trying circumstances with a modicum of ease
The Derozio effect: a brief, disruptive moment in 19th century colonial Calcutta
Young Bengal, a group of radical reformers were followers of Henry Derozio at the Hindu College. Though shortlived, their idea of India was inclusive, tolerant, eclectic, like that of Gandhi, Nehru and so many others
Time travel withcomics | Review of graphic anthology Longform 2025
With striking artwork and imaginative storytelling, Longform 2025puts together a snapshot of the past, present and future
Best Of Hilarious Independence Day 2025 Memes On Social Media To Light Up Your Freedom Festivities
Azaadi from weekend woes
A gilded past | Review of Fortune Seekers by Raman Mahadevan
Raman Mahadevan provides an invaluable dossier of a South Indian community that still remains uniquely different
Review of The Nehru Years by Swapna Kona Nayudu
A new book explores what set Nehrus non-alignment stance apart and how it still informs Indias foreign policy
