The Parcel by Anosh Irani

I’ve long had a mixed relationship with Anosh Irani and his new book, The Parcel continues to make me feel the same way. Irani is a beautiful writer tackling the harsh realities of the poor and marginalized in Mumbai, and he does so again with The Parcel. That is to say, it, like his other works, is a heartbreaking tale that is beautifully written.

The Path of Modern Yoga by Elliott Goldberg

My current obsession with yoga continues, so The Path of Modern Yoga by Elliott Goldberg seemed like a natural fit for my reading right now. I studied South Asian religion and philosophy in university, and I always knew that the ancient roots of yoga in India bore little resemblance to the LuluLemon yoga practice of today. In The Path of Modern Yoga, Elliott Goldberg shows how we got from there to where we are now by focusing on a few key yoga innovators.

The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota

Well, if The Year of Runaways isn’t a heart-breaking work of staggering genius, then I don’t know what is. To me, it was like a modern, immigrant follow-up to A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, which has long been one of my favorite books. 

The Way Things Were by Aatish Taseer

I’ve been putting off reading The Way Things Were by Aatish Taseer for a while because I was pretty sure I was going to love it and i did. It’s about a family of Sanskritists during the tumult of 1970s to present day India. That description hardly does the novel justice. It is, in fact, an epic exploration of the family, memory, trauma and how the past exists in the present.

A House Called Askival by Merryn Glover

I know what you’re thinking … where have i been? Well, that’s another story (hint: Canary Islands), but I’m back with a bundle full of reviews to write. First up – A House Called Askival by Merryn Glover. It’s published by a small Scottish press, so you may not have heard of it, but it is well worth searching for it.

The Mountain Shadow by Gregory David Roberts

The Shadow Mountain is Gregory David Roberts‘ much anticipated follow-up to Shantaram, but for me, it fell short of Shantaram in everything but length, if you can imagine that. It picks up on the story where Shantaram left off, so in theory it should be just as captivating, but instead it left me wondering if Shantaram was really all that great. That being said, I still read all 912 pages of it.

Man on Fire by Stephen Kelman

You guys, I’m drowning in the amount of stuff occupying my time. And I was supposed to be taking it easy this fall!!

So I’m going to do a really lame review of Man on Fire. It really deserves more attention, but this is all it’s going to get.

I liked it.

I’ve passed it on to my husband.

I’d give it 3.5/5 if I rated books.

It’s based on a real person and it’s crazy.

And I’m going to take Ron Swanson’s golden words, as posted by Kerry at Entomology of a Bookworm, to heart.

See ya when life gets manageable.

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan

It’s become clear over the years that there are a number of types of books for which I am a sucker. So let’s add a cozy, humorous mystery set in India to the list. That is what I expected from The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan and that is exactly what i got.

Maya by C.W. Huntington

I am a sucker for stories of expat academics in India, because for a time, that was my life too. I was even more drawn to Maya by C.W. Huntington because it is largely set in Banaras (or Varanasi, depending on where you sit on that divide), where i did my research. But i do not know how broad the appeal of Maya will be to those who live outside this rarefied crowd.

The City of Devi by Manil Suri

The City of Devi by Manil Suri has been out for quite sometime, and I’m not quite sure why it has taken me until now to read it. I have loved all of Suri’s previous books, but was perhaps a little hesitant to read this one as I’d heard it took place after a nuclear attack. Sounded just a little bit to close to post-apocalyptic to me.